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Fairfax County could gain a new tool to target excessively loud vehicles after the Virginia House of Delegates approved legislation allowing roadside noise sensors in select parts of the state.
House Bill 55, introduced for the second consecutive year by Del. Rip Sullivan (D-6), passed the House on a 64-34 vote Tuesday following its third reading. It now heads to the Senate, with supporters hoping it will ultimately reach Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s desk.
The measure would establish a two-year pilot program ending in July 2028. Participating localities could use monitoring equipment to identify vehicles exceeding 95 decibels, with owners facing civil fines of up to $100.
Fairfax County transportation analyst Kristine Prentice told the Board of Supervisors’ Legislative Committee on Feb. 13 that officials were excited by the bill’s progress and hoped it would move smoothly through the Senate.
A second attempt after Youngkin’s veto
A similar bill reached then-Gov. Glenn Youngkin last year, but he vetoed it. Youngkin argued that localities already possessed sufficient authority to enforce vehicle-noise restrictions and that permitting sensors in only certain jurisdictions could lead to inconsistent enforcement and driver confusion.
Sullivan told a House innovations subcommittee on Feb. 5 that the veto puzzled him because modifying a muffler to produce more noise is already illegal in Virginia.
The delegate said last year’s proposal had gained momentum and attracted positive reactions from residents across the state. He argued that uncertainty over where violators might be caught should not outweigh the concerns of residents affected by the noise.
Sullivan said aftermarket mufflers can be enormously disruptive and may even sound like gunfire, sometimes prompting frightened residents to call police. The proposed sensors would be installed along roadsides.
Pilot program expands to more regions
The original version of this year’s legislation covered jurisdictions in Planning District 8, which includes Northern Virginia, and Planning District 16, encompassing the Interstate 95 corridor toward Richmond.
House amendments added Planning District 9, covering southwestern outer suburbs of Northern Virginia, and Planning District 15, the Richmond metropolitan area. Sullivan said delegates from those districts requested inclusion after hearing similar complaints from constituents.
Participating localities would have to publish information about how often they deploy the sensors. Drivers would also have a process for contesting citations.
The bill was expanded to cover commercial vehicles as well as personal vehicles after lawmakers incorporated elements of legislation from Del. John Chilton McAuliff (D-30). McAuliff had sought to address complaints about compression-release engine brakes, commonly called Jake brakes, on trucks.
Virginia Trucking Association representative Dale Bennett supported Sullivan’s approach as an alternative to banning compression brakes, which he described as safety equipment that helps diesel vehicles stop more quickly.
“Banning a safety device is not the answer,” Bennett said, arguing that the pilot would instead focus enforcement on excessive noise and illegally modified exhaust systems.
A Virginia Farm Bureau representative said the organization was working with Sullivan and McAuliff on a possible exemption for agricultural and forestry haulers.
Fairfax officials back enforcement tool
Dranesville District Supervisor Jimmy Bierman testified in support of the proposal during the Feb. 5 subcommittee hearing, saying officers have difficulty determining the precise decibel level of a passing vehicle.
“It will help our police enforce what is the law currently,” Bierman said, adding that Fairfax County has strongly supported the measure.
Under HB 55, pilot-program violations would be civil rather than criminal offenses and would not be reported to insurance companies. The legislation applies the same data-storage and privacy protections currently used for speed-monitoring cameras.
Localities joining the program would also be required to report annually on the number of citations issued and the total penalties collected.