Closed, inspected, or told to prove your noise levels?
Bangkok district offices are enforcing entertainment venue licensing far more actively than they were, and noise is one of the things coming up. If you have been asked to evidence your noise levels, what you need is an independent measurement, taken by the official method, and signed by a named acoustic engineer.
What is actually being inspected
The current enforcement is primarily about safety: fire protection, escape routes, whether the building is being used as approved, and whether the licences held match the activity taking place. The powers being used sit under the Building Control Act B.E. 2522 and the Public Health Act B.E. 2535.
But once officials are on the premises, noise tends to come up as well — particularly for venues with a complaint history, or those close to residential buildings. That makes noise something to hold evidence on rather than something to answer confidently and hope.
The number that decides it: 10 dBA above background
Most operators assume the noise limit is a fixed decibel figure. It is not. Thailand sets the disturbance level at no more than 10 dBA above the background level, under National Environment Board Notification No. 29 (B.E. 2550).
That means your limit depends on how quiet the area is when your venue is silent. A bar on a main road has considerably more headroom than the same bar in a quiet soi — and it is why the measurement has to be taken twice, with your sound system running and with it off.
- Background level measured with your sound system off
- Operating level measured while the venue is actually trading, during the period in dispute
- Measured where the affected person is — not at your own doorway
- Disturbance level calculated by the Pollution Control Department method (B.E. 2565)
- Taken with a calibrated IEC 61672-1 Class 1 sound level meter
Why measuring it yourself will not be accepted
We regularly see operators who measured in good faith and produced something unusable — not because the number was wrong, but because the method did not match what the law requires.
- A phone app is not admissible, however sensible the reading looks
- An uncalibrated meter fails for the same reason — no traceability, no evidence
- Measuring at the wrong position, such as your own frontage instead of the complainant's property, makes the result legally meaningless
- No background measurement means the disturbance level cannot be calculated at all
- A measurement taken by the operator is open to a neutrality objection from the outset
Why independent, and not the soundproofing company's free survey
When a venue is closed, soundproofing contractors offering a free noise survey follow almost immediately. There is nothing unlawful about that offer, but it should be understood clearly: the party measuring is the party who will sell you the treatment.
We do not sell acoustic materials, we do not carry out installation, and we take no commission from anyone. What we sell is the measurement and the responsibility for it. If your venue complies, we will tell you it complies and you spend nothing on treatment you did not need. If it does not, we will tell you what has to change and how much is enough — with no reason of our own to make that number larger than it is.
What you receive
- Background and operating levels measured at the positions that actually matter
- The disturbance level calculated by the Pollution Control Department method, with the calculation shown
- A clear finding — compliant or not against the 10 dBA limit — with the conditions it was measured under stated
- Frequency-band analysis, which identifies whether the problem is bass, voice, or ventilation plant
- Instrument calibration certificates and full methodology — the annex that makes the report acceptable
- Report in Thai for submission, and in English if an owner or investor needs it
- Signed by a named acoustic engineer, not issued anonymously
If you are over the limit
Knowing by how much, and in which frequency bands, is worth far more than knowing simply that you failed. It routinely changes the remediation budget by a large multiple.
- Most pub and bar problems sit at low frequency, where the absorptive wall panels commonly sold do almost nothing
- Sound escapes through doors, ventilation openings and service penetrations far more often than through walls
- A level limit set at the sound system is frequently a fraction of the cost of structural work, and frequently sufficient
- We rank the options by result per baht spent, so the cheap effective measures are tried before the expensive ones
- Once changes are made we re-measure to confirm they worked — which is the document you want to be holding before the next complaint, not after it
We understand the urgency
A closed venue is losing money every day. We treat these as priority work and we give you a realistic attendance date in the first conversation, rather than after you have already waited three days.
Measurement has to happen during the period in question, which for a venue normally means at night. We work to your actual trading hours.
FAQ
My venue has been closed. Do I need a noise measurement report?
It depends what the district office has actually asked you for. The current inspections focus mainly on fire safety and building use, but where there is also a noise complaint, or where officials ask you to evidence your levels, a measurement taken by the Pollution Control Department method is what answers it. Send us the paperwork you were given and we will tell you plainly what you need.
What is the noise limit for an entertainment venue in Thailand?
It is not a fixed number. The disturbance level must not exceed 10 dBA above the background level of that location, under National Environment Board Notification No. 29 (B.E. 2550). That is why the measurement has to capture both the venue silent and the venue trading, then be calculated by the prescribed method.
Can I measure it myself with an app or a meter I bought?
No. The law requires a calibrated IEC 61672-1 Class 1 sound level meter and the Pollution Control Department calculation method. Results from a phone app or an uncalibrated meter cannot be used as evidence.
How long does it take?
The site measurement can usually be completed in a single night where all positions are accessible. Overall timing depends on the number of positions and how urgent it is. We give you an attendance date and a report date with the quotation.
Do we have to close while you measure?
The opposite — we need to measure while you are trading normally, because that is the condition in dispute. The background measurement is taken with the sound system off, which is short and can be scheduled around you.
If the result shows we exceed the limit, does that harm us?
The report is yours and you decide whether to submit it. Knowing your real number before an official measures it gives you options. Not knowing leaves you with none.
How much does it cost?
It depends on the number of positions, how long we need to measure and how urgent it is. We quote a fixed price once we know the location and the nature of the venue. There are no hidden extras, and we are not selling you remediation afterwards.
Do you also sell soundproofing?
No, and that is exactly why the report carries weight. We have no reason to tell you that you need more treatment than you actually do.
Can the report be submitted to the district office?
It is prepared by the method the law prescribes, with instrument calibration certificates and full methodology, signed by a named engineer — which is the form authorities expect. If your district has specified a particular format, send it to us first and we will work to it.
Nothing has happened to us yet, but we are worried. Can we do this in advance?
You should. A measurement record created before a problem arises carries incomparably more weight than one commissioned after a complaint. And if it shows you are over, you get to fix it on your own timetable rather than while your doors are shut.