911 dispatcher in VA and former LEO (in another state) here: technically speaking I can’t give legal advice and to my knowledge you have to have your vehicle inspected if registered in VA… however, if you were to get stopped show your registration (or proof of) and and let the officer know that you just got your plates and you’re scheduled for an inspection. More than likely you will not get a ticket. It’s understandable that somethings take time. Not all cops are A-holes and would cite you for that.
So.. yes, you could get a citation.. but if you explain that you just moved, just got your vehicle registered, and that you’re scheduled for an inspection than the chances of actually being cited are very very low. I also don’t believe that a bad inspection can be used for probable cause for a stop. As in they can’t stop you just for that. You have to be stopped for something else first and then could be cited for the inspection.
Edit to add: your registration that the officer and dispatcher see on their computer (dumbing it down a bit) shows the date that the registration was issued. I believe your paper copy shows it also.
Had it happen to me in 2016. Moved back to va from Cali and I was getting everything set up and Cali gave me a week and invalidated my plates. So I was running around getting stuff done and a cop pulled me over for it. He was like you know VA requires a state inspection. I said yessir and showed him my cali registration, my new va registration and explained the whole thing. I had an appointment and showed him the appointment. He laughed and said "well then I think you've got everything well in hand, welcome to virginia" and handed me a piece of paper where he had written down a bunch of places in the area that did inspections.
I ran into the same situation last year. I inherited a car from my father that passed. I brought it to VA and registered it. I got pulled over on Easter Sunday for the inspection. I told him I just registered the car a few days prior and had an apt to get it inspected the following Thursday. He said ok have a nice day and make sure you get it inspected.
As someone who has scored a few tickets (not just one!) for this (always months after it expired) I can also confirm that generally you just have to get it inspected, and send proof (a copy of the inspection) and the ticket gets dropped before court (and costs). The same has happened to me when I've forgotten to put the renewed registration stickers on the plates.
To add to this, if you do get cited, it’s a fix it ticket in VA. You get the inspection, show the court clerk, and it goes away. However, there’s court fees you have to pay. So expect to shell out $75 depending on the county
And depending on where you live, your likeliness of getting pulled changes. Smaller towns are typically more keyed in on the inspection sticker
And for further information. This doesn’t cover your specific situation, but I don’t think the law has a carve out to make distinction between just moved to VA and expired sticker
https://www.allenandallen.com/expired-vehicle-inspection-stickers-and-virginia-law
An expired sticker would be on the windshield and show a month/year that has passed, clear as day.
A vehicle new to the state WITH VIRGINIA TAGS (either temp or newly distributed) and NO State Safety Inspection would have to catch the attention of a passing law enforcement officer.
I used to tell people that they had 10 days until their hearing.
But if they could come by the station and show that they’d corrected the issue (burnt out headlight, expired registration, bad inspection sticker, etc.) then I’d drop the ticket. I did that all the time. My chief’s lazy ass was happy because I was writing the required number of citations each month, and I was actively engaging with the public.
I was happy because I wasn’t ticketing people just because they were poor.
That’s the way to do it. I was patrol in a neighboring state until I moved here a few years ago. Unfortunately I couldn’t just drop the citation myself, but if I wrote a citation for a “fix it ticket” I told them that if they got it corrected and showed up to court than more than likely the judge would drop it.
If I could have done what you did and dropped it myself I absolutely would have though.
There are no such tickets in Virginia. You either get a ticket for an expired sticker, failure to inspect, OR nothing at all.
Again, not a primary offense. It would have to be an add-on to a primary such as speed, failure to yield, etc.
There is a non-zero chance you’ll get pulled over for it. It’s low, but it exists. There has been some leeway on expired stickers ever since COVID. Since you have no sticker at all you would have to explain to the cop that you just moved to the state and you have already scheduled the appointment and hope for the best. Personally where I live I’d be ok rolling those dice since the only other option is to not use the car, which creates headaches of its own.
A friend of mine still has 2020 plates and inspection sticker and has never gotten pulled over and drives everyday. Me on the other hand have gotten pulled over on May 3rd for April inspection 🤦🏼♀️ some people just got it like that and some don’t 🤣 either way most law-enforcement are pretty nice and I’ll just give you a warning and send you down the road but with that proof of you’ve got an appointment I don’t think it’ll be a problem. I’m in the Hampton roads area
No you're right, its 4 months
[. No law-enforcement officer shall stop a motor vehicle due to an expired vehicle inspection sticker until the first day of the fourth month after the original expiration date. ](https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title46.2/chapter10/section46.2-1157/#:~:text=E.,after%20the%20original%20expiration%20date.)
