Environmental Nuisances
Townsville City Council environmental health staff are delegated the responsibility for enforcing the Environmental Protection Act 1994. This legislation deals with a number of environmental nuisances, including noise, smoke, aerosols, fumes, particles, light, odour, and other factors that can affect your quality of life.
If your neighbour is causing a nuisance, Council encourages you to talk to your neighbour and see if there is a solution that will satisfy both parties. Working together to find a mutual solution is the best approach.
Council's information sheet Who to contact about a nuisance (PDF, 594.5 KB) will help you to identify if it's an issue that Council can help you with or if you need to contact another agency.
Nuisances that are Council's responsibility
Council is the authority responsible for investigating nuisances that arise from residential premises and commercial activities.
Noise nuisances
Neighbourhood noise can sometimes become annoying and negatively affect health and wellbeing. There are legal limits on the amount and type of noise that can be made in our community, as well as restrictions on the times noise can be made. These laws try to provide a balance between the protection of our quality of life, and the reasonable pursuit of activities that have the potential to annoy others.
Council's Environmental Health and Regulatory Services Team regulates excessive noise including:
- air-conditioning units
- amplifiers (e.g. loudhailers)
- power boat engines (on land)
- pumps including pool and spa pumps
- regulated devices including motor mowers, leaf blowers, power tools etc.
- building works
- refrigeration activities.
Refer to our information sheets for more information about noise nuisances.
Noise restrictions and complaints (PDF, 623.9 KB)
Minimising air conditioner noise (PDF, 612.1 KB)
Tools and maintenance noise (regulated devices) (PDF, 619.7 KB)
Building noise (PDF, 666.6 KB)
Light nuisances
Lighting is often important in urban areas for safety reasons. However, excessive lighting from office buildings or security lighting in residential or commercial areas can be a nuisance and may reduce the quality of life for some people.
Council is responsible for regulating nuisance light emissions from residential premises and most commercial/industrial premises.
Refer to our information sheet for further information.
Light nuisance (PDF, 582.0 KB)
Dust/smoke/odour nuisances
The environmental protection laws also cover other unreasonable releases of various emissions including dust, smoke, fumes, and odour. Examples include:
- smoke or ash from burning off wastes
- smoke or ash from backyard burning
- aerosols from paint cans and other fine mists
- fumes from petrol or diesel
- dust from construction works
- odour from composting or accumulated rubbish.
Fire hazard from backyard burning is also regulated by Council under our local laws.
Smoke, odour or fumes emitted from residential cooking are exempt from the nuisance legislation.
Dust from demolition and construction work, if badly managed, can cause environmental nuisance and impact those living adjacent or near the work site. The Management of Dust from Development Sites document offers guidance for developing a dust emission control plan.
Refer to our information sheets for more information.
Burning off and smoke nuisances (PDF, 3.5 MB)
Dust nuisance (PDF, 626.6 KB)
Odour nuisances (PDF, 620.8 KB)
Paint and chemical spray drift (PDF, 607.5 KB)
Water pollution
Water contamination includes the release or deposit of contaminants such as chemicals, oil, building waste, waste water, glass, metal or paper into rivers, lakes, streams, roadside gutters or stormwater drainage. Such contaminants can damage or destroy Townsville's beautiful waterways and beaches.
Under the Environmental Protection Act 1994, Council is responsible for investigating such incidences. On-the-spot fines can be issued to persons found depositing or releasing such contaminants.
Clean building sites
Water contamination poses a serious impact on the environment. Builders and developers have obligations to prevent the deposit or release of sand, sediment, silt, rubbish or building materials into gutters, stormwater drains and waterways from building sites.
Under the Environmental Protection Act 1994, Council is responsible for investigating such incidences. On-the-spot fines can be issued to persons that allow the runoff of sand, sediment, silt, rubbish or building materials into gutters, stormwater drains and waterways.
Refer to our information sheet for further information.
Clean building sites – sediment and erosion (PDF, 689.1 KB)
Healthy Land and Water has a number of helpful resources in protecting our waterways from building site waste.
Nuisances that are not Council's responsibility
Some nuisances are regulated by other government agencies.
- Noise, light, dust and odour nuisances from commercial or industrial activities that have an environmental licence with the Department of Environment and Science are regulated by that department, phone 13 74 68.
- Noise from music, parties, and vehicles is regulated by the Queensland Police Service, phone 131 444.
- Noise from licensed premises, i.e. nightclubs is regulated by regulated by Office of Liquor and Gaming, phone 13 74 68.
