Since 2016, establishments in Lisbon that operate after 11pm have been required to install sound limiters to control noise levels. However, some bars in the city are circumventing this legal obligation through a simple strategy: playing music through televisions instead of traditional speakers, thus escaping the control of sound measurement devices.
The Noise Line of the Lisbon City Council received almost nine thousand complaints since 2022, revealing the scale of the nighttime noise problem in the Portuguese capital. These complaints demonstrate the impact that excessive sound from nightlife establishments has on the quality of life of residents in areas with intense restaurant and bar activity.
The use of televisions to play music constitutes a way to circumvent enforcement, since the mandatory sound limiters are installed to monitor speakers and not common consumer electronic equipment, such as televisions or other multimedia devices.