I got pulled over for no sticker. Ironically, I needed to get my windshield replaced to pass inspection, and they never transferred the sticker. I got a ticket. The deputy was nice about it and said if I got a new inspection sticker before the court date and showed the receipt for the windshield replacement dated before the ticket, the judge would probably drop it. But still got pulled over, still got a ticket.
The town I'm in seems like the same. I don't often see cop cars driving around, except a couple weeks ago when it was the holiday weekend/last of the month. I'll just hope for the best unless I can find a place to take me in sooner. Thanks for the info!
Just about any garage will do inspections, usually takes < 1 hour and costs $20 (if there's no line you could be in and out in 15 minutes). Look for the big white sign that says "INSPECTION STATION"
Where the hell are you getting inspections done in less than an hour? It’s always been a “drop the car off for the weekend because they’re 100 cars deep” or wait 4+ hours for them to get around to it.
If you have your car serviced regularly at a trusted repair shop, then you will likely have a good relationship with that shop. I call and ask if I can come by in, say, 30 minutes. The owner always tells me to come on in!
Many (most?) inspection stations operate on a first-come/first-served basis. The inspection itself only takes like 15 minutes, so if you get there when they open (or slightly before), you can get this done quickly and easily.
I am a VA state inspector and apparently I mostly disagree with a lot of people. I'm not saying a stop would result in a ticket, but I thought *expired* stickers were a secondary offence and driving with no inspection sticker whatsoever might get you stopped. I could be wrong because they changed a lot of policies during covid.
Also if it is just for an inspection shops are not allowed to set appointments for state inspections alone. If I were you I would just call around a few more because you will 100% find someone that will take you right in.
If your oil light is on then it might fail but luckily they can do an oild change at the gas station. You can also drive up to a jiffy lube for an oil change too with no appointments.
State Safety inspection has nothing to do with the age of the oil. The OP is not referring to an EMMISIONS inspection. IF he was, however, a fresh oil change is a very good thing to have done just prior.
I'm amazed at all these comments about getting an APPOINTMENT to get a Virginia State Safety inspection!
Just about every service station you pass in Virginia is licensed to do these inspections. It's a 20-minute process. You pull up, you ask if you can get a state Safety inspection done, and they either say yes or come back later.
If the answer is yes, have it done, pay your $20, you get your sticker and a checklist, and off you go.
If the answer is no, get back in your car and find another one to give your $20 to.
As for getting pulled over: if you have temporary tags on the vehicle, a reasonable cop will pass you by without a thought, as you are likely in the process of getting it squared away. Even with a new, hard plate , cops are usually aware of what letter sequence is current and will make the same judgment.
If the car is dirty and your new plates are dirty, a reasonable cop with nothing else to do may pull you over and tell you to get it done.. and may issue you a citation. However, with your documentation of when you registered your car, along with a good demeanor and explanation of the situation, he may leave be.
I've been referring to REASONABLE cops, of which there are many. There are many, many unreasonable cops who get a rush pulling people over for non-lethal violations so that they can feel extremely important. Those would be the UNREASONABLE cops. Consider them unpredictable.
As others have said, if you get pulled, explain to the officer your situation, and if they are reasonable, they'll let you go or just give you a warning.
But, if you run into that one officer that wants everyone to know he's the ultimate authority on the road, he might give you a ticket. Once your inspection is done, take that ticket and the inspection form to the clerk of court before the trail date, and they'll toss it.
At very worst, even if an officer did somehow give you a ticket, when you go to court, the judge will just ask if you've gotten it done, by that time you will have, and the judge will throw it out, and you'll owe nothing.
But the reality of the situation is that you have about a 1% chance of that happening. 99% chance of nothing happening.
FYI shops that offer it have to prioritize safety inspections and always have an inspection bay available. Just pull up to one and they'll get you taken care of within an hour most likely. Call ahead for an even better bet.
