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Fairfax County’s push to use automated technology against illegally loud vehicle exhaust systems has stalled after Gov. Glenn Youngkin vetoed legislation authorizing a Northern Virginia pilot program.
Youngkin vetoed H.B. 2550 on Monday, March 24, along with 156 other bills. Introduced by Del. Rip Sullivan, a Democrat representing the 6th District, the measure would have allowed Fairfax County and certain other localities to install exhaust-noise monitors and penalize vehicle owners for violations.
The governor argued that communities already have sufficient enforcement authority under Virginia law. He also said offering the technology in only some jurisdictions would produce inconsistent enforcement and confuse drivers across the state.
Fairfax officials sharply disputed that reasoning.
Braddock District Supervisor James Walkinshaw, who leads the Board of Supervisors’ legislative committee, said the veto reflected a misunderstanding of existing law. The modified mufflers that the monitoring equipment would detect are already illegal, he said, but enforcing that prohibition is extremely difficult.
Walkinshaw said the veto leaves residents exposed to noise pollution from illegal mufflers while requiring police officers to spend valuable time trying to enforce a law that is nearly impossible to apply effectively.
Addressing noisy vehicles was a Fairfax County priority during the legislative session. At a December meeting, Walkinshaw called the effort a personal passion project.
Virginia law requires vehicle exhaust systems to prevent “excessive or unusual” noise but does not establish a specific limit. Sullivan said the proposed pilot could have removed that uncertainty and created a more consistent enforcement standard.
Participating localities would have been permitted to issue civil citations by mail when monitors recorded vehicle noise above 95 decibels. Fines could not have exceeded $100. Yale Environmental Health & Safety compares 95 decibels to the sound of a subway train from 200 feet away.
Sullivan said he frequently hears from constituents affected by exceptionally loud, illegally modified exhaust systems. Police often cannot respond quickly enough because the vehicle is gone before officers arrive, he said, while automated monitoring would have provided another way to enforce the existing restriction.
He also rejected Youngkin’s concern about limiting the program geographically. Sullivan said the purpose of a pilot is to test new technology before considering broader adoption throughout Virginia.
The bill cleared both General Assembly chambers, but only after lawmakers resolved disagreements over its potential cost.
The Senate Committee on Finance and Appropriations initially recommended sending the proposal to the Virginia State Crime Commission for additional review. Committee members argued that Sullivan should have requested a budget amendment covering the estimated $424,000 that Virginia State Police would need to administer the pilots.
After the House of Delegates, which had approved the original measure 54-44, rejected that recommendation, lawmakers formed a conference committee. A compromise removed the requirement to send data to state police, allowing the legislation to pass on Feb. 22, the session’s final day.
Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay, vice chair of the legislative committee, said the governor had disregarded legislators who recognize the seriousness of the problem. Fairfax County police are doing what they can, he said, but locating loud vehicles across more than 7,000 lane miles of roads can resemble finding a needle in a haystack.
The General Assembly is scheduled to reconvene April 2 to review Youngkin’s vetoes and amendments. An override appears unlikely because the final bill passed by relatively narrow votes of 24-16 in the Senate and 53-45 in the House.
Supporters may therefore have to try again next year, when Virginia will have a new governor. Sullivan said he intends to reintroduce the legislation and continue pursuing the technology as a way to improve Fairfax County residents’ quality of life.