Noise
Read our advice on what you can do about noise pollution in your area, and the rules around noise.
Noise is a concern for many people in NSW. Many calls to the EPA’s Environment Line are about excessive noise near people’s homes or workplaces, especially late at night and in the early morning.
The impacts of noise depend on the noise level, its characteristics and how it is perceived by the person affected.
Short-term effects of noise can be annoying, as it can:
- interfere with speech
- disturb sleep
- interrupt work.
Prolonged exposure to loud noise can result in:
- anxiety
- other health effects.
The impacts of noise depend on the noise level, its characteristics and how it is perceived by the person affected.
Managing noise
In NSW, the EPA works in partnership with local government, NSW Police and NSW Roads and Maritime Services to enforce noise control regulations. The NSW community also plays an important part by:
- reporting neighbourhood noise issues to Environment Line
- reporting noisy vehicle pollution through the EPA’s online ‘Report to EPA’ service
Types of noise
- Learn how to prevent noise from becoming a problem.
- Understand your rights and responsibilities.
- Discover what you can do to avoid having a noisy vehicle.
- Report noisy vehicles to the EPA.
- Find out about guidelines to manage noise from road and rail projects.
- Understand how the EPA assesses potential noise impacts, and determines noise limits for licensed industrial premises using the best available technology and management practices set out in the Industrial Noise Policy.
Report noisy exhaust
If you see a vehicle with a noisy exhaust system, report it to the EPA. Help the EPA minimise people’s exposure to motor vehicle pollution and ensure vehicle owners:
- realise how much noise their motor vehicles are making
- understand the noise regulations
- know how to get their vehicle repaired to comply with the regulations.