Regulations concerning music venues changing in France

The aim is to protect people’s hearing and to protect the health of people living near these venues.

One of the measures announced was to limit sound levels further. Until now, the sound level at amplified music venues was maximum 105 dB over 15 minutes, the new decree lowers this level to 102 dB. Another novelty is specific protection for children’s hearing. To take into account the sensitivity of young ears, specific values were fixed for events and establishments where children below 6 years are expected to attend: 94 dBA over 15 minutes and 104 dBC over 15 minutes.

The decree also covers a broader range of venues. Formerly, only closed places that regularly play amplified music were concerned by the regulations, but now the decree applies to all venues open to the public, whether open-air or closed, and that play amplified sound with a level above the 80 dB mark over 8 hours. As a result, the new rules also apply to festivals, bars and restaurants that occasionally play music, and even educational venues for music and dance, as well as cinemas.

Another part of the regulations concerns information that must be provided to the public. Night clubs and venues that can host more than 300 people are now required to continuously record sound levels the public is exposed to, to retain these records for possible inspections by the authorities, and to make them available to the public.

Source: Bruitparif; LégiFrance.