Arlington officials have opted against moving forward with a program to monitor and issue tickets to owners of unusually loud vehicles.
While Fairfax County is moving forward with preparations for a pilot program starting early next year, Arlington is in wait-and-see mode. In response to an ARLnow inquiry, a county spokesman gave the reasoning:
“The County Board did not resource this project in the FY 27 budget. Given that this would require some notable level of initial investment and that the authority to administer such a project technically sunsets in 2028, unless extended, it is difficult to justify our participation this year.”
“However, there is interest in considering the program in the future,” the spokesman said. “The county will keep discussing this internally and monitoring other jurisdictions’ experiences to inform a future decision on whether to pursue participation.”
Legislation sponsored earlier this year by Del. Rip Sullivan (D-6) and signed by Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) gives localities in Northern Virginia and several other urban corridors of the commonwealth the power to set up electronic monitoring for vehicle-exhaust noise.
Owners of vehicles found to be exceeding statewide statutory noise limits of 95 decibels — or a higher level as set by a locality — would be liable for a civil penalty of up to $100.
The pilot program will expire in July 2028, but could be extended by the General Assembly.
Fairfax County officials aggressively pushed for the legislation in both 2025 and 2026. Sullivan successfully shepherded a bill through the General Assembly in 2025, but then-Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) vetoed it.
On Sept. 22, Fairfax County supervisors were briefed by police officials on an initial pilot program, set to start in January and run for 90 days, to test noise-monitoring equipment at two locations.
Supervisor Dalia Palchik (D-Providence), whose district includes the part of Tysons where monitoring equipment will be located, said she appreciated moving forward on the effort.
“My community will be happy,” Palchik said. “In my office, it’s the number-one public-safety complaint I get.”
After gaining data from the 90-day activation, Fairfax officials anticipate rolling out the monitoring initiative countywide throughout 2027.
“This is the first step,” said Supervisor Rodney Lusk (D-Franconia), who chairs the supervisors’ safety and security committee.
Arlington staff will be monitoring those efforts in an attempt to learn from Fairfax County’s experiences.
Legislation allowing for the pilot program requires that the information gathered be used exclusively for issuing noise-level violations. Existing state law gives local public-safety agencies across Virginia the power to charge drivers of noisy vehicles when a sworn officer or deputy witnesses the infraction.
Legislation backed by Del. Patrick Hope (D-1) in 2021 prohibited police from initiating a traffic stop based exclusively on a loud exhaust system, but the prohibition was rescinded by the legislature a year later after complaints from the public.
