How often must I get a vehicle inspection?

All vehicles registered in New York State must get a safety inspection and an emmissions inspection every 12 months. Both inspections are also required when the ownership of a vehicle is transferred (some vehicles are exempt from emissions inspections). Both inspections are done at the same time by a DMV-certified inspector at privately-owned inspection stations licensed by DMV.

If you buy a vehicle from a NYS dealer, the dealer must have the vehicle inspected. The inspections must occur no more than 30 days before the vehicle is delivered to you.

You receive an inspection extension if you buy or get a vehicle from an out-of-state source. After you register the vehicle in NYS, you are allowed ten days to complete the vehicle inspections. Any inspection issued to the previous registrant is not valid after you register the vehicle.

If you become a resident of NYS and register your vehicle in NYS, your out-of-state inspection remains valid. The out-of-state certificate or inspection sticker issued in your name is valid until it expires or for one year after the vehicle is registered in NYS, whichever comes first. When your out-of-state inspection expires, you must get the vehicle inspected in NYS.

Emissions Inspection for Gas-powered Vehicles

THE NEW NYS VEHICLE INSPECTION PROGRAM (NYVIP)

New York State has a new program for annual vehicle inspection (NYVIP).

The NYVIP is a program that includes a new inspection of the emissions control systems on gas-powered vehicles that have a model year of 1996 and newer. The NYVIP inspection also includes:

• Current safety inspection
• Current gas cap check
• Current visual inspection of the emission control devices

The NYVIP will help NYS to comply with the Federal Clean Air Act, decrease the emissions from motor vehicles, and reduce air pollution.

Below are FAQs about the NYVIP inspection:

When will the NYVIP begin?

NYCMA: The NYCMA includes nine counties: the five boroughs of New York City, Nassau County, Suffolk County, Westchester County, and Rockland County. All NYS-licensed inspection stations must begin the new program no later than April 1, 2005.

Upstate Area: The Upstate Area includes the 53 counties in New York State that are located north of the NYCMA. The NYVIP began in the Upstate Area in September of 2004.

For NYVIP inspection, the NYS-licensed inspection station uses new equipment to monitor the on-board diagnostic system (OBDII) of your vehicle. The station uses the new equipment, a modem, and a dedicated telephone line to report the inspection results to the DMV. The dedicated telephone line must be an analog telephone line; it cannot be a digital telephone line.

The inspection station also uses the NYVIP equipment to conduct the inspections for motorcycles, trailers, and vehicles that have a model year of 1995 and older, but the station does not conduct the ODBII inspection for these vehicles.