*Noise Magazine* Control Act Amended

Source: After 10 PM — Noisy Neighbours Face Fines
From: Min Sheng Daily
Date: 1999-03-03

To comprehensively address household noise and nighttime disturbances in residential areas, the Environmental Protection Administration completed amendments to the *Noise Magazine* Control Act yesterday. Beyond the existing decibel-based controls, the revision significantly expanded “behavioural controls”: within all controlled zones, activities including piano-playing, singing, drilling or chiselling walls, and listening to stereos will be prohibited after 10 pm. Previously, noise enforcement relied on measurement-based standards — a violation required registering decibel levels above the legal threshold. Under the new rules, listed behaviours will simply be banned, without any need to measure decibels: a complaint from a neighbour is sufficient; if the person fails to heed on-site inspectors’ advice, a citation and fine will follow. The decibel-control framework was also significantly broadened: current standards apply only to factories and commercial premises; the amendment extends coverage to “all public and private premises,” bringing every public and private space in residential areas under a dual regime of both behavioural and decibel controls.

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External Links

• *Noise Magazine* Level Classifications (EPA)
• *Noise Magazine* Control Standards (Taipei City Department of Cultural Affairs)