Montreal introduces new noise bylaws for the Plateau-Mont-Royal borough

The Montreal borough known for its lively collection of bars, restaurants, concert venues and gig spots, will have new noise regulations in the spring.

The City of Montreal announced the new bylaw for the Plateau-Mont-Royal on Thursday, which will begin on May 4.

The new law will limit police involvement with noise complaints, introduce a new “spectral emergence” system for monitoring noise thresholds and overhaul the complaints and resolution systems.

“With this modernized approach, we will now have a framework far better suited to a borough as densely populated and culturally vibrant as Le Plateau-Mont-Royal,” said borough mayor Cathy Wong.

The city said that police may be called to intervene where “it has reasonable grounds to believe that a person’s peace is being disturbed by noise deemed disruptive or excessive.”

For venues, however, it is up to the borough teams to handle the complaint, and police will not intervene.

The bylaw will also introduce a new system to measure sound generated by venues, known as spectral emergence. It measures the difference between ambient noise and background noise to determine thresholds.

The city has also revamped the complaints management and resolution process.

Members of the public can submit complaints via 311 or online, and a team has been set up as part of a pilot project that will run from June 12 to Oct. 21 to deal with the complaints.

It will be supervised by the Société de développement commercial du boulevard Saint-Laurent (SDBSL).

“The proposed measures are clearly a step in the right direction,” said SDBSL executive director Tasha Morizio. “They recognize the importance of the nightlife scene and its role in the borough’s appeal. The approach, which focuses on dialogue, support and targeted interventions—notably the expanded deployment of our Veilleurs as a pilot project—provides a solid foundation for fostering harmonious and sustainable coexistence between residential areas and cultural and entertainment venues.”

The city said that if a bar or concert hall is the subject of a noise complaint, the borough will notify it and offer support to help it comply with the bylaw. The voluntary support is meant to find resolutions and limit the use of fines, which have been reduced to the minimum levels.

The SMAQ (Scènes de Musique Alternatives du Québec), which represents and defends the interests of music venues in Quebec, said it welcomes the new bylaw.

“This is a significant step forward in preventing the closure of cultural venues caused by frivolous noise complaints — a major issue in Montreal for several years,” said SMAQ board of directors chair Marc St. Laurent.

The SMAQ said that the bylaw opens the doors to other important initiatives, including sustainable funding for performance venues, solutions for rising operating costs and rents and mechanisms to mitigate the effects of commercial concentration in the cultural sector.