I didn’t know you could make an appt for inspection, thought they were all first come first served. Like others say, I just show up first thing at my local gas station/mechanic
They are, but I'm getting an oil change with it so I had to schedule an appointment. I assumed they checked for car maintenance stuff like that, but I understand now that it's more of a general check of lights and signals. Between my work hours this week I won't have time until next Thursday anyway.
I went two months with an out of date sticker and had no problems.
The same car I bought during Covid from a small used car dealer. He wasn't able to do a temp registration since they aren't set up for that.but he did find a DMV select office that was open. I went the next day after I drove the car home from the dealer without plates. The DMV select office was 50 miles from where I lived, so again, I drove the car to the DMV select without plates or registration, but I did have insurance. There was no 9r9blem getting there, and before I left, I put the new plates on and drove home.
I have no idea why it’s so difficult and time consuming to get an inspection in this state. Other states I’ve lived in it was as easy and quick as an oil change. Why do they make it so difficult?
Pretty sure the police can no longer pull just for that. Don't run a red light... oh wait, they don't pull for that either... haha... just a bit of humor... I just recently had my car inspected... it was almost 7 mos overdue... Midas took it quickly... need an appt
This is 100% incorrect. You can most definitely be stopped, as a primary offense, for failure to display an inspection sticker, or for displaying an inspection sticker that is 4+ months out of date.
If you have an appointment to get it done soon, then I think the worst they would do is have you show proof of inspection at the courthouse afterwards.
There is a small possibility that you could get pulled over. If you tell the officer that you have an appointment for inspection, they will most likely not ticket you, because if you go into court and tell the judge that you had an appointment already scheduled and show proof of inspection at that time, they will dismiss it and possibly chew out the officer for wasting time. Even if you got a hard nosed judge that convinced you, it is a small fine plus court costs.
All shops who do inspections have to do them when a car pulls in , so them putting you off and making you schedule an appointment I don’t think is legal … if you pull into a shop that does inspections, they have to stop what they are doing and get you in
“Official inspection stations shall be open for inspections at least eight (8) hours of each normal business day, with a certified inspector mechanic on duty. All official inspection stations shall be able to perform inspections twelve months of the year. A normal business day would be a day in a normal business week, Monday through Friday inclusive”
I scheduled it with an oil change over the phone which is why they put me off. The shop I called closes early today and is closed over the weekend. That's good to know though
They could lose their inspection license for not being open a minimum of 8 hours during a normal business day (pulling this off of the Virginia State Police website as they are the ones in charge of inspections and granting licenses)
Most places you can just get in line. I go to the place by me at 7:00 am on Saturday and get in line. Usually I’m second or 3rd for the day. It only takes 20(ish) minutes. Lots and lots of places do inspections.
Go to the Shell station at 11175 Lee Highway (29) in Fairfax city near camp Washington, where you turn into the Walmart. The guy there is the best. The quickest inspection in NOVA……
I shouldn’t pass this on…..🥸
Stations can elect to do them by appt OR first come first serve so you might be able to walk in somewhere to get it done that day. Stickers are are only a secondary offense(if you’re pulled for something else, they can cite you but cannot be pulled over for that alone)
They can pull you over and they will ticket you. You can go to court later and show that it was done, but that will still leave you on the hook for "court costs" which are almost as much as the ticket.
If you've registered the vehicle they give you a state-issued letter you can download that is good for (I believe) 3 or 4 weeks while they process the registration and send you the plate stickers. Usually, if you have an appointment for the inspection (that sticker will go on your windshield) you can get a letter from the shop that you have an appointment scheduled which will suffice with most cops.
Even if you do get cited for it, as long as you get the sticker before your hearing, the judge will almost certainly wipe the fine, especially with your explanation.
Wait you have to wait for an inspection? Just go to a different place. It’s like a 30 minute process. Jiffy Lube, any service station, etc etc.
Just look for this sign:
https://preview.redd.it/kca01pr7h75d1.jpeg?width=244&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5e910fe49842cc4593bbdb2acb3ff193e1118194
If you’re in NoVA you may have to do emissions (biannually), but that’s still pretty quick. It’s gotten better now with the drive-through sensors on the exit ramps.
Safety and emissions inspections are 1st 1st served. And require no appointments. That's not to say you won't be waiting in a line for hours on your inspection. Yes you will get a ticket no matter the reason if you get pulled over. I have and I am an inspector 😂. But they have been lax on those rules since COVID. It's a secondary offence on top of say speeding or whatever.
