Fairfax County leaders are eager to get a jump start on a new option to automate monitoring for excessive vehicle noise.
The county’s Board of Supervisors unanimously voted on July 14 to direct County Executive Bryan Hill to report a timeline by this fall for implementing the authority newly granted by the General Assembly to Fairfax and some other Virginia localities.
Having the ability to use automated technology to detect excessive vehicle noise levels — defined as above 95 decibels — and fine drivers was a priority of the Board of Supervisors for the past two legislative sessions.
“This is not a trivial matter,” Board Chair Jeff McKay said at the July 14 meeting. He called noisy vehicles “horribly frustrating, not only to our residents, but to police.”
“This is absolutely a quality-of-life issue,” McKay said.
Police and sheriff’s offices across Virginia already have the power to ticket vehicles determined by officers or deputies to be exceeding noise levels. Legislation signed by Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) earlier this year allows localities in the commonwealth’s less rural areas to use automated detection equipment as well.
“Officers cannot be everywhere at once,” McKay said.
The legislation permits a two-year pilot program. If their authority isn’t extended by the General Assembly, participating localities will need to end their efforts on June 30, 2028.
The 2026 legislation was patroned by Del. Rip Sullivan (D-6). Sullivan in 2025 successfully won General Assembly passage of a similar bill, but saw it vetoed by then-Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R).
In his veto message, Youngkin suggested that “allowing only certain localities to use noise cameras with specific decibel limits would create inconsistent enforcement and confusion for motorists across the state.”
The bill signed by Spanberger has a number of privacy protection provisions, and requires that “a conspicuous sign” be placed within 1,000 feet of any monitoring device, announcing its presence.
Localities also are required to list online the location of all monitoring devices.
The new law provides that the operator of a vehicle found to be exceeding noise limits will be liable for a civil penalty not to exceed $100. The violation will not be reported to the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles or insurance agencies.
Revenue from any fines must be go toward either offsetting the costs of running the program or supporting general transportation safety initiatives.
Supervisors are likely to begin looking more specifically at starting the program during an autumn meeting of their Safety & Security Committee.
According to county data, a total of 1,185 citations were issued by the Fairfax County Police Department during 2025 for loud or altered vehicle exhausts. Through early July, there have been 662 citations issued so far in 2026.
