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In New York, state law requires that all vehicles undergo inspection. This law is aimed at reducing the number of “not street legal” vehicles on the road, due in large part to the fact that some vehicles create an undue hazard to other drivers. 

What Is a Vehicle Inspection?

A vehicle inspection (short for “vehicle safety inspection”) is when a licensed inspector examines your vehicle to ensure that it meets the government’s minimum standards for safe operation on public streets and highways. New York takes its inspections one step further than other states and also requires many vehicles to undergo emissions inspections to help reduce air pollution.

Why Is a Vehicle Inspection Important?

When vehicles are improperly maintained, they can become a hazard for the driver, their passengers, and anybody nearby. Vehicle inspections serve to ensure that only the vehicles that the government deems safe are permitted to operate in public. The belief is that this policy leads to safer, higher-performing, more fuel-efficient vehicles taking to the streets.

You can help make this belief a reality by doing your own equipment safety checks between state inspections. Just know that doing so does not exempt you from having to submit your vehicle to a licensed inspection station when the deadline comes. However, it does make your vehicle more likely to pass.

New York State Vehicle Inspection Requirements

There are nine main inspection requirements in New York that you should be aware of. Here they are:

• Each vehicle registered in New York state must be inspected at least every 12 months.
• The inspection must be done before the expiration date of the current inspection sticker and whenever the vehicle becomes registered under a different name.
• An inspection station must inspect all vehicles it is licensed to inspect or offer appointments (with written confirmations) no more than eight business days after the initial request and cannot require deposits to be greater than the inspection fee.
• The inspection must be done in a licensed inspection station displaying an official sign and must be performed by a certified motor vehicle inspector.
• If your vehicle fails the safety and/or emissions inspection, the inspection station must get your permission before beginning any repairs.
• You are not required to have your vehicle repaired or re-inspected at the station that performed the initial inspection.
• Your vehicle may be taken to any registered repair shop or you may make the required repairs yourself; in either case, your vehicle must then pass a new inspection at an inspection station of your choice before an inspection sticker will be issued.
• It is a misdemeanor for an inspector to knowingly issue (or a motorist to knowingly accept) an inspection sticker unless a full and proper inspection has been performed.

Safety Items Inspected

The first few items we’ll talk about are some of the most important parts of a vehicle. If any of these items are not in “adequate” and “sufficient” working order, then you’ll have a few more repairs to do before you can welcome home a new inspection sticker.

Seat Belts

All seat belts will be inspected for proper operation and anchorage. That is, the inspector will examine them to determine that they function correctly and are securely anchored to the belt mounts within the vehicle. See the table below for additional requirements:

Part	Description
Seat belts (model year 1969 and newer)	Vehicles manufactured during or after 1969 must be equipped with one seat belt for each and every seating position within the vehicle.
Seat belts (model year 1967 or 1968)	Vehicles manufactured during or between 1967 and 1968 must be equipped with two front seat belts (driver and passenger) and one seat belt for each other seating position within the vehicle.
Seat belts (model year 1965 or 1966)	Vehicles manufactured during or between 1967 and 1968 must be equipped with two front seat belts (driver and passenger).
Airbags	Your vehicle’s airbag warning light(s) will also be checked for proper operation when examining your seat belts. You will be informed if the light is not working, but this issue alone cannot cause your vehicle to fail its inspection.

Brakes

When inspecting your vehicle, the inspector will remove at least one front wheel to examine the state of its brakes. See the table below for more information:

Part	Description
Brake pedal reserve	The brake pedal currently installed on the vehicle must have ⅓ reserve.
Brake pedal fade	The brake must hold for one minute without fading.
Power brake unit	This part must be in good working condition and operating as designed.
Brake master cylinder	The brake master cylinder must not have any leaks and must be in good enough condition to maintain the proper brake fluid level.
Disc brake pads	This part must be in good working condition and operating as designed.
Drum brake linings	The thickness of your vehicle’s drum brake linings must be at least 1/16 inches for bonded linings or at least 1/32 inches over the rivet head on riveted linings. There can be no loose or missing rivets or lining on the part.
Brake Drums and/or rotors	This part must be in good working condition and operating as designed.
Wheel cylinders and/or calipers	This part cannot contain any leaks of any kind, not even a drip.
All brake lines and hoses	There can be absolutely no leaks, cracks, chafing, restrictions, or improper supports anywhere in your brake lines or brake hoses.
Parking brake	The parking brake must include all of the necessary components and function as designed.
Brake equalization	Your vehicle must be able to stop straight without any significant wheel pull from unequal braking force.

Steering, Front End, Suspension, Chassis, Frame, and Wheel Fasteners

Part	Description
Front end assembly	This part must be in good working condition and operating as designed.
Steering wheel play	The steering wheel must not have excessive freeplay. That is, it must be at least responsive enough to not be a hazard while driving.
All steering linkages	The steering linkages must be free from tightness or binding, excessive wear, and part looseness. That includes the idler arm, center control arm, tie-rod ends, drag link ends, pitman arms, gear box, cross shafts, bushings, wheel bearings, steering column, and steering wheel shaft mounting.
Power steering	If the vehicle is equipped with power steering, it must operate properly, the belt must be in good working condition, and there must be no leakage in the system.
Shock absorbers	The shock mountings must be in good working condition and there must be no broken or missing shock absorbers.
Springs and torsion bars	There must be no sagging or broken springs or any broken, disconnected, missing, or bent torsion bars or stabilizer bars.
Chassis/frame	The vehicle’s body must be free from any major breaks, cracks, or severe rust at the suspension attachment points.
Wheel fasteners	The vehicle must have all of its wheel fasteners. There can be no missing or broken parts in that assembly.