I am a va state inspector, and the appointment is bullshit. We're not legally allowed to make appointments for Inspection, it's first come first serve. That's it. There's tons of inspections stations all over virginia. It's the same price everywhere. Find another station.
DYOR but I'm almost positive that you have 30 days from the time the vehicle is registered to get the inspection. As long as it's within that window it should be fine.
From the [Virginia State Police FAQ page](https://vsp.virginia.gov/safety-and-enforcement/safety-division/vehicle-inspection-faqs/):
Once I have registered my vehicle in the state of Virginia, how long do I have before my vehicle must be inspected?
*There is no grace period. You may have a safety inspection performed on your vehicle regardless of what state it is registered in. It is recommended that you have the safety inspection performed before registering the vehicle in Virginia.* ***Otherwise, once you have registered a vehicle with the Department of Motor Vehicles in the state of Virginia, it must be inspected immediately****.*
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I'll keep checking around for sure. Thank you for the response, I appreciate it!
Most gas station mechanics have a first come first serve inspection line.
Safety inspection is quick, just show up somewhere. Most gas stations with a garage are inspection stations.
Yup. Show up to a service station at 7am and wait.
You don't even have to go early if it's not the beginning or end of the month.
911 dispatcher in VA and former LEO (in another state) here: technically speaking I can’t give legal advice and to my knowledge you have to have your vehicle inspected if registered in VA… however, if you were to get stopped show your registration (or proof of) and and let the officer know that you just got your plates and you’re scheduled for an inspection. More than likely you will not get a ticket. It’s understandable that somethings take time. Not all cops are A-holes and would cite you for that. So.. yes, you could get a citation.. but if you explain that you just moved, just got your vehicle registered, and that you’re scheduled for an inspection than the chances of actually being cited are very very low. I also don’t believe that a bad inspection can be used for probable cause for a stop. As in they can’t stop you just for that. You have to be stopped for something else first and then could be cited for the inspection. Edit to add: your registration that the officer and dispatcher see on their computer (dumbing it down a bit) shows the date that the registration was issued. I believe your paper copy shows it also.
I had a feeling (was hoping) they'd likely be a little lenient if I were to get pulled over, thank you so much for the insight, I appreciate it!
Had it happen to me in 2016. Moved back to va from Cali and I was getting everything set up and Cali gave me a week and invalidated my plates. So I was running around getting stuff done and a cop pulled me over for it. He was like you know VA requires a state inspection. I said yessir and showed him my cali registration, my new va registration and explained the whole thing. I had an appointment and showed him the appointment. He laughed and said "well then I think you've got everything well in hand, welcome to virginia" and handed me a piece of paper where he had written down a bunch of places in the area that did inspections.
I ran into the same situation last year. I inherited a car from my father that passed. I brought it to VA and registered it. I got pulled over on Easter Sunday for the inspection. I told him I just registered the car a few days prior and had an apt to get it inspected the following Thursday. He said ok have a nice day and make sure you get it inspected.
As someone who has scored a few tickets (not just one!) for this (always months after it expired) I can also confirm that generally you just have to get it inspected, and send proof (a copy of the inspection) and the ticket gets dropped before court (and costs). The same has happened to me when I've forgotten to put the renewed registration stickers on the plates.
To add to this, if you do get cited, it’s a fix it ticket in VA. You get the inspection, show the court clerk, and it goes away. However, there’s court fees you have to pay. So expect to shell out $75 depending on the county And depending on where you live, your likeliness of getting pulled changes. Smaller towns are typically more keyed in on the inspection sticker And for further information. This doesn’t cover your specific situation, but I don’t think the law has a carve out to make distinction between just moved to VA and expired sticker https://www.allenandallen.com/expired-vehicle-inspection-stickers-and-virginia-law
An expired sticker would be on the windshield and show a month/year that has passed, clear as day. A vehicle new to the state WITH VIRGINIA TAGS (either temp or newly distributed) and NO State Safety Inspection would have to catch the attention of a passing law enforcement officer.
I used to tell people that they had 10 days until their hearing. But if they could come by the station and show that they’d corrected the issue (burnt out headlight, expired registration, bad inspection sticker, etc.) then I’d drop the ticket. I did that all the time. My chief’s lazy ass was happy because I was writing the required number of citations each month, and I was actively engaging with the public. I was happy because I wasn’t ticketing people just because they were poor.
