Vermont lawmakers consider moving to 2-year car inspections

Lawmakers are considering loosening the requirements for car inspections in Vermont.

The proposed legislation would require inspections every two years instead of the current annual system.

The Senate Transportation committee is taking a serious look at the bill because Vermont is just one of eight states in the country that still require annual safety inspections for all registered vehicles.

The state estimates there are roughly 500,000 registered cars in Vermont.

Windsor County Sen. Becca White, who is the vice chair of the transportation panel, is the lead sponsor of the bill. She urged her committee members to support the change, citing studies showing that there's no link between annual car inspections and serious crash rates.

"I think that this is a bureaucratic headache for a majority of Vermonters and leads them to either wait to actually make improvements on their vehicles which can cause problems, or they just don't get a safety inspection,” said White.

The annual requirement, which checks both the car’s safety and its compliance with emissions rules, poses an economic burden for some Vermonters, White said.

The state currently receives $8 from every car inspection. Under this bill the rate would double to $16 to make the plan essentially “revenue neutral,” although the Department of Motor Vehicles says there would be an additional cost for new inspection stickers that can last two years.

According to the department, just over 8,000 drivers were pulled over for an expired inspection sticker in 2025. And roughly three-quarters of these drivers were issued a warning rather than a ticket which costs $105.

More from Brave Little State: "Why does Vermont still require car inspections?"

Sen. Richard Westman, who chairs the Senate Transportation Committee, said DMV statistics show that fewer drivers are being stopped for traffic infractions — including speeding — compared to 10 years ago and he asked the Department to research why this is the case.

The DMV estimates that there are just over 1,000 vehicle inspection sites in Vermont, and officials from many of these locations are expected to raise questions about how the change will affect their bottom line.

Governor Phil Scott says he doesn't oppose the bill but wants to be certain that the plan meets federal air emission standards.

New Hampshire recently did away with its safety and emissions testing requirements, but a lawsuit arguing this violated the federal Clean Air Act led a judge to issue a preliminary order requiring the state to continue its inspection program.

In Vermont, the Senate committee plans to take additional testimony on the legislation in the near future.