A BILL to amend and reenact § 46.2-208 of the Code of Virginia and to amend the Code of Virginia by adding a section numbered 15.2-967.3, relating to enforcement of parking violations; certain counties; pilot program.
HB936 creates a pilot program allowing certain Virginia counties operating under the county manager plan of government to use automatic license plate recognition systems or similar technology to help enforce local parking ordinances and regulations. Under the bill, an authorized county may capture parking-instance data to determine whether a vehicle has exceeded a permitted parking period, but a county employee must review the information and certify that a violation occurred before any ticket is issued.
The bill also establishes data-retention and deletion rules for information collected through the technology. If a county determines no violation occurred, the collected information must be deleted within two business days. If no determination is made, or if a violation is found but no ticket is issued, the information must be deleted within 30 business days. The bill limits collected information to what is necessary for parking enforcement and amends existing law governing local parking enforcement authority.
HB936 would add a new section to the Code of Virginia, § 15.2-967.3, and make a related amendment to § 46.2-208. Its practical effect is to authorize a limited set of counties to use automated license plate recognition and similar tools for parking enforcement under a pilot program, while imposing human-review, deletion, and data-minimization requirements. The bill affects county parking enforcement practices, local government operations, and the handling of vehicle-related data collected for ordinance enforcement.
The available record shows no recorded votes or committee transcript discussion, so there is no direct evidence of support or opposition in the materials provided. Based on the bill text, the measure appears designed as a narrowly tailored enforcement pilot with privacy safeguards, suggesting an effort to balance administrative efficiency with limits on data retention and use.
The main potential points of contention are the use of automated surveillance-style technology for parking enforcement and the collection of vehicle/location data by local government. Supporters would likely emphasize improved enforcement efficiency and a limited pilot structure, while critics may focus on privacy concerns, the scope of data collection, and whether automated tools should be used for relatively minor parking violations. The bill’s restriction to counties under the county manager plan may also raise questions about unequal treatment or the appropriateness of a pilot limited to certain localities.