The bottom line: Thirty-seven states don’t require a periodic safety inspection of a passenger car. Twenty-one of them have no regular inspection of any kind: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire (while a court case runs), North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Washington and Wyoming.
Fifteen more test emissions but not safety, most of them only around their cities: Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Ohio, Oregon, Texas, Utah and Wisconsin. Maryland tests emissions in some counties and checks a car’s safety only when it changes hands.
The other 13 still inspect every year or two, though Louisiana stops inspecting personal vehicles on January 1, 2027.
When you sell, Hawaii, Maryland and Missouri make you hand the buyer a current safety inspection certificate, and California and Colorado’s testing area a passing emissions test.
Automated assistant: general info, not legal advice
Answers come from our state paperwork data and published guides. Confirm anything binding with your state DMV.
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The 37 States Without a Safety Inspection
None of these states checks a passenger car’s brakes, lights or tires on a schedule. Twenty-one have no regular inspection of any kind, New Hampshire only while its inspection is suspended.
The other 16 test emissions, most of them only around their cities, so where the car is registered decides whether it’s tested at all:
| State | Where emissions are tested |
|---|---|
| Arizona | Phoenix and Tucson metro areas |
| California | Statewide, for most cars more than four model years old |
| Colorado | Denver metro and North Front Range |
| Connecticut | Statewide, for most cars four model years and older |
| Georgia | 13 metro Atlanta counties |
| Illinois | Chicago-area and Metro East counties |
| Indiana | Lake and Porter counties |
| Maryland | 13 counties and Baltimore City, plus a safety inspection when the car changes hands |
| Nevada | Urban Clark and Washoe counties (Las Vegas and Reno) |
| New Jersey | Statewide, every two years, after a new car’s first five years |
| New Mexico | Bernalillo County (Albuquerque) |
| Ohio | Seven northeast Ohio counties around Cleveland |
| Oregon | Portland and Medford areas |
| Texas | 17 counties around Houston, Dallas-Fort Worth, Austin and El Paso; from November 1, 2026, Bexar County (San Antonio) too |
| Utah | Cache, Davis, Salt Lake, Utah and Weber counties |
| Wisconsin | Seven southeastern counties, including Milwaukee and Kenosha |
The District of Columbia also runs no safety inspection; its inspection of a passenger car is an emissions test.
The 13 States That Still Inspect
These states inspect a passenger car’s safety on a schedule, to keep it registered or on the road. When you register a car in one, it has to pass within a set time, such as 5 days in Rhode Island, 7 in Massachusetts, 10 in New York and 15 in Vermont.
| State | How often | Exemptions and notes |
|---|---|---|
| Delaware | At each registration renewal | Safety and emissions in one inspection |
| Hawaii | Every 12 months | None in the first two years after a car is first sold |
| Louisiana | Until January 1, 2027, for personal vehicles | No tickets for a missing sticker until then; in the five Baton Rouge-area parishes the change waits on EPA approval |
| Maine | Every year | Emissions too in Cumberland County |
| Massachusetts | Every year | Safety and emissions in one inspection |
| Missouri | Every two years | None for ten years after the car’s model year, if it has under 150,000 miles |
| New York | Every year | Safety and emissions in one inspection |
| North Carolina | Every year | Emissions too in some counties |
| Pennsylvania | Every year | Emissions too in 25 counties |
| Rhode Island | Every two years | Safety and emissions in one inspection |
| Vermont | Every year | Emissions checked in the same inspection |
| Virginia | Every year | Emissions too in Northern Virginia, every two years |
| West Virginia | Every two years | Safety only |
New Hampshire
New Hampshire suspended its yearly inspection program. A federal judge ordered the state to restart it, but an appeals court put that order on hold, and the Attorney General’s office has told drivers that they no longer need a yearly inspection.
You still have to keep the car safe to drive, and the case isn’t over, so check the New Hampshire DMV’s page on inspections before you register a car there.
Louisiana
Louisiana’s Act 701 ends the inspection sticker for personal vehicles on January 1, 2027. Until then the law still asks for one, but police can’t ticket a car for a missing sticker. In Ascension, East Baton Rouge, Iberville, Livingston and West Baton Rouge parishes, which test emissions, the change waits until the EPA approves it.
Safety Inspection or Emissions Test: What Each Checks
A safety inspection checks the parts that stop and steer the car and let you see out, such as the tires, brakes and windows.
