Inspections
North Carolina Safety and Emissions Inspections
As a licensed NC inspection facility we can perform both safety and emissions inspections depending on your vehicle’s requirement in accordance with DMV. The General Assembly for North Carolina sets the fees for safety, emissions, and tinted window inspections. If you’re wondering how much is a car inspection in NC, the fees are as follows: Safety inspection $13.60. Emissions testing $30.
Safety Inspections
- Headlights
- Accessory lights
- Directional signals
- Foot brake
- Parking brake
- Steering
- Tiers
- Horn
- Rearview Mirror
- Windshield Wipers
- Exhaust System
- Emission control components
- Tinted windows, if applicable
Motor vehicles registered in 22 North Carolina counties must also pass an emissions inspection, conducted at the same time as the safety inspection.
Failure to get a vehicle inspected by the due date will result in a vehicle’s registration being blocked until the vehicle is inspected.
Exemptions
Vehicles more than 30 years old are exempt from the annual safety inspection.
Antique Vehicles
Vehicles 30 years old or older may qualify for an antique automobile license plate. Those vehicles with an antique automobile license plate are exempt from both annual safety and emissions inspections. Antique plates should be used for vehicles primarily used for exhibitions, club activities, parades and other public interest events.
Emissions Inspections:
In conjunction with an annual safety inspection, motor vehicles registered in 22 North Carolina counties in the table below must undergo an on-board diagnostic emissions inspection as part of requirements to keep air quality standards in compliance with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency guidelines.
* Beginning Nov. 1, 2022, vehicles in Lee, Onslow and Rockingham counties will no longer require an emissions inspection.
- Alamance
- Buncombe
- Cabarrus
- Cumberland
- Davidson
- Durham
- Forsyth
- Franklin
- Gaston
- Guilford
- Iredell
- Johnston
- Lee
- Lincoln
- Mecklenburg
- New Hanover
- Onslow
- Randolph
- Rockingham
- Rowan
- Wake
- Union
Motor vehicles registered in 22 North Carolina counties must also pass an emissions inspection, conducted at the same time as the safety inspection.
Failure to get a vehicle inspected by the due date will result in a vehicle’s registration being blocked until the vehicle is inspected.
Exemptions
Vehicles are exempt from emissions inspections under the following conditions:
- Some light-duty vehicles less than 3 years old or have fewer than 70,000 miles
- Vehicle is 20 years old or older
- Diesel-operated
- Registered as a farm vehicle
Antique Vehicles
Vehicles 30 years old or older may qualify for an antique automobile license plate. Those vehicles with an antique automobile license plate are exempt from both annual safety and emissions inspections. Antique plates should be used for vehicles primarily used for exhibitions, club activities, parades and other public interest events.
Failure to Pass Inspection
The N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles’ License & Theft Bureau may issue a waiver for a vehicle that meets all the following conditions:
- It passes the safety inspection but fails the emissions inspection analysis of data provided by the on-board diagnostic equipment.
- It has documented repairs costing at least the $200 waiver amount to correct the cause of the failure.
- It is re-inspected and again passes the safety inspection but fails the on-board diagnostic analysis.
The vehicle’s owner must then bring the vehicle and all the above supporting documentation to a License & Theft Bureau to receive a repair waiver.
All safety items must pass. A waiver cannot be issued for the failure of a safety item.
Window Tint Testing
Vehicles with applications of after‐factory window tinting must be checked, at an additional charge of $10 during a North Carolina safety inspection to ensure they meet specifications set by the state in G.S. 20-127).
- Tinted windows cannot measure darker than 32 percent with a North Carolina-approved window tint meter.
- The tint on a windshield cannot extend more than 5 inches below the top of the windshield or below the AS1 line of the windshield, whichever is longer.
