In the United States, vehicle safety inspection and emissions inspection are governed by each state individually. Twelve states have a periodic (annual or biennial) safety inspection program, while Maryland requires a safety inspection and Alabama requires a VIN inspection on sale or transfer of vehicles which were previously registered in another state. Maryland also requires a safety inspection prior to the sale or transfer of ownership of a pre-owned vehicle. Seven states require periodic emissions inspections statewide, and eighteen additional states require periodic emissions inspections only for vehicles registered in heavily-polluted areas.
In 1977, the federal Clean Air Act was amended by Congress to require states to implement vehicle emissions inspection programs, known as I/M programs (for Inspection and Maintenance), in all major metropolitan areas whose air quality failed to meet certain federal standards. New York's program started in 1982, California's program (Smog Check) started in 1984, and Illinois's program started in 1986. The Clean Air Act of 1990 required some states to enact vehicle emissions inspection programs. States impacted were those with metropolitan areas where air quality did not meet federal standards. Some states, including Kentucky and Minnesota, have discontinued their testing programs in recent years with approval from the federal government.
List of jurisdictions Require periodic vehicle safety inspections
Connecticut – not for passenger vehicles, but annually for certain commercial vehicles, trucks, grey market, salvage, and several types of trailers. Delaware – annually or biennially, new cars are exempt from inspection for the first seven years provided the car remains with the same owner. District of Columbia — annually for commercial vehicles and every six months for for-hire vehicles, the requirement for safety inspection for privately owned cars ended October 1, 2009. Hawaii – annually, with the following exceptions: Brand new vehicles receive an inspection valid for two years. Emergency vehicles, school vehicles, rental cars, and vehicles used in public transportation must be inspected every six months. Sticker placed on rear bumper to right on license plate. Louisiana – effectively no longer required for personal vehicles as of June 30, 2026. Inspection stickers (known locally as "brake tags") are set to be officially replaced with QR codes beginning on January 1, 2027. Commercial trucks, school buses, and certain farming vehicles will still be required to undergo safety inspections even after the new state system takes effect. Maine – annually. Color of sticker changes annually. School buses are inspected every six months. Vehicles registered as Antique Autos are exempt. Sticker placed in top center of windshield behind rear view mirror or lower left-hand corner of windshield. Massachusetts – annually. Stickers are placed in the lower right corner of the windshield. Missouri – biennially, based on the vehicle's model year. Odd-numbered model year renews in odd-numbered year, even-numbered model year renews in even-numbered year. Effective August 28, 2019, motor vehicles for the first ten years following the model year of manufacture and having less than 150,000 miles on the odometer are exempt from the safety inspection requirement. Vehicles displaying historical plates are completely exempt from inspection. New Jersey – annually for commercial vehicles (including taxis, limousines, jitneys, and buses), effective January 1, 2010. Passenger vehicles are exempt from safety inspections, effective August 1, 2010. New York – annually. Color of sticker changes annually. Newly registered vehicles with a current inspection sticker from another state are exempt until the out-of-state sticker expires or for one year after registration in New York, whichever is sooner. Vehicles registered as farm vehicles are exempt. Stickers are placed on the lower left corner of windshield. North Carolina – annually until the vehicle is 30 years of age, at which point inspections are no longer required. Pennsylvania – annually for most vehicles; every six months for school vehicles (including school buses and school vans), motor coaches, mass transit buses, etc. Stickers are placed on the lower driver's side corner (bottom Left-Front (LF) A-pillar) of the windshield. Vehicles bearing antique vehicle license plates are exempt from inspection, but vehicles bearing classic or collectible license plates are subject to inspection. Trailers in excess of GVW are also inspected annually as are motorcycles. Rhode Island – biennially; newly registered vehicles are exempt from the inspection requirement for two years from the date of purchase. Vehicles registered as antiques are subject to safety inspection, but are exempt from emissions testing. Stickers are placed on lower-right corner of windshield. Vermont – annually; inspections are due at the end of even-numbered months only. Inspections performed in an odd-numbered month will receive a sticker for the next even-numbered month (e.g., a car inspected in November 2011 will receive a sticker good until December 31, 2012). Inspection stickers are placed on the lower left of windshield Virginia – annually. Newly registered vehicles with a valid inspection from another state are not exempt from inspection until the out-of-state inspection expires. As soon as a vehicle is registered in Virginia, that vehicle must have a Virginia safety inspection. Before 2019, the inspection sticker was yellow; the background color of the year digits changed annually. The sticker is placed in the lower left part of the windshield (lower center part of the windshield before January 1, 2018). Beginning January 2019, the color of Virginia's inspection stickers changed from yellow to blue. The sticker color changes annually.Virginia State Police Unveil New Safety Inspection Sticker, from Virginia State Police As of 2026. Virginia's inspection stickers have a holographic state seal, a dogwood flower design, and QR codes to make counterfeiting much more difficult. West Virginia – biennially as of 1/1/2024; color of sticker changes biennially; sticker placed in lower left corner of windshield.
