It's Here: New MA Inspection Sticker Punishments Begin

MASSACHUSETTS — Inspection sticker scofflaws be warned: new penalties for late inspections go into effect Tuesday.

The Registry of Motor Vehicles first announced the new inspection sticker policy in September, giving drivers around the state almost two months warning.

The new change targets Massachusetts drivers who skirt the yearly inspection: waiting a month or two (or more) to stretch the annual requirement beyond 12 months. Starting Nov. 1, drivers who wait longer than a year will receive stickers back-dated to the month they were supposed to get a new sticker.

For example, if a driver with an October sticker waits until December to get an inspection, they will get a new sticker that expires in October of the next year — effectively cutting off two months between inspections.

“Motor vehicle inspections are required to be conducted yearly and play an integral part in helping to facilitate roadway safety across the Commonwealth,” Registrar of Motor Vehicles Colleen Ogilvie said this week. “Vehicle owners are encouraged to proactively check their vehicle inspection sticker, and have their vehicles inspected on time to ensure that key safety items such as lighting devices, tire treads, and front ball joints are in working condition.”

The punishment for drivers whose inspections lapse into a new year will be worse: those drivers will automatically get a sticker that expires in January of the year they're in. For example, a driver whose sticker expires in October and waits until July to get an inspection will get a sticker back-dated to January.

Police can pull over and fine drivers with expired stickers $40 — along with any other traffic infractions they might see during the stop.

Is your sticker set to expire or already expired? Visits the RMV website to find the closest inspection station to you. Inspections cost $35 per vehicle and $15 for motorcycles.