Noise

The Noise Regulations provide exemptions for practice of musical instruments in a residential premises. This may be undertaken between: 

• 7am - 7pm Monday to Saturday 

• 9am - 7pm Sundays and Public Holidays 

Musical instruments should not be used for more than 1 hour per day (this doesn't necessarily mean consecutive minutes, but they must be used in a reasonable manner i.e. cannot be played infrequently throughout a whole day despite one hour accumulative total) and the windows and doors should be closed. 

Music may likely be regarded as unreasonable by neighbours if it can be heard clearly at their boundary. Noise limits significantly reduce after 10pm Monday - Saturday and after 7pm on Sundays. Disruptive party music and/or anti-social behaviour e.g. screaming, yelling, abuse and intimidation should be referred to the Police on 131 444 (Police can attend after hours and are authorised under the Regulations to assist with these types of complaints). 

Neighbours are more likely to tolerate 'one off parties' if they have been given advance warning through a letter drop. This could include the: 

• address and date of the party (neighbours may wish to make alternative arrangements and go out); 

• time the music will be switched off or turned down significantly; 

• party organiser's phone number who should be contactable at all times. 

Neighbours are still entitled to seek Police assistance should the music/noise be unbearable. Some party organisers mistakenly believe that party music can legally be played until midnight. There are no such exemptions under the Regulations, although neighbours may be more accepting on Friday or Saturday night. 

Outdoor speakers should be minimised and directed away from neighbours' homes, the bass kept low and the party moved indoors with windows and doors closed particularly after 10pm. 

Noise from public events such as concerts will usually require approval from the Shire if they are going to exceed normal assigned noise levels at the nearest house. The approval contains strict conditions such as event times,  noise levels and monitoring either by the Shire’s Environmental Health Officers or an acoustic consultant. Notification is required to be delivered to affected residences prior to the event.  

The application form for a Non-Complying Event (Noise) can be found here.  

Police have powers to enter any premises where an alarm has been sounding for 30 minutes. Please call the Police on 131 444 to arrange for the alarm to be deactivated. The  Shire cannot assist with intruder alarms or car alarms. If you are disturbed by a fire alarm you should call emergency services on 000 to investigate whether there is a fire. 

Reversing Alarms are commonly fitted to plant and heavy vehicles across a wide range of industries. The noise made by these may be tonal (beep-beep-beep) or broadband (wooshing or shhing) sounds. Tonal alarms can be audible at considerable distance and sometimes give rise to noise complaints as the tone sticks out and can be considered more annoying. Occupational Safety and Health Legislation does not specifically require tonal reversing alarms, only a safe system of work. Where a tonal reversing alarm on a vehicle is likely to negatively impact on the community, the use of broadband alarms may assist in providing a solution. 

Construction noise resulting from a construction site is only permitted from 7am to 7pm Monday to Saturday (excluding public holidays). If work must occur outside of these hours, a noise management plan is required to be submitted to the Shire at least 7 days prior to the intended works and approved. Most works which are considered essential to complete early morning or late at night will be approved such as emergency power work, road/power/water repairs and maintenance (where traffic is a safety issue) and large concrete pours (which require significant time for curing). 

The application form for an out-of-hours construction noise can be found here.  

If you are affected by noise from a construction site, try and have a friendly chat to a worker onsite and ask to speak to the site supervisor. If you don't feel comfortable approaching them in person, have a look for the builder’s details on the signage displayed at the front of the construction site and give them a call.  

If you are considering installing a new air conditioner system, ensure your installer is aware of the 'An Installer's Guide to Air Conditioner Noise' obtained from the Fair Air website. Regular servicing and maintenance of your existing unit to ensure wear and tear and/or aging parts are addressed will keep noise to a minimum.  

Pool pumps should be operated between the hours of 7am-7pm Monday to Saturday and 9am-7pm Sundays and public holidays, when higher noise levels are allowed. 

Roosters are not permitted to be kept anywhere in the Shire’s townsite due to the intrusive noise.  

Cover or bring bird cages in at night to prevent vocal birds from waking neighbours. 

Traffic noise from roads is exempt from the Environmental Protection Act.  

Problems with individual noisy vehicles on public roads can be directed to the police. 

Where cumulative traffic noise along major roads is an issue, please contact Main Roads Western Australia on 138 135.