Noise guide for local government

The noise guide provides practical advice for council officers on planning, assessing, managing and preventing local noise problems.

We've now published the revised Noise Guide for Local Government.

This is an update of the 2013 guide, based on feedback from stakeholders. It makes it easier for councils to find information on:

  • the legislative framework for managing noise
  • who is responsible for managing noise
  • options for managing noise. 

The guide has been designed primarily to meet the needs of councils. However, it may also be helpful for:

  • government agencies responsible for managing noise in certain circumstances, for example NSW Police and Transport for NSW
  • community members affected by noise seeking to understand who may be responsible for managing noise in specific circumstances and what regulatory (and non-regulatory) options are available to council (or other regulatory authorities) to resolve noise issues
  • acoustic consultants who may be required to prepare noise assessments on behalf of council, or for a council-regulated activity. 

The guide also reflects changes introduced by the Protection of the Environment (Noise Control) Regulation 2017 and other legislative changes made since 2013.

Before finalising the document, we put it online for public consultation and have published a summary of the submissions we received.

This guide updates the document published in 2013 of the same name, based on feedback from public consultation. It has been redesigned to make it easier for council to find information on the legislative framework to manage noise, who is responsible for managing noise, and what options are available to do so. 

The guide is structured in 3 parts:

  • Part 1 provides an overview of the regulatory and non-regulatory options to manage noise through a range of flow charts and sections which offer advice on common noise issues. Part 1 also includes a quick reference guide to help identify the appropriate regulatory authority for various sources of noise
  • Part 2 supports Part 1 by providing an overview of the legal framework for noise control. It also provides a helpful overview of the legislative framework for the community and other stakeholders
  • Part 3 provides supporting information, including an overview of acoustic principles and noise measurement, and advice on non-regulatory options to manage noise.
More information on the key changes to the guide are in the summary of consultation feedback. 
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