An Act to amend and reenact § 46.2-208 of the Code of Virginia and to amend the Code of Virginia by adding in Article 5 of Chapter 10 of Title 46.2 a section numbered 46.2-1051.1, relating to noise abatement monitoring systems; local authority; civil penalties.
HB55 amends Virginia law governing Department of Motor Vehicles records and adds a new local-authority provision for noise abatement monitoring systems. The bill updates § 46.2-208, which controls what DMV information is privileged and when it may be released, and it continues to specify who may obtain personal, driver, vehicle, and special identification card information, including the subject of the record, parents or guardians of minors, authorized representatives, insurers, sureties, and certain businesses. The bill also preserves existing limits on disclosure, including restrictions on medical information and time limits on reporting certain convictions or crashes.
In addition to the records changes, HB55 creates § 46.2-1051.1 to authorize localities to use noise abatement monitoring systems and to impose civil penalties in connection with those systems. The caption indicates the measure is intended to address noise enforcement at the local level, likely through automated monitoring and penalty authority, while fitting within the broader motor vehicle code framework.
The bill affects Title 46.2 of the Code of Virginia by revising DMV record-disclosure rules and adding a new section authorizing local noise abatement monitoring systems. It changes how certain DMV records may be accessed and clarifies continued confidentiality for privileged information, while also creating a statutory basis for local governments to enforce noise-related traffic or vehicle violations through monitoring technology and civil penalties. Affected parties include drivers, vehicle owners, insurers, businesses that request DMV data, and localities seeking to regulate vehicle noise.
The available context shows no recorded committee debate or vote breakdown, so there is no direct evidence of strong opposition or support in the provided materials. The bill’s enactment as Chapter 56 suggests it ultimately received sufficient legislative approval. Based on the subject matter, the measure appears to combine administrative DMV-record updates with a local enforcement tool, which is typically the kind of bill that can attract practical support from local governments and transportation or public-safety interests.
The most likely points of contention are the privacy and data-access provisions in § 46.2-208 and the new authority for noise abatement monitoring systems. DMV record disclosure rules can raise concerns about the scope of information released to insurers, businesses, and other requesters, while automated noise enforcement may prompt debate over local control, civil penalties, enforcement fairness, and the use of monitoring technology. In the absence of transcript or vote data, no specific legislator or stakeholder opposition is identified, but these are the issues most likely to generate disagreement.