To investigate the inhibiting effect of chlorination and coagulation on membrane fouling during ceramic membrane filtration treatment for water containing higher concentration of algae, pilot scale membrane filtration experiments were conducted under different chlorine and coagulant dosages. The observed transmembrane pressure profiles demonstrated clear that chlorination and coagulation applied prior to ceramic membrane filtration could effectively alleviate the extent of membrane fouling, thus enhancing the filtration performance. In regard of water qualities after treatment, the concentration of dissolved organic matter, assessed by either UV260 or TOC, decreased as the dosages for coagulant and chlorine increased; however, the decreasing extent for UV260 was found to be slightly higher than TOC. The mechanisms behind the observed inhibiting effect on membrane fouling were probably related to the capability of coagulation in lowing the concentration of dissolved organic matter, the capability of chlorination in altering the features of fouling-causing substances, and the effect on membrane cleaning by residual chlorine during chlorination treatment, which need further investigations along with investigations for controlling disinfection byproducts associated with chlorination.