Drivers with illegally loud exhaust pipes could face $100 fines starting in early 2027. Fairfax County is moving forward with an automated noise-camera pilot at two locations, including one near Tysons.

One camera will sit on Westpark Drive near Jones Branch Drive in Tysons, bordering the Hunter Mill District that includes Reston. The other will go on Richmond Highway near Lockheed Boulevard in Hybla Valley, according to a Fairfax County Police briefing document. Vehicles exceeding 95 decibels will be flagged, and their owners mailed a warning or citation.

Hunter Mill Supervisor Walter Alcorn said his office has fielded numerous complaints about loud mufflers and that traditional enforcement has been limited by technical and staffing constraints. "Hopefully this automated detection and enforcement will prove to be effective, and this pilot should tell us that," Alcorn said in a statement reported by the Fairfax County Times on Oct. 2.

The 90-day pilot is structured in two phases: 30 days of written warnings followed by 60 days of citations. Fines carry no DMV points. Signs reading "EXHAUST NOISE ELECTRONICALLY ENFORCED" must be posted at least 1,000 feet from each camera, FFXnow reported.

Each reading goes through two reviews before a citation is issued: first by the vendor, Tennessee-based Blue Line Solutions, and then by a sworn Fairfax County police officer. The county is paying Blue Line Solutions a flat $9,500 fee for the pilot plus 15 percent of all fines collected.

Audio and video evidence must be destroyed within 60 days after a fine is paid or an appeal is resolved. The data cannot be used for any purpose beyond noise enforcement.

Mason District Supervisor Andres Jimenez said data ethics would be his top concern. He said he would watch closely how evidence is stored and who can access it, adding that he would support countywide expansion only if privacy protections hold up. County Executive Bryan Hill committed to sharing data-security protocols with the Board before the pilot launches.

The Board advanced the noise-camera program days after it suspended expansion of the Fairfax County Police Department's Flock Safety automated license plate reader program amid privacy concerns. The Board's Public Safety Committee received a briefing on the noise pilot Sept. 22. Board Chair Jeff McKay said he hoped the county could expand the program.

Fairfax County police issued about 1,200 citations for loud or altered exhausts in 2025, Jimenez said, with hundreds more in 2026 through traditional officer enforcement.

The pilot is authorized by Virginia Code § 46.2-1051.1, a state law signed by Gov. Abigail Spanberger that took effect July 1. The law limits noise-camera authority to localities in three planning districts, including Northern Virginia, and expires July 1, 2028. A similar bill passed the General Assembly in 2025 but was vetoed by then-Gov. Glenn Youngkin, as Hoodline reported.

If the pilot succeeds, county officials plan to evaluate new locations throughout 2027 based on complaint data, citations and Board requests. No Reston-specific corridors have been named, but Alcorn's district would be eligible for expansion.

The program's actual start date depends on a VDOT permit, estimated at 45 to 60 days, and a Dominion Energy power connection that could take four to six weeks after installation.