Panel advances two‑year pilot to test acoustic enforcement for modified mufflers in two planning districts

Delegate Sullivan presented House Bill 2550, a substitute proposing a two‑year pilot authorizing localities in Planning District 8 (Northern Virginia) and Planning District 16 (Fredericksburg area) to place and operate acoustic monitoring equipment to detect vehicle exhausts that exceed a set decibel threshold and enforce modified‑muffler penalties.

The substitute would make an operator liable for a civil penalty not to exceed $100 for an exhaust measured above the pilot threshold, impose data‑privacy and evidence‑storage requirements similar to photo‑monitoring programs, and require reporting on the pilot’s results before the program could be extended or made permanent. "Modified mufflers... they're aftermarket exhaust systems... they're just frankly louder than the original mufflers," Sullivan said, describing the perceived public‑nuisance problem the pilot aims to address.

Several local governments and Fairfax County officials supported the pilot as a tool to handle large volumes of complaints that are difficult and sometimes unsafe for officers to enforce through stops. Virginia State Police staff cautioned that Virginia lacks a consistent statewide decibel standard and that manufacturer limits vary; they said the absence of an established decibel limit complicates enforcement and would need to be accounted for in any pilot.

The subcommittee voted 5‑2 to report House Bill 2550 as substituted. The sponsor and state police agreed to continue work on decibel thresholds and related technical details before the bill moves to full committee.