General information for inspection stations

The best resources for information about inspections stations are the

• NY State DMV Motor Vehicle Inspection Regulations (pdf) [1] (CR-79)
• [1]Facility Requirements - Inspection Stations (pdf) [2] (VS-143)

NOT required parts of a safety inspection

The items in the following list are not a required part of a safety inspection for light-duty and medium-duty vehicles. While some of the items are illegal equipment, the inspection station is not required to inspect the items. You can inform the customer that the item is illegal or that the item does not function. These items cannot cause you to reject a vehicle. The items are

• bumpers
• fog lights
• studded snow tires (tires must pass other inspection standards)
• rear window defogger or rear window defroster
• rear window wiper
• ball joints
• CV joints and boots
• the thickness of brake rotors
• activated Anti-lock Brakes (ABS) Warning Light
• activated Airbag Readiness Warning Light (you must use a rejection notice to inform the customer, but do not reject for inspection)
• a rear view mirror that is mounted on the outside of the passenger side of the vehicle (unless the rear window is obstructed. The customer must remove the mirror or the mirror must meet inspection standards to pass the inspection)
• brakes on a trailer (the brakes are not required, but you must inspect the brakes if they exist)

Serpentine belt 

You can reject the serpentine belt if any pieces of the serpentine belt between the grooves are absent or any part of the serpentine belt is frayed or the flat outer surface is cracked or frayed.

Inspection of out-of-state vehicle

DMV Regulation 79.8(b)(1) requires an inspection station to inspect any vehicle it is qualified to inspect and includes vehicles registered in other states. Advise the customer that not all states recognize the NY State inspection.

Inspection of vehicle with no registration or plates

If a vehicle does not have a valid registration and does not have vehicle plates; you can still complete a NY State inspection. The customer must present a proper vehicle ownership document.