An emissions test checks the exhaust, and on newer cars the engine computer’s readings. The two are separate programs, so a state can drop one and keep the other: Texas ended safety inspections for non-commercial vehicles and still tests emissions.
Do You Need an Inspection to Sell Your Car?
In most states, no: where a state inspects, the inspection belongs to registering or driving the car, so it’s the buyer’s job. These are the states whose rules for a sale mention a safety inspection:
In Maryland the certificate is good for 90 days, and a sale to your spouse, parent or child doesn’t need one either.
Emissions can fall on you too: in California, and in Colorado’s testing area, the seller gives the buyer a passing emissions test when the car is sold. The California and Colorado guides cover what that takes.
If the car would fail, you don’t have to fix it first: Peddle makes offers on cars in all conditions, and Sell Car Advisor’s comparison tool gets you several instant offers at once.
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FAQ
Can I avoid inspection by registering my car in a different state?
No. You register a car where you live, and a mailing address at a relative’s house in a state without inspections doesn’t make you a resident there.
What is a VIN inspection and is it the same as a safety inspection?
No. A VIN inspection checks that the number on the car matches the paperwork, usually when a car comes from another state or has a rebuilt or salvage title. It checks the car’s identity, not its condition, so a state can check the VIN once and never inspect the car, as Indiana does for a car titled there from out of state.
Do police check for safety violations in states without inspections?
Yes. Ending inspections doesn’t end the equipment laws, and an officer can still stop a car with a broken light or bald tires.
Article Update History
Every state checked against its own law: 37 states have no periodic safety inspection, with Louisiana ending its inspection for personal vehicles in 2027, Bexar County added to Texas emissions testing, and New Jersey testing emissions only.
Every state's inspection rule now reflects current law, including Texas dropping safety inspections and New Hampshire's legal situation.
Originally posted and shared with our readers.
Sources
New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission: Changes to Motor Vehicle Inspection Program (Advisory 2010-003)
"Most passenger vehicles will be required to submit for an inspection biennially (every two years) for emissions only." Accessed Oct. 14, 2026
Texas Department of Public Safety: Vehicle Safety Inspection Program Changes Now in Effect
"As a reminder, as of Jan. 1, 2025, non-commercial vehicles no longer need a vehicle safety inspection prior to registration." Accessed Oct. 14, 2026
Texas Department of Public Safety: Upcoming Emissions Test Requirement in Bexar Co.
"Beginning Nov. 1, 2026, Bexar Co. will join the list of emissions counties in Texas." Accessed Oct. 14, 2026
NHPR: Appeals court halts lower-court ruling that NH continue vehicle inspections
"The New Hampshire Attorney General's Office has advised motorists they no longer need to submit their vehicles to yearly inspections. Motorists are still legally required to keep their vehicles in safe working condition." Accessed Oct. 14, 2026
Louisiana Legislature: HB 1085 (Act 701 of 2026), enrolled
"For the period from June 30, 2026, to January 1, 2027, no law enforcement officer shall issue citations to any motor vehicle for failing to produce or display a certificate of inspection." "For all other parishes, this Act shall take effect on January 1, 2027." Accessed Oct. 14, 2026
Revised Statutes of Missouri, Section 307.350
"shall submit such vehicles to a biennial inspection of their mechanism and equipment" ... "Motor vehicles having less than one hundred fifty thousand miles, for the ten-year period following their model year of manufacture" Accessed Oct. 14, 2026
Hawaii Revised Statutes, Section 286-26
"shall be certified as provided in subsection (e) every twelve months; provided that any vehicle to which this subsection applies, except a moped, shall not require inspection within two years of the date on which the vehicle was first sold." Accessed Oct. 14, 2026
Rhode Island DMV: Vehicle Inspection Requirements
"All Light Duty Vehicles and Light Duty Trucks (Gas & Diesel powered) registered in Rhode Island are required to pass a Safety and Emissions test at least once every 24 months." Accessed Oct. 14, 2026
Delaware DMV: Vehicle Inspections
"A typical automobile inspection consists of a safety inspection covering such items as tires, brakes, windows." Accessed Oct. 14, 2026
West Virginia Code, Section 17C-16-4
"The Superintendent of the West Virginia State Police shall require that every motor vehicle, trailer, semitrailer, and pole trailer registered in this state be inspected once every two years" Accessed Oct. 14, 2026
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