Require safety inspection only prior to sale of a pre-owned vehicle or transfer of ownership Alabama – VIN only
Require safety inspection only when bringing vehicle from another jurisdiction Kentucky Nebraska
Require safety inspection only prior to sale of a pre-owned vehicle or transfer of ownership, or when bringing vehicle from another jurisdiction Maryland – when registering vehicles from another state. When a used vehicle is purchased.
Require periodic vehicle emissions inspections
Arizona – biennially, in Phoenix and Tucson metro areas only or who commute to both metro areas, depending on age and type of vehicle. Vehicles less than 5 years old, electric vehicles, motorcycles, mopeds, vehicles registered or operated outside of Phoenix and Tucson (including not commuting to these two metro areas), vehicles registered under the IRP, vehicles registered as collectible with collectible-car insurance like those rare or limited production vehicles, or cars that are more than 15 years old and vehicles manufactured pre-1967 are exempt from emissions testing. California – biennially for all vehicles from out-of-state, regardless of age; and all vehicles made after 1975 and diesel-powered vehicles made after 1997 which are more than eight years old in all or some zip codes in 41 out of 58 counties require it. Vehicles that are operated in rural areas and counties that do not require smog checks (unless if it's brand-new vehicle or transfer of ownership). Vehicles that are in case of transfer of ownership between family members (husband/wife, siblings, children or grandchildren, grandparents ..etc) or domestic, natural gas-powered vehicles with a GVWR of more than 14,000lbs, specialty-constructed vehicles older than 1975 and electric vehicles are exempt from smog checks. Colorado – biennially, except for vehicles seven years old and newer or diesel-powered vehicles four years old and newer. Required in Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas, and Jefferson Counties, and parts of Adams, Arapahoe, Larimer, and Weld Counties. Motorcycles, vehicles that are pre-1975 and registered as collector's item, horseless carriages, street rods, kit cars and electric cars are exempt from emissions testing. (NOTE: vehicles over 32 years old with collector plates are not exempt from emissions testing and they need to be emissions tested every 5 years, with addition of mileage restriction less than 4,500 miles. Unless if it's grandfathered-in before 1 September 2009) . Connecticut – biennially, brand-new cars that are under 4 years old, vehicles that are 25 years old or older, vehicles with a GVWR of over 10,000lbs, motorcycles, mopeds, EVs and composite vehicles are exempt from emissions testing. Delaware – annually or biennially. Older cars registered as antiques or classics, motorcycles, mopeds, electric vehicles, diesel-powered Vehicles made before 1998 and Vehicles of model year 1967 or older are exempt from emissions testing. District of Columbia – biennially. brand-new cars that are under 4 years old, diesel vehicles, motorcycles, historic vehicles, electric vehicles that are designated as ZEVs (Zero-emission vehicles) and vehicles of model year 1967 or older do not require an emissions testing. Georgia – annually for gasoline-powered cars or light-duty trucks (8,500 pounds GVWR or less), required only in the 13 metro Atlanta counties (Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, Coweta, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry, Paulding and Rockdale). The three most recent model year vehicles and those that are 25 model years or older are exempt from emissions testing, as well as all motorcycles, recreational vehicles (RVs), motor homes and diesel-powered vehicles. Idaho – no longer required as of July 2023. Illinois – biennially after the vehicle is four years old. Required only in the Chicago metropolitan area and eastern suburbs of St. Louis, Missouri. Vehicles manufactured before 1968 as well as vehicles manufactured before 1996 that were grandfathered-in (in compliance with Illinois vehicle emissions laws in 2007), motorcycles, mopeds, diesel-powered vehicles, electric vehicles, kit cars, and vehicles that are registered as antiques, expanded-use antique, street rods and farm vehicles are exempt from emissions testing. Indiana – biennially, required in Lake County and Porter County (Chicago metropolitan area)/Northwest Indiana only. Vehicles made pre-1976, diesel and electric vehicles, motorcycles and mopeds, antique, show cars that are over 25 years old and kit cars are exempt from emissions testing. Louisiana – annually, only in the Baton Rouge ozone nonattainment area, which consists of the parishes of Ascension, East Baton Rouge, Iberville, Livingston, and West Baton Rouge.Motor Vehicle Inspection and Maintenance, from the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality Cars registered in these five parishes must be inspected in one of the five parishes; cars from outside those parishes (excluding the cities of New Orleans, Kenner and Westwego) may be inspected in the Baton Rouge area. Emission testing applies only to gasoline-powered vehicles having a gross vehicle weight rating of 10,000 pounds or less. Maine – annually, only in Cumberland County. Tractors, trucks that are used for farm, fish, wood or operated in islands, low-speed vehicles, antique vehicles that are over 35 years old or over 25 years old if they're grandfathered-in before 2025 as well as street rods, diesel-powered vehicles with a GVWR less than 18,000lbs, mopeds and motorized bicycles, electric vehicles, experimental vehicles and certain other vehicles are exempt from emissions testing in Maine.