Fairfax County leaders are welcoming renewed efforts giving localities the ability to electronically monitor vehicle noise and fine those whose vehicles exceed state limits.
Del. Rip Sullivan (D-6) plans to reintroduce legislation on the subject during the 2026 General Assembly session, his office confirmed. In this year’s session, his measure made it to the desk of Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R), but was vetoed.
“I look forward to reintroducing this legislation next session, and working closely with local governments, community groups and law-enforcement organizations so that our communities can benefit from this common-sense piece of legislation,” Sullivan told FFXnow.
Sullivan’s 2025 measure would have allowed localities in Northern Virginia and the Fredericksburg area to set up pilot programs on exhaust monitoring. Under the bill, owners of vehicles that emit noises higher than 95 decibels would receive a citation in the mail. Localities would have been allowed to levy civil fines up to $100.
In his veto message, Youngkin said the measure “would create inconsistent enforcement and confusion for motorists across the state.” He also said he believes localities currently have “sufficient authority” to monitor vehicle exhaust.
The Code of Virginia requires that a vehicle’s exhaust must be in a condition to “prevent excessive or unusual levels of noise,” but there’s no specified threshold. State law also requires that any infraction be witnessed by a sworn officer.
Sullivan and other supporters of the pilot program believe there is too much ambiguity, emboldening those who purposely alter emissions systems to generate excessive levels of noise.
“I hear regularly from constituents who are annoyed and frustrated,” Sullivan said, criticizing “drivers who insist on inflicting these mufflers on us.”
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors was among those championing the proposal during the 2025 legislative session. The board briefly discussed the prospects of a similar bill for 2026 at an Oct. 7 meeting of its legislative committee.
“Del. Sullivan is excited to be bringing that back,” said Jennifer Van Ee, the county’s legislative director.
Even before it landed on the governor’s desk back last winter, the measure had a roller-coaster ride through the two houses of the state legislature.
The bill won approval on a largely partisan 54-44 vote in the House of Delegates. But when it moved across the hall to the Senate, the powerful Committee on Finance and Appropriations recommended sending the bill to the Virginia State Crime Commission for further review before any action.
That proposal effectively would have killed further consideration for the session.
The House of Delegates rejected the recommendation, sending the measure to a conference committee. A compromise involving the removal of a requirement that localities send data to the Virginia State Police was worked out Feb. 22, the final day of the 2025 legislative session. The measure ultimately passed on votes of 53-45 in the House and 24-16 in the Senate.
In April, the legislature reconvened to take up the governor’s vetoes and recommendations, but no attempt was made to override Youngkin’s veto of Sullivan’s vehicle noise monitoring bill.
If a 2026 bill on the topic makes it through the legislature again, it will land on the desk of a new governor — either Democrat Abigail Spanberger or Republican Winsome Earle-Sears — depending on the outcome of the Nov. 4 election.