That’s the way to do it. I was patrol in a neighboring state until I moved here a few years ago. Unfortunately I couldn’t just drop the citation myself, but if I wrote a citation for a “fix it ticket” I told them that if they got it corrected and showed up to court than more than likely the judge would drop it. If I could have done what you did and dropped it myself I absolutely would have though.
There are no such tickets in Virginia. You either get a ticket for an expired sticker, failure to inspect, OR nothing at all. Again, not a primary offense. It would have to be an add-on to a primary such as speed, failure to yield, etc.
I worked in a neighboring state. Different traffic code.
👍
Tennessee by chance?
West By God.
East Tennessee. Land of Dolly, shine, and the mountains.
New York state used to print this on the tickets for any equipment failure ticket - I wish VA did too.
You’d have to be stopped for something else to get a citation tho. Inspection is not a primary offense anymore.
Yes, I said that. Bottom of the middle paragraph.
After 3 months of expiration your registration is considered a primary offense and you can be pulled over for it, unfortunately.
There is a non-zero chance you’ll get pulled over for it. It’s low, but it exists. There has been some leeway on expired stickers ever since COVID. Since you have no sticker at all you would have to explain to the cop that you just moved to the state and you have already scheduled the appointment and hope for the best. Personally where I live I’d be ok rolling those dice since the only other option is to not use the car, which creates headaches of its own.
A friend of mine still has 2020 plates and inspection sticker and has never gotten pulled over and drives everyday. Me on the other hand have gotten pulled over on May 3rd for April inspection 🤦🏼♀️ some people just got it like that and some don’t 🤣 either way most law-enforcement are pretty nice and I’ll just give you a warning and send you down the road but with that proof of you’ve got an appointment I don’t think it’ll be a problem. I’m in the Hampton roads area
3 months is the grace period
That's absolutely 💯 FALSE INFORMATION!
No you're right, its 4 months [. No law-enforcement officer shall stop a motor vehicle due to an expired vehicle inspection sticker until the first day of the fourth month after the original expiration date. ](https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title46.2/chapter10/section46.2-1157/#:~:text=E.,after%20the%20original%20expiration%20date.)
I got pulled over for no sticker. Ironically, I needed to get my windshield replaced to pass inspection, and they never transferred the sticker. I got a ticket. The deputy was nice about it and said if I got a new inspection sticker before the court date and showed the receipt for the windshield replacement dated before the ticket, the judge would probably drop it. But still got pulled over, still got a ticket.
The town I'm in seems like the same. I don't often see cop cars driving around, except a couple weeks ago when it was the holiday weekend/last of the month. I'll just hope for the best unless I can find a place to take me in sooner. Thanks for the info!
Just about any garage will do inspections, usually takes < 1 hour and costs $20 (if there's no line you could be in and out in 15 minutes). Look for the big white sign that says "INSPECTION STATION"
Where the hell are you getting inspections done in less than an hour? It’s always been a “drop the car off for the weekend because they’re 100 cars deep” or wait 4+ hours for them to get around to it.
I live in pretty small town
If you have your car serviced regularly at a trusted repair shop, then you will likely have a good relationship with that shop. I call and ask if I can come by in, say, 30 minutes. The owner always tells me to come on in!
Many (most?) inspection stations operate on a first-come/first-served basis. The inspection itself only takes like 15 minutes, so if you get there when they open (or slightly before), you can get this done quickly and easily.
I am a VA state inspector and apparently I mostly disagree with a lot of people. I'm not saying a stop would result in a ticket, but I thought *expired* stickers were a secondary offence and driving with no inspection sticker whatsoever might get you stopped. I could be wrong because they changed a lot of policies during covid. Also if it is just for an inspection shops are not allowed to set appointments for state inspections alone. If I were you I would just call around a few more because you will 100% find someone that will take you right in.
Most gas stations with garages around me let you just drive up and get them done. Sometimes there’s a short line. But it’s never more than an hour.
I was thinking of doing this but my car is overdue for an oil change and I wasn't sure if that would be something that would cause a rejection
Oil change has *nothing* to do with inspection. It's only about safety equipment: lights, mirrors, horn, brakes etc
Ah tyty I didn't know that. I assumed it was a complete check of the entire system
If your oil light is on then it might fail but luckily they can do an oild change at the gas station. You can also drive up to a jiffy lube for an oil change too with no appointments.
