No More Stickers
Starting November 1, 2008, North Carolina vehicle safety and emissions inspections will go electronic.
This means that windshield inspection stickers will no longer be issued at your next inspection on or after November 1. The North Carolina General Assembly passed legislation (N.C. General Statute Chapter 20, Article 3A, Part 1) requiring the move to electronic inspection authorization to increase inspection compliance statewide and to further benefit the state’s air quality and highway safety.
Starting November 1, 2008, windshield inspection stickers will no longer be issued when your vehicle is inspected. Rather than receive a sticker, vehicles will be given an electronic authorization which reports that the vehicle has been inspected and registered as required by law.
Follow the “what comes first” rule to determine when your next inspection is due:
If your inspection date “comes first” before your registration renewal, have your vehicle inspected when indicated. Your next registration renewal card will indicate your subsequent inspection date.
If your registration renewal date “comes first” before the date on your windshield sticker, follow the instructions provided with your registration and disregard the date on the inspection sticker. Future inspections will be aligned with your registration renewal dates.
If your next inspection date and your registration renewal are due the same month, you will not have to make any changes. Continue to have your vehicle inspected and your registration renewed as before.
Inspection mechanics will continue to issue a receipt showing the date, station and results of your inspection, and a record of your inspection will be entered into the DMV’s vehicle registration database.
You may have your vehicle inspected up to 90 days prior to your annual vehicle registration due date, but it must be inspected no later than the last day of the month your vehicle registration expires or your registration will be blocked. During the implementation period, your next vehicle inspection may be greater than 12 months from your last inspection date. No vehicle will have to be inspected more than once in a 12-month period.
New North Carolina residents must obtain an inspection prior to registering their vehicle in the state.