A measure led by Del. Joshua E. Thomas would permit local governments in Virginia to establish consistent civil penalties for noise ordinance violations and outlines specific exemptions, according to the Virginia State House.
Identified as HB166 and introduced on Jan. 14, 2026, during the regular legislative session, the bill is summarized as: “Noise ordinances; removes exemption for industrial property, civil penalties.”
The summary below relies on the official bill language and aims to clarify key provisions.
The legislation would enable Virginia localities to create a uniform scale of civil fines for breaches of noise policies, while granting exemptions related to noise from industrial properties, rail operations, or locations approved by the Virginia Department of Energy or its subunits. Maximum penalties would reach $250 for a first violation and $500 for each additional offense. The bill also gives enforcement authority to the local chief law-enforcement officer for these civil penalties.
Rep. Joshua E. Thomas (Democrat-21st District) is the sole patron of the bill.
Since this session began, Thomas has introduced a total of 13 bills.
Thomas earned his BA from Vanderbilt University in 2010 and obtained a JD from The College of William and Mary in 2018.
Thomas, a Democrat, won election to the Virginia State House in 2024, succeeding Kelly Convirs-Fowler as the 21st House district representative.
In Virginia, the legislative process starts when a bill is filed in either the House of Delegates or Senate. The legislation is sent to one or more committees for consideration and potential changes. After committee approval, the bill advances to floor debate and a vote in both houses. If both chambers pass the measure, it goes to the governor, who may sign, veto or take no action and still have it enacted. The General Assembly meets each year for a regular session beginning the second Monday of January. Hundreds of bills are introduced every session, with only a fraction becoming law.
| Legislative Session | Patron(s) | Bill Number | Date Introduced | Short Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Joshua E. Thomas | HB166 | 01/14/2026 | Noise ordinances; removes exemption for industrial property, civil penalties. |
| 2026 | Joshua E. Thomas, Dan I. Helmer, David A. Reid, Elizabeth R. Guzman, John Chilton McAuliff, Atoosa R. Reaser, Betsy B. Carr, JJ Singh, Karen Keys-Gamarra, and Sam Rasoul | HB153 | 01/14/2026 | Data centers; site assessment, sound profile of the high energy use facility. |
| 2026 | Joshua E. Thomas, Dan I. Helmer, Marty Martinez, Atoosa R. Reaser, Elizabeth R. Guzman, Karen Keys-Gamarra, Katrina Callsen, Laura Jane Cohen, and Michael B. Feggans | HB164 | 01/14/2026 | Housing for local employees; grants for homeownership. |
| 2026 | Joshua E. Thomas, Adele Y. McClure, Atoosa R. Reaser, Dan I. Helmer, Irene Shin, JJ Singh, Kathy K.L. Tran, Kelly K. Convirs-Fowler, Laura Jane Cohen, Marty Martinez, May Nivar, Michael B. Feggans, and Shelly A. Simonds | HB165 | 01/14/2026 | Contractors, Board for; examinations available in alternative languages. |
| 2026 | Joshua E. Thomas | HB196 | 01/14/2026 | Mixed-income housing; creating a two-year pilot program that provides loan origination, etc. |
| 2026 | Joshua E. Thomas | HB197 | 01/14/2026 | Zoning appeals, board of; appellate jurisdiction upon appeal from the circuit court. |
| 2026 | Joshua E. Thomas | HB198 | 01/14/2026 | Local government; review of decision by board of zoning appeals, procedures for filing petition. |
| 2026 | Joshua E. Thomas, Jeremy S. McPike, Destiny LeVere Bolling, Karen Keys-Gamarra, and Sam Rasoul | HB352 | 01/14/2026 | Local authority; authorized by ordinance to establish affordable housing performance grant programs. |
| 2026 | Joshua E. Thomas | HB354 | 01/14/2026 | Online portal; Commissioner of Department of Veterans Services to develop and maintain. |
| 2026 | Joshua E. Thomas | HB356 | 01/14/2026 | Local housing policy; expands the range of changes that are required. |
| 2026 | Joshua E. Thomas, Elizabeth R. Guzman, Margaret A. Franklin, Adele Y. McClure, Alex Q. Askew, Alfonso H. Lopez, Amy J. Laufer, Atoosa R. Reaser, Betsy B. Carr, Bonita G. Anthony, Briana D. Sewell, C.E. Cliff Hayes, Jr., Charlie Schmidt, Charniele L. Herring, Dan I. Helmer, Debra D. Gardner, Delores L. McQuinn, Destiny LeVere Bolling, Elizabeth B. Bennett-Parker, Garrett McGuire, Gretchen M Bulova, Holly M. Seibold, Jackie H. Glass, Jeion A. Ward, Jessica L. Anderson, Joshua G. Cole, Karen Keys-Gamarra, Karen R. “Kacey” Carnegie, Karrie K. Delaney, Kathy K.L. Tran, Katrina Callsen, Kelly K. Convirs-Fowler, Kimberly Pope Adams, Laura Jane Cohen, Leslie Chambers Mehta, Lily V. Franklin, Lindsey Dougherty, Marcia S. “Cia” Price, Marcus B. Simon, Mark C. Downey, Michael B. Feggans, Michelle Lopes Maldonado, Nicole Cole, Paul E. Krizek, Phil M. Hernandez, Rae Cousins, Richard C. “Rip” Sullivan, Jr., Rodney T. Willett, Rozia A. Henson, Jr., Sam Rasoul, Shelly A. Simonds, Stacey Annie Carroll, Virgil Thornton, and Vivian E. Watts | HB1182 | 01/14/2026 | Health insurance; coverage for contraceptive drugs & devices, including over-the-counter. |
| 2026 | Joshua E. Thomas, Jason S. Ballard, Michael B. Feggans, Michael J. Webert, Nicole Cole, and Jackie H. Glass | HB1188 | 01/14/2026 | Virginia Boys and Men Advisory Commission; established, report, sunset provision. |
| 2026 | Joshua E. Thomas | HB1227 | 01/14/2026 | Private activity bonds; allocation of state ceiling. |
| 2025 | Joshua E. Thomas | HB2657 | 01/15/2025 | Involuntary manslaughter; certain drug offenses. |
| 2025 | Joshua E. Thomas and Atoosa R. Reaser | HB2065 | 01/13/2025 | Fire Programs Fund; aid to localities, requirement for emergency incidents reporting. |
| 2025 | Joshua E. Thomas, Hyland F. “Buddy” Fowler, Jr., and David A. Reid | HB2071 | 01/13/2025 | DVS; powers and duties of Commissioner, identification of incarcerated veterans. |
| 2025 | Joshua E. Thomas, Shelly A. Simonds, Betsy B. Carr, Joshua G. Cole, and Vivian E. Watts | HB1601 | 01/08/2025 | Data centers; site assessment for high energy use facility. |
| 2025 | Joshua E. Thomas and Mike A. Cherry | HB1626 | 01/08/2025 | Public elementary & secondary school teachers; certain training activities, requirements, etc. |
| 2025 | Joshua E. Thomas and Will Davis | HB1627 | 01/08/2025 | Criminal history record information; dissemination of record information. |
| 2025 | Joshua E. Thomas and Jackie H. Glass | HB1629 | 01/08/2025 | Health care records; providers shall provide one free copy of records stored in EHR upon request. |
| 2025 | Joshua E. Thomas | HB1653 | 01/08/2025 | Real Estate Board; regulations related to fees charged to a licensee. |
Information in this report is from the Virginia State House. Source data is available here.