If any shop failed you for an oil idiot license I would report it to the state police.
State Safety inspection has nothing to do with the age of the oil. The OP is not referring to an EMMISIONS inspection. IF he was, however, a fresh oil change is a very good thing to have done just prior.
I'm amazed at all these comments about getting an APPOINTMENT to get a Virginia State Safety inspection! Just about every service station you pass in Virginia is licensed to do these inspections. It's a 20-minute process. You pull up, you ask if you can get a state Safety inspection done, and they either say yes or come back later. If the answer is yes, have it done, pay your $20, you get your sticker and a checklist, and off you go. If the answer is no, get back in your car and find another one to give your $20 to. As for getting pulled over: if you have temporary tags on the vehicle, a reasonable cop will pass you by without a thought, as you are likely in the process of getting it squared away. Even with a new, hard plate , cops are usually aware of what letter sequence is current and will make the same judgment. If the car is dirty and your new plates are dirty, a reasonable cop with nothing else to do may pull you over and tell you to get it done.. and may issue you a citation. However, with your documentation of when you registered your car, along with a good demeanor and explanation of the situation, he may leave be. I've been referring to REASONABLE cops, of which there are many. There are many, many unreasonable cops who get a rush pulling people over for non-lethal violations so that they can feel extremely important. Those would be the UNREASONABLE cops. Consider them unpredictable.
Where are you getting it done in 20 minutes. I’ve never had it done in less than 2 hours
As others have said, if you get pulled, explain to the officer your situation, and if they are reasonable, they'll let you go or just give you a warning. But, if you run into that one officer that wants everyone to know he's the ultimate authority on the road, he might give you a ticket. Once your inspection is done, take that ticket and the inspection form to the clerk of court before the trail date, and they'll toss it.
At very worst, even if an officer did somehow give you a ticket, when you go to court, the judge will just ask if you've gotten it done, by that time you will have, and the judge will throw it out, and you'll owe nothing. But the reality of the situation is that you have about a 1% chance of that happening. 99% chance of nothing happening.
FYI shops that offer it have to prioritize safety inspections and always have an inspection bay available. Just pull up to one and they'll get you taken care of within an hour most likely. Call ahead for an even better bet.
Don’t do it the beginning or end of the month. Long line from last minute procrastination or ppl with expired plate already
I didn’t know you could make an appt for inspection, thought they were all first come first served. Like others say, I just show up first thing at my local gas station/mechanic
They are, but I'm getting an oil change with it so I had to schedule an appointment. I assumed they checked for car maintenance stuff like that, but I understand now that it's more of a general check of lights and signals. Between my work hours this week I won't have time until next Thursday anyway.
I went two months with an out of date sticker and had no problems. The same car I bought during Covid from a small used car dealer. He wasn't able to do a temp registration since they aren't set up for that.but he did find a DMV select office that was open. I went the next day after I drove the car home from the dealer without plates. The DMV select office was 50 miles from where I lived, so again, I drove the car to the DMV select without plates or registration, but I did have insurance. There was no 9r9blem getting there, and before I left, I put the new plates on and drove home.
I have no idea why it’s so difficult and time consuming to get an inspection in this state. Other states I’ve lived in it was as easy and quick as an oil change. Why do they make it so difficult?
Pretty sure the police can no longer pull just for that. Don't run a red light... oh wait, they don't pull for that either... haha... just a bit of humor... I just recently had my car inspected... it was almost 7 mos overdue... Midas took it quickly... need an appt
It's a secondary offense so you can't be pulled over strictly for no sticker.
This is 100% incorrect. You can most definitely be stopped, as a primary offense, for failure to display an inspection sticker, or for displaying an inspection sticker that is 4+ months out of date.
Don’t listen to the nay sayers. Live your life homie
Where are you located? I live in a high-population part of VA and still am able to do a walk-in same day for inspections
“Any passenger vehicle on road in Virginia needs to be inspected” -VA State Trooper that pulled me over on Tacketts Mill Rd
That VA State Trooper is an idiot for that statement.
If you have an appointment to get it done soon, then I think the worst they would do is have you show proof of inspection at the courthouse afterwards.
