DMV-Regulated Business Type Descriptions

Vehicle Inspection Stations

Vehicle Inspection Stations are licensed by the DMV to conduct required annual inspections of safety equipment and required annual tests of exhaust emissions. The safety inspection and emissions test are normally done at the same time.

Safety Inspections

Every motor vehicle, motorcycle and trailer, must receive a safety inspection each year, as required by the NYS Vehicle and Traffic Law.

Motor Vehicle Inspection Stations can be licensed to inspect

  • passenger vehicles, trailers, motorcycles and/or heavy-duty vehicles that weigh more than 18,000 lbs.
  • more than one vehicle type

Emissions Inspections

Every vehicle must receive an emissions inspection each year. The type of emissions inspection required is determined by the county of registration, the model year, the fuel type and the weight.

New York Metropolitan Area (NYMA)

The NYMA includes: Bronx County, Kings County (Brooklyn), New York County (Manhattan), Queens County, Richmond County (Staten Island), Suffolk County, Nassau County, Westchester County and Rockland County. The other 53 counties in New York are outside the NYMA.

New York Vehicle Inspection Program (NYVIP2)

A NYVIP2 emissions inspections are required for non-exempt gasoline-powered vehicles that

  • are model year 1996 or newer vehicle
  • are more than two model years old
  • show a weight of less than 8,501 lbs. on the registration

Low-Enhanced emissions inspections

  • are required for non-exempt vehicles model year 1995 or older

Diesel emissions inspections

  • are required for diesel-powered vehicles registered in the NYMA that weigh more than 8,500 pounds

NYS Vehicle Inspection Regulations

Download the NYS Vehicle Inspection Regulations (Part 79). 

Motor Vehicle Repair Shops

  • are required to register with the DMV to perform mechanical and/or body repairs
  • repair or diagnose motor vehicle malfunctions and/or repair motor vehicle bodies
  • perform repairs at a location provided by a consumer

 

Body Repair Shops

  • specialize in the repair or modification of motor vehicle bodies
  • normally do not do mechanical repairs

Download the Repair Shop Regulations (Part 82).

Automobile Dealers, Boat Dealers and Yacht Brokers

  • Automobile Dealers are licensed by the DMV to sell vehicles at retail or wholesale
  • Boat Dealers sell motorized boats
  • Yacht Brokers are licensed to act as agents in the sale and purchase of motorized boats
  • Retail Motor Vehicle Dealers, New have franchise agreements with manufacturers and/or distributors to sell new passenger cars and/or light trucks
  • Retail Motor Vehicle Dealers, Other
    • can sell motorcycles, trailers, used cars, RV's, heavy trucks, and other vehicle types
    • cannot sell new passenger cars and/or light trucks
  • Wholesale Dealers
    • exclusively buy and sell motor vehicles, motorcycles or trailers at wholesale
    • do not sell at retail
  • Qualified Dealers
    • sell at least 225 vehicles a year
    • one-third of their sales must be new vehicles
  • Boat Dealers buy and sell motorized boats
  • Yacht Brokers act as agents for buyers and sellers of motorized boats

Download the NYS DMV Automobile Dealer and Transporter Regulations (Part 78).

Dismantlers, Scrap Processors and Other Vehicle Parts and Scrap Businesses

These businesses are licensed, registered or certified to process, sell or otherwise dispose of junk and salvage vehicles and vehicle parts.

  • Itinerant Vehicle Collectors
    • acquire vehicles that cannot be operated
    • sell vehicles and vehicle parts to dismantlers and scrap processors
  • Vehicle Dismantlers purchase and dismantle motor vehicles and trailers for sale of parts and/or scrap
  • Salvage Pools act on behalf of vehicle owners and/or insurance companies in the sale of junk and salvage vehicles or major component parts
  • Mobile Car Converters and Crushers operate  transportable devices that crush motor vehicles for scrap
  • Scrap Processors purchase motor vehicles and parts to be processed into metallic and non-metallic scrap
  • Scrap Collectors collect and dispose of miscellaneous and vehicular scrap to dismantlers or scrap processors

Download the NYS DMV Regulations for Vehicle Dismantlers and Other Parts and Scrap Businesses (Part 81).