Restrictions & Exceptions
Requirements do not apply to other windows on:
- Excursion passenger vehicles, as defined in G.S. 20‐4.01 (27)a
- Motor homes, as defined in G.S. 20‐4.01 (27)d2
- Ambulances, as defined in G.S. 20‐4.01 (27)f
- Property‐hauling vehicles (rear window only), as defined in G.S. 20‐4.01 (31)
- Limousines
- Law enforcement vehicles
- Multipurpose vehicles (e.g., mini-van, pickup truck, SUV) designed to carry 10 or less passengers – where the window is behind the driver and is built on a truck chassis or has special features designed for occasional off‐road operation
- Vehicles with a medical exception issued by NCDMV
Medical Exceptions
Individuals with a photosensitivity to light who need darker window tints can apply for a medical exception permit with the N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles’ Medical Review Program.
- Permits are valid for up to five years.
- An individual may have no more than two medical permits at the same time.
- Permits are not interchangeable and must be carried in the vehicle to which it applies.
- A medical exception sticker must be displayed in the lower left‐hand corner of the rear window. Failure to properly display the sticker is punishable by a $200 fine.
Frequently Asked Questions
Below are common questions about the North Carolina Inspection Program. For answers to questions not addressed on this page, send a message to the N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles or call (877) 421-0020.
When your vehicle is inspected, a record of your vehicle’s inspection is entered electronically into the N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles’ vehicle registration database within two hours, which is used by license tag agencies and law enforcement personnel.
Your next inspection will be due the same month your vehicle registration renewal is due and must be obtained no more than 90 days before your plate expires.
A new vehicle must be inspected before it is sold at retail in North Carolina. Upon purchase, you will be provided a receipt certifying inspection compliance. The inspection conducted prior to your purchase is valid until the license plate is due for renewal.
A used vehicle must be inspected before it is offered for sale at retain in this state. Upon purchase, you will be provided a receipt certifying compliance. The inspection conducted prior to your purchase is valid until the license plate is due for renewal.
A used vehicle acquired from a private sale in this state must be inspected before it is registered unless it has received a passing inspection within the previous 12 months.
An unregistered vehicle must be inspected before the vehicle can be registered.
The N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles may issue a 10-day temporary license plate that authorizes an individual to drive their vehicle for inspection and registration. You should contact an NCDMV license plate agency for the plate.
To receive an out-of-state exemption, you will need to submit a vehicle maintenance receipt such as an oil change, tire rotation performed or other maintenance on the vehicle.
The service invoice must include the name, phone number and address of the company who performed the service. The service invoice must also include vehicle information with plate or vin and vehicle year, make, model along with a recent date of service or an out of state inspection (showing vehicle information mentioned previously).
Documents sent must be dated within the past four months when received.
To request an exemption, go to the License & Theft Bureau Portal and select “Request a Service.” You can also fax the information to 910-645-7197. Be sure to include your name and phone number on your fax sheet.
No. You will not have to get your vehicle inspected until its current registration expires.
You will be allowed to register the vehicle without an inspection. When your next annual registration renewal is due, you must have the vehicle inspected to renew your registration.
A vehicle with a gross vehicle weight rating greater than 8,500 pounds requires only a safety inspection.
Permanent-plated vehicles must be inspected every year, but their inspections are not synchronized with registration renewal. The date of the inspection will not affect the vehicle’s registration, if the inspection occurs on a yearly basis.
Before you can renew your registration!
About 60 days before a vehicle’s registration expires, the N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles mails to the address on record a renewal notice that lists the vehicle’s registration renewal fee as well as any vehicle property taxes due.
Vehicle registrations must be renewed annually.
Both are due at the same time and can be paid online as well as by mail or at an NCDMV license plate agency as part of North Carolina’s Tag & Tax Together program that, under state law, transfers the responsibility of motor vehicle tax collection to NCDMV.
NCDMV uses an online service called PayIt that allows you to take advantage of completing multiple transactions during the same website visit. PayIt collects the $3 fee as payment for its services.
The State of North Carolina does not collect or benefit from the transaction fee. If you prefer not to pay the convenience fee, you can visit a local license plate agency or mail the payment into the address listed on the notice.
To renew online, the registered owner must have the vehicle’s license plate number and last five digits of the vehicle title number, both of which can be found on the renewal notice, the prior registration card or an individual’s MyDMV account.
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