Massachusetts Vehicle Inspection Changes

Massachusetts has made two changes to the Vehicle Inspection program:

Vehicles that PASS state inspection:

• Will no longer receive a printed inspection report (beginning October 1, 2022)
  • Owners can access and print their report:
    • online to Mass Vehicle Check or
    • 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
• Will receive a new sticker with the month the last sticker expired, valid for a year (beginning November 1, 2022)
  • If the last sticker expired in a previous month, the new sticker will have that same previous month
  • If the last sticker expired the previous year, the vehicle will receive a January sticker of the current year the vehicle is being inspected, no matter the month the vehicle is inspected this year
  • There is no change for vehicles inspected on time or before the due date – those vehicles will receive stickers of the month the vehicle is being inspected

Examples: If a vehicle has a current inspection sticker that expires November 2022:

If the vehicle passes an inspection in	it will receive a sticker with an expiration of
October 2022 (one month early)	October 2023
November 2022 (on time)	November 2023
December 2022 (one month late)	November 2023
January 2023 (the next year)	January 2024
February-December 2023 (the next year)	January 2024

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.

Driving with an Expired Sticker
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.

Don’t Be Late – Check the Date!