Under the Environmental Protection Act, it is an offence to cause unreasonable noise from residential premises. Unreasonable noise is determined by its volume, intensity and duration.

There are steps that can be taken to deal with the noise before it reaches excessive levels. This includes:

• Talking with the person responsible for the noise and work together to find a solution.
• Contact council or the police. Noise from music/parties that occurs after hours should be referred to the police as they can deal with the noise as it is occurring if they deem it to be unreasonable.
• Contact the Dispute Settlement of Victoria who can assist in resolving the issue through mediation.

The EPA Victoria website has a list of prohibited times for residential and tips on how to address common residential noise issues.

The EPA Annoyed by Noise publication can also provide you with further information.

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