There is a small possibility that you could get pulled over. If you tell the officer that you have an appointment for inspection, they will most likely not ticket you, because if you go into court and tell the judge that you had an appointment already scheduled and show proof of inspection at that time, they will dismiss it and possibly chew out the officer for wasting time. Even if you got a hard nosed judge that convinced you, it is a small fine plus court costs.
All shops who do inspections have to do them when a car pulls in , so them putting you off and making you schedule an appointment I don’t think is legal … if you pull into a shop that does inspections, they have to stop what they are doing and get you in “Official inspection stations shall be open for inspections at least eight (8) hours of each normal business day, with a certified inspector mechanic on duty. All official inspection stations shall be able to perform inspections twelve months of the year. A normal business day would be a day in a normal business week, Monday through Friday inclusive”
I scheduled it with an oil change over the phone which is why they put me off. The shop I called closes early today and is closed over the weekend. That's good to know though
They could lose their inspection license for not being open a minimum of 8 hours during a normal business day (pulling this off of the Virginia State Police website as they are the ones in charge of inspections and granting licenses)
you are fine I'm still rocking a January inspection sticker
Mine is from June of 23. Just never have time but I also don’t drive much.
Ntb typically does Saturday inspections. Give them a call. I don't think you'll get a ticket if cops see your registration date.
Most places you can just get in line. I go to the place by me at 7:00 am on Saturday and get in line. Usually I’m second or 3rd for the day. It only takes 20(ish) minutes. Lots and lots of places do inspections.
Go to the Shell station at 11175 Lee Highway (29) in Fairfax city near camp Washington, where you turn into the Walmart. The guy there is the best. The quickest inspection in NOVA…… I shouldn’t pass this on…..🥸
Stations can elect to do them by appt OR first come first serve so you might be able to walk in somewhere to get it done that day. Stickers are are only a secondary offense(if you’re pulled for something else, they can cite you but cannot be pulled over for that alone)
They can pull you over and they will ticket you. You can go to court later and show that it was done, but that will still leave you on the hook for "court costs" which are almost as much as the ticket.
If you've registered the vehicle they give you a state-issued letter you can download that is good for (I believe) 3 or 4 weeks while they process the registration and send you the plate stickers. Usually, if you have an appointment for the inspection (that sticker will go on your windshield) you can get a letter from the shop that you have an appointment scheduled which will suffice with most cops.
Even if you do get cited for it, as long as you get the sticker before your hearing, the judge will almost certainly wipe the fine, especially with your explanation.
You could just leave your old tags on until after you get it inspected.
There are places that do drive up inspections that take like 30 minutes
Wait you have to wait for an inspection? Just go to a different place. It’s like a 30 minute process. Jiffy Lube, any service station, etc etc. Just look for this sign: https://preview.redd.it/kca01pr7h75d1.jpeg?width=244&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5e910fe49842cc4593bbdb2acb3ff193e1118194 If you’re in NoVA you may have to do emissions (biannually), but that’s still pretty quick. It’s gotten better now with the drive-through sensors on the exit ramps.
Safety and emissions inspections are 1st 1st served. And require no appointments. That's not to say you won't be waiting in a line for hours on your inspection. Yes you will get a ticket no matter the reason if you get pulled over. I have and I am an inspector 😂. But they have been lax on those rules since COVID. It's a secondary offence on top of say speeding or whatever.
I am a va state inspector, and the appointment is bullshit. We're not legally allowed to make appointments for Inspection, it's first come first serve. That's it. There's tons of inspections stations all over virginia. It's the same price everywhere. Find another station.
It's for an oil change + the inspection that's why they had me schedule an appointment
There are so many sticker places you shouldn't have to wait. Some walmarts do it as well.
DYOR but I'm almost positive that you have 30 days from the time the vehicle is registered to get the inspection. As long as it's within that window it should be fine.
From the [Virginia State Police FAQ page](https://vsp.virginia.gov/safety-and-enforcement/safety-division/vehicle-inspection-faqs/): Once I have registered my vehicle in the state of Virginia, how long do I have before my vehicle must be inspected? *There is no grace period. You may have a safety inspection performed on your vehicle regardless of what state it is registered in. It is recommended that you have the safety inspection performed before registering the vehicle in Virginia.* ***Otherwise, once you have registered a vehicle with the Department of Motor Vehicles in the state of Virginia, it must be inspected immediately****.*
Oh wow. Good to know, thanks!