Massachusetts Vehicle Inspection Sticker Change Takes Effect on November 1

In full transparency, the following is a press release submitted to SOURCE media.

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BOSTON – The Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV) is reminding vehicle owners to check the expiration date of their current inspection sticker and get their vehicles inspected on time yearly.

Effective Tuesday, November 1, 2022, vehicles with an expired inspection sticker, will receive a sticker with the number of the month the vehicle inspection was originally due; not the number of the month the vehicle is now being inspected. Motor vehicles passing the required inspection on time, will continue to receive a new sticker with the number of the month the last sticker expired.

Vehicles with inspection stickers that expired in a previous calendar year will receive a January sticker of the current year the vehicle is being inspected, no matter the month the vehicle is inspected this year. This change does not impact the requirements for newly purchased vehicles.  All newly purchased vehicles must be inspected within seven days of the vehicle registration date and will receive a sticker of the month in which it was inspected and is valid for one year.

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“Motor vehicle inspections are required to be conducted yearly and play an integral part in helping to facilitate roadway safety across the Commonwealth,” said Registrar of Motor Vehicles Colleen Ogilvie. “Vehicle owners are encouraged to proactively check their vehicle inspection sticker, and have their vehicles inspected on time to ensure that key safety items such as lighting devices, tire treads, and front ball joints are in working condition.”

The penalty for driving vehicles with an expired sticker, or driving an uninspected vehicle, may result in a moving violation and lead to additional fines, or suspension if unpaid, and even a surchargeable incident which increases the vehicle owner’s insurance costs.

There is no change for owners who get their vehicles inspected on time or before the due date. Owners will continue to receive the sticker with the number of the month in which the vehicle was inspected and is valid for one year.

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As of October 1, 2022, vehicle owners are no longer receiving a printed inspection report when a vehicle passes inspection. 

Instead, owners can easily access and print a report by going online to Mass Vehicle Check or by using a cell phone and scanning the QR code on the poster displayed at the inspection site.  If a vehicle fails the inspection, the owner will be provided with a printed vehicle inspection report by the inspection station.

The Massachusetts Vehicle Check, a joint effort between the MassDEP and the RMV, is the vehicle emissions testing and safety inspection program for the Commonwealth. Vehicle owners can get an inspection at any of the 1,800 licensed inspection stations in Massachusetts.