If you have a complaint about neighbourhood noise you can contact the Environmental Health Officers who are authorised to deal with noise issues under the provisions of the Environmental Protection (Noise) Regulation 1997. Officers are not on permanent call so if there are problems at night such as noisy parties or people, your complaint should be referred to Bunbury Police on 9722 2111.
Please use the below forms to lodge either a neighbourhood noise complaint or general neighbourhood complaint (and refer to our responsible pet ownership page, for details on the alternative process which applies to nuisance pet complaints).
Noise is controlled by the Environmental Protection (Noise) Regulations 1997 which stipulate a variety of control measures such as certain decibel levels for various times of day, characteristics of noise and certain noisy activities that are allowed within a given time frame.
'Specified equipment' (equipment that requires the constant presence of an operator for normal use (e.g., power tools, lawn mowers, basketball) is only permitted to be used from 7am to 7pm Monday to Saturday and 9am to 7pm on Sundays and Public Holidays. The maximum time is two hours, and it must not unreasonably interfere with the health, comfort or convenience of an occupier of a premise receiving the noise.
Musical instruments are allowed to be played for a maximum of one hour per day between 7am to 7pm Monday to Saturday and 9am to 7pm Sundays and public holidays. They must also not unreasonably interfere with the health, comfort or convenience, of an occupier of a premise receiving the noise.
Audible alarms can be annoying if they sound intermittently. The police can gain entry to premises to switch off the alarm if it has been sounding for more than 30 minutes.
Please call WA Police on 131 444 for assistance.
Construction noise – construction works may be carried out between 7am and 7pm, Monday to Saturday (excluding Sundays and public holidays).
For construction work done outside of these permitted hours, an out of hours Construction Noise Management Plan application for the City’s approval is required a minimum of seven days prior.
Having problems with ongoing noise in your neighbourhood?
In the first instance, we recommend you:
- Approach your neighbour to politely and respectfully explain how the noise is affecting you
- Try to come to a ‘win-win’ resolution – for instance your neighbour may be able to continue the activity, perhaps for a shorter duration or at a time more convenient to you.
If you would like one of the City’s Environmental Health Officers to investigate noise in your neighbourhood please complete the below Environmental Health Complaint form for an Environmental Health Officer to investigate.
You may be asked to complete a record of events, noting the date, time and duration of the noise emissions over at least a fortnight (see form below). The City’s Environmental Health Officers may need to obtain sound level measurements from your property as part of the investigation.
Please note, noise from anti-social behaviour such as yelling, screaming, swearing and one-off party noise is handled by the Police. Please contact the Police on 131 444 and request immediate attendance.