Time restrictions on residential activities are determined by the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) and they work in partnership with local councils and the NSW Police to enforce noise control regulations. Below is a table of the time restrictions on various noise sources from residential premises.
| Noise source - from residential premises | Time restrictions when noise should not be heard in a habitable room in a neighbour's residence | Who to Contact |
|---|---|---|
| Power tools and equipment e.g. lawn mowers and leaf blowers, chainsaws, air compressors, swimming pool pumps | Before 8 am and after 8 pm on Sundays and public holidays | Local council or police |
| Musical instruments and electrically amplified sound equipment e.g. radios, TVs, tape and home theatre systems | Before 8 am and after midnight on any Friday, Saturday or the day immediately before a public holiday Before 8 am and after 10 pm on any other day | Local council or police |
| Air conditioners and heat pump water heaters | Before 8 am and after 10 pm on weekends and public holidays Before 7 am and after 10 pm on any other day | Local council or police |
| Motor vehicles (except when entering or leaving residential premises) | Before 8 am and after 8 pm on weekends and public holidays Before 7 am and after 8 pm on any other day | Local council or police |
For full details please visit the NSW EPA website
Noise issues can have a serious impact on people’s lives, aggravate stress levels and even affect their health, particularly when their sleep is impacted. To avoid upsetting your neighbours please consider the following:
We always recommend that you start by talking to the person creating the noise and attempt to resolve the issue amicably. Often people are unaware of the level of noise they are creating and that it is impacting others. Once they are advised of this we find most residents will work towards resolving it.
Most, if not all, residential strata schemes in NSW will have a by-law in place that will deal with noise issues. So raise this with your Strata Committee or Strata Manager and see if there is an avenue towards forcing compliance by following the breach of by-law process
For further information, you can visit our By-Law enforcement page
Local councils can serve notices on people requiring that they control offensive noise and will advise them what noise levels are acceptable and require the noisy activity be restricted to certain times of the day or specific days. A prevention notice contains conditions on ways of preventing or stopping noise and can be for a wide range of different noises from animal noises to garden equipment and amplified music or instruments.
The notice is issued under section 96 of the Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997 and if not complied with council can issue fines or prosecute.
You can contact your local police station or the police assistance line, particularly when the noise is a one-off problem and you are disturbed by loud music from a party for example
The police can issue a warning or a noise abatement notice directing a person to stop making the noise. A noise abatement notice may be issued at any time of the day or night and can remain in force for up to 28 days.
A person who fails to comply with the notice can be issued with an on-the-spot fine of $200. Police and authorised officers of councils have powers that allow them to seize equipment used to make noise e.g. a sound system.
At Strata Life we strive to take the pressure of the day to day running of a strata scheme off of the shoulders of the committee members and owners. Whilst the nature of strata itself does mean that the owners/ committee are responsible for the decisions, the pressure is reduced by having a proactive manager provide guidance with a plain sense approach and quickly actioning issues as they arise.
We appreciate Committee members often have full time jobs and busy lives. Add to this that the strata scheme is often your home where Committee members do not want to have to police other residents.
Our aim is to minimise the work and time where we can, take on the role of reminding owners and residents of the by-laws so that everyone can peacefully enjoy community living.
Our team has extensive experience with properties on the Upper North Shore, Hornsby and the Northern Beaches areas, with excellent local contractors and superior local knowledge.
Whether you’re an existing client or not, our strata managers are here to help with all matters relating to strata schemes and community living. Our office is open Monday – Friday, 8am – 6pm to answer your call or, for after-hours assistance, please complete our online enquiry form and we’ll get back to you the following business day.
Disclaimer: The information contained in this article is general information only and not legal advice. The currency, accuracy and completeness of this article (and its contents) should be checked by obtaining independent legal advice before you take any action or otherwise rely upon its contents in any way. Strata Life disclaims any liability for negligence or otherwise in any way connected with this article.
