Entertainment venue and outdoor event music noise guidelines

The Environment Protection Act 2017 (the Act) and the Environment Protection Regulations 2021 (the Regulations) change the way noise emissions are assessed and managed in Victoria.

The Act introduces a duties-based framework, with the general environmental duty (GED) at the centre. The GED requires any person engaging in an activity that may give rise to risks of harm to human health or the environment from pollution or waste to minimise those risks so far as reasonably practicable. Pollution includes the emission of noise.

In addition to the GED, under section 166 of the Act, a person (including businesses, entertainment venues and event organisers and operators and other duty holders) must not emit, or permit the emission of, 'unreasonable noise'. The Act sets out factors that may establish when noise will be unreasonable noise. The Regulations also prescribe what is unreasonable noise from entertainment venues and outdoor entertainment events.

1. Purpose and scope

Purpose

This guide provides general guidance on how the Act and Regulations apply to noise from entertainment venues and outdoor entertainment events. It is for people who own, operate or manage entertainment venues and outdoor entertainment events that emit noise.

This guide is also for acoustic consultants and practitioners who assess or provide advice about activities at, and the management of, entertainment venues and outdoor entertainment events.

Scope

This guide covers noise emitted from:

• indoor entertainment venues
• outdoor entertainment venues
• outdoor entertainment events.

Music noise from residential premises is not within the scope of this guide. Find out about unreasonable noise from residential premises on EPA’s website.

This guide does not cover other laws and regulations that apply to noise in Victoria, for example, the Public Health and Wellbeing Act 2008, local laws made under the Local Government Act 2020, and Victoria’s planning system.