What’s changing?

The reforms deliver a range of benefits for licensed venues, including:

removal of outdated conditions impacting late night business activitychanges to improve patron and staff safetyincreased operating and trading hour flexibility.

For information on the reforms, including what these changes mean for your business, visit Key changes under the Vibrancy Reforms webpage.

Revocation of certain noise and amenity conditions on liquor licences

Certain liquor licence conditions imposed before 24 November 2022 will cease to have effect and will no longer apply to your licence. The conditions include:

TypeExampleConditions that prohibit or restrict live music or other entertainmentNo entertainment or music is to continue past certain timesEntertainment is limited to background musicNo entertainment or music is to be provided in an outdoor areaWindows and doors must remain closed when amplified music is played.Conditions that impose sound limits or acoustic restrictionsDecibel-based controls such as the LA10 criteriaUse of noise limitersPlacement and use of speakers.

The revocation applies to conditions imposed by the Independent Liquor & Gaming Authority or L&GNSW. Conditions imposed after this date are not affected by these reforms and will remain in force.

What does this mean for licensees?

Although some conditions have been removed, licensees must still manage noise and amenity responsibly. Licensees must comply with all obligations under the Act, ensuring the operation of the venue does not detract from the amenity of community life.

Licensed venues are expected to take reasonable steps to manage sound levels and work proactively with local residents and businesses to address noise concerns.

Following the removal of these conditions, if noise or amenity issues arise at venues that have had noise conditions automatically removed, L&GNSW may reimpose that condition, or a more suitable one to address unreasonable noise and amenity issues.  

For more information please visit the Sound Regulation for Licensed Venues webpage.

While affected conditions may still appear on your liquor licence document, they will not have any lawful effect. L&GNSW will undertake a process to remove these conditions on individual liquor licences throughout 2026. You do not need to apply for them to be removed.

How to find out more

If you have any questions about the reforms and how they impact your venue, contact the Hospitality Concierge at concierge@liquorandgaming.nsw.gov.au