The Vienna Town Council decided not to move forward this week with tightened restrictions on noise produced by lawn and landscaping equipment.
After receiving largely dissatisfied feedback at a public hearing, the council voted 6-1 on Monday (Dec. 8) to reject noise ordinance amendments that would’ve prohibited multiple pieces of equipment from being used on residential properties before 8 a.m. and expanded a Sunday ban on all contractor noise to also include federal holidays.
A key advisory panel has signed off on a proposal aimed at spreading out flight corridors departing to and arriving from the south at Reagan National Airport.
The plan, which now heads to local governments and ultimately the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), could provide relief for those living in a swath of southern Fairfax County that currently bears the brunt of aircraft noise in the corridor.
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.
Fairfax County leaders continue to push the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) to fund an outside analysis of aircraft noise’s impact on neighborhoods along the flight path at Reagan National Airport.
“This is merely asking MWAA to do what a whole lot of other airports across the country have done,” Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay said on Sept. 30, when supervisors unanimously approved making the request of MWAA CEO Jack Potter.
The City of Fairfax could tighten its restrictions on noise but is likely holding off on regulating gas-powered leaf blowers.
Currently in Fairfax City, amplified sounds like music and other noise through speakers are prohibited form being plainly audible inside another person’s dwelling unit between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. Street noises, like yelling, shouting, and hooting are likewise prohibited on public streets during the same hours.
A study of how to reduce the impact of airplanes on Fairfax and nearby communities has found that it would help to have fewer planes flying over Fairfax and nearby communities.
Two years after getting hired to identify strategies to reduce the noise impact from Reagan National Airport (DCA) on nearby localities, the consultant Vianair has reported back with findings that basically mirror what local governments have been saying for years.
Fairfax County officials are likely headed back to the drawing board after a veto of a bill that would have let Northern Virginia localities host a pilot program to reduce vehicle exhaust noise.
H.B. 2550, which was introduced in the Virginia General Assembly by local Del. Rip Sullivan (D-6), was one of 157 bills vetoed by Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin on Monday (March 24).
A last-minute compromise in Richmond has kept alive one of the Fairfax County government’s key transportation initiatives of 2025.
Both chambers of the Virginia General Assembly approved language on Saturday (Feb. 22) allowing Fairfax and other Northern Virginia localities to host a pilot program focused on reducing vehicle-exhaust noise.
An effort by Fairfax County officials to crack down on excessively loud vehicle exhaust systems is facing an uncertain future in Richmond, where state legislators recently voiced concerns about the possible costs.
The powerful Senate Committee on Finance and Appropriations voted 10-4 Monday night (Feb. 17) to send the proposed legislation to the State Crime Commission, which will study its provisions and report back later to the General Assembly.
If the Virginia General Assembly allows it, Fairfax County leaders are willing to be the guinea pigs in any effort to find more effective ways to tamp down on noisy vehicles.
The Board of Supervisors’ legislative committee took steps last Tuesday (Nov. 26) to request legislation allowing the county to host a pilot program that would use technology to catch drivers whose after-market mufflers pump out more noise than the 85 decibels allowed under state law.
