H 8391Personal

Motor and Other Vehicles - Inspection of Motor Vehicles

This bill eliminates safety and emissions inspections for most passenger vehicles until they are 20 years old.

Held for study

Population
Affected

Introduced Apr 1, 2026Committee House Finance

Plain-English Summary

This bill changes the rules for motor vehicle inspections in Rhode Island. Under the new rules, a new car must still be inspected within its first two years or 24,000 miles. After that first inspection, passenger vehicles weighing 8,500 pounds or less will no longer need any safety or emissions inspections until they are 20 years old. Once a vehicle reaches 20 years of age, it will need to be inspected every two years. The bill takes effect on January 1, 2027.

For younger readers

In Rhode Island, cars usually have to go to a mechanic regularly to get checked to make sure they are safe to drive and aren't polluting the air too much. This check is called an inspection. This bill changes the rules so that most regular cars won't need to get inspected anymore after their first check when they are new. The cars will only need to start getting inspected again once they are 20 years old, which is a very old car!

Who & Where It Applies

Impacted groups

Car ownersAuto repair shopsLow-income individualsEnvironmental groupsLaw enforcement

Impacted communities

All

Constitutional & Fiscal Check

None Likely

Estimated cost

None

Estimated revenue

None

Bill Analysis

Both viewpoints

For Progressives

Eliminates the financial burden of biennial inspection fees for low-income and working-class families who own vehicles under twenty years old.
Reduces potential police interactions and traffic stops related to expired inspection stickers, which often disproportionately impact marginalized communities.
Alleviates the stress and cost of minor, non-critical vehicle repairs that are often required simply to pass state inspections, keeping transportation accessible for the disadvantaged.
Severely undermines environmental protections by eliminating emissions testing for nearly two decades per vehicle, likely increasing air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.
Threatens public safety and community welfare by allowing vehicles with potentially dangerous defects, such as worn brakes or bald tires, to remain on the road unchecked.
May reduce state revenues collected from inspection programs, potentially decreasing funding available for public transit, environmental initiatives, or other public services.

For Conservatives

Significantly reduces government overreach by removing state-mandated vehicle inspections, enhancing personal freedom and private property rights.
Lowers the financial burden on taxpayers by eliminating recurring inspection fees, effectively acting as a tax cut for vehicle owners.
Promotes personal responsibility by trusting vehicle owners to maintain their cars without requiring bureaucratic oversight or government permission to drive.
Negatively impacts small businesses, specifically auto repair shops and certified inspection stations, by significantly reducing their reliable customer traffic and revenue.
Could lead to higher automobile insurance premiums for all drivers if the lack of safety inspections results in an increase in traffic accidents caused by mechanical failures.
Continues to impose government mandates on vehicles older than twenty years, which could be viewed as arbitrarily penalizing drivers who choose to keep older or classic cars.

Votes

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Full Bill Text

Changes to existing Rhode Island law · 6 additions

SECTION 1. Section 31-38-4 of the General Laws in Chapter 31-38 entitled "Inspection of Motor Vehicles" is hereby amended to read as follows: 31-38-4. Director of department of revenue to require periodic inspection. (a)(1) The director of revenue shall at least once each year, but not more frequently than twice each year, or on the schedule defined pursuant to chapter 47.1 of this title require that every vehicle, trailer, semitrailer, and pole trailer registered in this state or upon a retail seller’s premise, be inspected and that an official certificate of inspection and approval be obtained for the vehicle, provided, that the director of revenue shall require the first inspection of any new motor vehicle within two (2) years from the date of purchase or before the vehicle accumulates twenty-four thousand (24,000) miles whichever occurs first. After this first inspection, all motor vehicles except motorcycles, registered with a gross weight of eight thousand five hundred pounds (8,500 lbs.) or less, shall not require a further inspection for emission and safety items until the motor vehicles are at least twenty (20) years old. Motor vehicles that are more than twenty (20) years old shall be inspected for emissions and safety items biennially.

(2) The inspections shall be made and the certificates obtained with respect to the mechanism, brakes, and equipment of the vehicle as shall be designated by the director of department of revenue.

(3) The director of the department of revenue is authorized to make necessary rules and regulations for the administration and enforcement of this chapter including, but not limited to, upgraded standards of operation and standards for mechanical testing equipment, and to designate any period or periods of time during which sellers at retail and owners of any vehicles, subject to this chapter, shall display upon the vehicles certificates of inspection and approval, or shall produce these certificates upon demand of any proper officer or employee of the department of revenue designated by the director of the department of revenue. In addition, the director shall require each inspection facility to file a copy of their active garage keeper’s legal liability insurance policy and maintain a minimum of twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000) liability coverage. Said coverage shall be purchased for the purpose of insuring against any damage sustained to a vehicle while under the control of the inspection facility.

(b) The director of the department of revenue may authorize the acceptance in this state of a certificate of inspection and approval issued in another state having an inspection law similar to this chapter, and may extend the time within which a certificate shall be obtained.

(c) The director of the department of revenue, or the director’s designee, may suspend the registration of any vehicle which he or she determines is in such unsafe condition as to constitute a menace to safety, or which, after notice and demand, is not equipped as required in this chapter or for which a required certificate of inspection and approval has not been obtained.

(d) The director of the department of revenue shall provide for a staggered inspection system by regulations.

(e) Violations of this section are subject to fines enumerated in § 31-41.1-4.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect on January 1, 2027.