The EPA has formulated the Guidelines for Noise Control of Large Scale Events. Local governments, activity organizers and venue providers are required to fulfill their responsibilities for noise control and management before and during events so as to ensure a peaceful environment. In this regard, preventive measures such as noise reduction for the sound source, change of the sound transmission path, and the protection of the noise receiver, etc., should all be rigorously enforced.

The main points of the guidelines include:

1. Before the event, the organizer should submit a noise control plan and make commitments to enforce noise control measures, such as banning the use of loudspeakers at night-time, and forbidding hand-clapping, jumping and other noise-generating behaviors.

2. The venue provider should review the organizer’s noise control plan before the activity takes place. The venue provider also needs to take better noise reduction measures such as installing sound-absorbing materials.

3. The local government should hold a meeting before the event with the organizer and the venue provider to incorporate the guidelines into the venue under management rules or the rental contract. During the event, the local government also needs to conduct inspection to ensure that noise control rules are complied with.

On 29 December 2015, the EPA sent notices to local governments requesting that all event-organizers and venue providers comply with the guidelines and fulfill their planning and management responsibilities. Anyone in violation of the noise control standards will be subject to a fine between NT$3,000~30,000. Currently, most local governments have notified event organizers and venue providers to comply with the guidelines. Some local governments have further incorporated these guidelines into their autonomous regulations on safety of large scale events.

The EPA maintains that the guidelines focus on taking preventive measures which are doubly effective in that they can reduce the workload on local environmental protection bureaus. It hopes that the event organizers and the venue providers can implement the noise control measures before events take place so as to reduce noise nuisances.