In apartment dwellings there are usually house rules covering noise not being audible outside of the dwelling or between certain times. If you are experiencing noise problems this can be reported to the management company, agent or your landlord. Where a tenant breaches these rules, they may be notified of the breach and given a reasonable period to correct the breach. If it continues or happens again in the future the tenancy could be at risk.

There are no maximum noise levels or statutory time periods for dealing with noise complaints. If a person considers a noise to be so loud, so continuous, so repeated, of such duration or pitch or occurring at such times that it gives you reasonable cause for annoyance they can take action through the district court under The Environmental Protection Agency Act 1992 (Noise) Regulations, 1994 (S.I. No. 179 of 1994). Construction There are no specified statutory periods during which certain works e.g. construction, road works, DIY etc. are prohibited although a Planning Authority may attach conditions to individual planning permissions. If you are experiencing noise problems from a construction site, you should contact the relevant Planning Authority and check if there are any conditions attached.

The Gardaí have the power to arrest a person for breach of the peace in a public place. They may ask someone to lower the noise coming from a dwelling, but they do not have the power to enter a dwelling with the intention of simply asking someone to lower the noise. If the noise is persistent, you may complain to the District Court – see Complaints under the EPA Act below. There is useful information in the leaflet on neighbour disputes (pdf) published by FLAC, the Free Legal Advice Centres.