Tires (Except Spare)

This section applies to all tires in use on your vehicle with the exception of its emergency spare. However, you are legally required to replace your emergency spare tire as soon as possible. If you decide to use it as a replacement tire for normal use, you might fail your inspection. For more information, see the table below:

Part	Description
Tire depth	The tire’s on your vehicle must have a depth of at least 2/32 inches when measured in the two adjacent major tread grooves that show the most wear.
Tire condition	The fabric of your vehicle’s tires cannot have any breaks, cuts, or tears longer or wider than one inch. There can be no visible bumps, bulges, or nots, nor any restricted use designation on the tire.
Tire pressure	If your tire pressure is below the manufacturer’s recommended level, the inspector will let you know. However, this alone cannot result in your vehicle failing its inspection.

Lights

All lighting on the vehicle must be of an approved type and inspected for operation, proper mounting, and component state. If there are any missing or broken lenses, your vehicle might fail its inspection. This does not apply to side marker lamps, parking lamps, or additional flashing turning lamps mounted on the side of the vehicle—those parts are not inspected.

Headlamps (Low- and High-Beams)

All vehicles regardless of model year must be equipped with all of the following parts and they all must be in good working condition and operating as designed:

• Dual-beam headlights (capable of producing both low-beams and high-beams)
• Standard tail lights
• Stop lights
• Turn signals
• License plate lights

Vehicles manufactured in or after 1969 must be equipped with all of the above lighting fixtures as well as backup lights.

Vehicles manufactured in or after 1966 must be equipped with all of the above lighting fixtures as well as hazard warning or four-way flasher lights.

Windows and Other Glass

The inspector will examine all of the glass on the vehicle (mainly windows) to ensure that it is of a state-approved material. All windows must be manufactured from state-approved safety glass or rigid plastic and be in good working condition. There can be no cracks, scuffs, vision-blocking damage, nor excessive tint.

Windshield

The windshield, although made out of glass, is subject to additional inspection requirements. Like other glass parts of the vehicle, the windshield must be manufactured from state-approved safety glass or rigid plastic and be in good working condition. It cannot have any crack of 11 inches or longer if any part of the crack is within the area cleared by a windshield wiper.

Windshield Wipers and Blades

All vehicles must be equipped with windshield wipers that meet the standard length and quality recommendations of the vehicle’s manufacturer. This does not apply to rear window wipers or headlight wipers. See the table below for more information:

Part	Description
Wipers	The vehicle’s wipers must be properly attached and in good working condition.
Blades	The vehicle must be equipped with wiper blades that meet or exceed the manufacturer’s recommendations and are in good working condition.

Horn

All vehicles must be equipped with a horn that is properly mounted and properly functioning.

Mirror

All vehicles will be inspected to ensure that whatever mirrors they have are properly mounted and free from cracks, breaks, and discoloration. What mirrors a vehicle is required to have will depend on its model year. However, any vehicle that has a permanent obstruction blocking the driver’s view through the rear window must have both a left and right outside mirror regardless of the vehicle’s model year. See the table below for more information:

Model Year	Description
Model year 1970 and newer	Vehicles manufactured in or after 1970 must have a left outside mirror and an inside mirror or both left and right outside mirrors.
Model year 1968 and newer	Vehicles manufactured in or after 1968 must have a left outside mirror.
Model year 1967 and older	Vehicles manufactured in or before 1967 must have one mirror that is either an inside mirror or a left outside mirror.

Fuel Leaks

There can be no leaks in any part of the fuel line assembly (for example, the hoses, EFI system, or tank) that causes any amount of dripping or pooling.

Emissions Inspections for Cars and Light Trucks

In addition to the standard vehicle safety inspection, many vehicles in New York must also undergo OBDII or low enhanced inspections. Each of these inspections serves a different point. Let’s break them down—no pun intended.

On-Board Diagnostics Generation II (OBDII) Inspection

Short for on-board diagnostics generation two, the OBDII inspection examines the malfunction indicator lamp (MIL). The MIL is more commonly referred to as “the check engine light.” The point of this inspection is to determine whether the MIL is operating properly, displaying the correct level of illumination, and only lighting when there is an actual problem.

Low Enhanced Inspection

This inspection is designed to ensure that the vehicle is equipped with all of the emissions control devices that it is legally required to have and that they are all in good working condition. This includes making sure that the vehicle’s gas cap is present, in good condition, and fits properly; as well as a long list of other emissions control standards.

Diesel Emissions Inspection

Diesel vehicles will have to undergo yet another additional inspection: the diesel emissions inspection. This inspection is more commonly referred to as “the smoke test.” As the name might suggest, this inspection takes the form of a smoke test—more specifically, a smoke opacity test.

The inspector will trigger your vehicle’s exhaust and examine the overall thickness of the smoke it lets off. If the smoke is too thick (or opaque), your vehicle will not pass the inspection.

Registration-Based Enforcement

Registration-based enforcement is the process of withholding a vehicle’s registration to force its owner to comply with New York’s state inspection requirements and a number of federal laws. If the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) does not have a verifiable record of your vehicle passing all required emissions inspections within the last 12 months, all registration applications for that vehicle will be denied.