Vermont S 211: An act relating to motor vehicle inspections

Bill Text

BILLAS INTRODUCED AND PASSED BY SENATE S.211
2026 Page 1 of 4
S.211
Introduced by Senators White, Baruth, Gulick, Hardy, Hashim, Lyons, Ram
Hinsdale, Vyhovsky, Weeks and Westman
Referred to Committee on Transportation
Date: January 7, 2026
Subject: Motor vehicles; operation; equipment; inspections
Statement of purpose of bill as introduced: This bill proposes to require that
motor vehicles be inspected every two years.
An act relating to motor vehicle inspections
It is hereby enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Vermont:
Sec. 1. 23 V.S.A. § 1222 is amended to read:
§ 1222. INSPECTION OF REGISTERED VEHICLES
(a) Except for school buses, which shall be inspected as prescribed in
section 1282 of this title, and motor buses as defined in subdivision 4(17) of
this title, which shall be inspected twice during the calendar year at six-month
intervals, all motor vehicles registered in this State shall undergo a safety and
visual emissions inspection once each year every two years and all motor
vehicles that are registered in this State and are 16 model years old or less shall
undergo an emissions or on board on-board diagnostic (OBD) systems
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BILLAS INTRODUCED AND PASSED BY SENATE S.211
2026 Page 2 of 4
inspection once each year every two years as applicable. Any motor vehicle,
trailer, or semi-trailer not currently inspected in this State shall be inspected
within 15 days following the date of its registration in the State of Vermont.
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Sec. 2. 23 V.S.A. § 1230 is amended to read:
§ 1230. CHARGE
For each inspection certificate issued by the Department of Motor Vehicles,
the Commissioner shall be paid $8.00 $16.00, provided that State and
municipal inspection stations that inspect only State or municipally owned and
registered vehicles shall not be required to pay a fee. All vehicle inspection
certificate charge revenue shall be allocated to the Transportation Fund with
one-half reserved for bridge maintenance activities.
Sec. 3. TRANSITION
The month of next inspection for all motor vehicles shall be the month
shown on the current inspection certificate affixed to the vehicle. Inspection
certificates issued after July 1, 2026, shall show a month that is two years after
the month in which the vehicle is inspected.
Sec. 4. EFFECTIVE DATE
This act shall take effect on July 1, 2026.
Sec. 1. TWO-YEAR MOTOR VEHICLE INSPECTIONS;
IMPLEMENTATION PLAN; REPORT
(a) The Secretaries of Transportation and of Natural Resources shall
develop a plan to transition to a safety and emissions inspections program that
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requires pleasure cars to be inspected once every two years beginning in
January 2028. The plan shall:
(1) establish a timeline for developing and implementing changes to the
existing safety and emissions inspection program to ensure that the program
can transition to a biennial inspection requirement for pleasure cars beginning
in January 2028;
(2) identify specific actions that are necessary to ensure that Vermont
remains in compliance with the requirements of the Clean Air Act, including
any necessary changes to the emissions inspection program and the State
Implementation Plan;
(3) in addition to any issues or actions identified pursuant to subdivision
(2) of this subsection, identify any additional issues related to a change to
biennial emissions inspections that could prevent Vermont from remaining in
compliance with the requirements of the Clean Air Act and potential options
for addressing those issues;
(4) propose a fee structure for inspections and address the potential for
different fees charged in relation to the inspection of different vehicle types;
(5) identify any anticipated impacts to State revenues during the
transition to biennial inspections for pleasure cars and potential options for
mitigating those impacts;
(6) include a proposal for amendments to the mileage-based user fee
related to annual reporting of miles traveled by battery electric vehicles during
years when they are not required to be inspected;
(7) outline an outreach and education program to inform inspection
mechanics, inspection stations, vehicle owners, and other interested parties of
the requirements of the new biennial inspection program; and
(8) identify any changes to the Vermont Statutes Annotated and the
Code of Vermont Rules that are necessary to implement the plan.
(b) While developing the plan pursuant to subsection (a) of this section, the
Secretaries of Transportation and of Natural Resources shall solicit feedback
from stakeholders, including inspection station owners, inspection mechanics,
motor vehicle owners, motor vehicle dealers, and other interested parties.
(c) On or before October 15, 2026, the Secretaries of Transportation and of
Natural Resources shall submit a written report to the House Committees on
Environment and on Transportation and the Sen