Massachusetts has laws about EVERYTHING. The state often known as Taxachusetts regulates just about every facet of life and when it comes to our vehicles and our roadways, the list of requirements is lengthy, and more often than not, there is a cost attached.

I'm not here to argue whether that's right or wrong but compared to states like Florida or Michigan where you can basically put anything with wheels on the road and no one will stop you, or dare as to check your emissions, Massachusetts is stricter than strict.

One of the many things you need to legally operate a vehicle in Massachusetts is an inspection sticker, which drivers must renew annually. But how and when the inspection sticker is issued is changing.

What is the New Massachusetts Inspection Sticker Law?

Effective November 1, vehicles that pass the annual required inspections will get a new sticker with the month of your previous sticker’s expiration month. This means if you get a late sticker after the one-year mark of your previous inspection sticker, the new sticker will no longer display the month you got the inspection in, but the month your last sticker expired on.

In a release from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, Colleen Ogilvie Registrar of Motor Vehicles cited safety as the number one reason for inspection stickers and the upcoming changes.

Vehicle inspections check tire treads, ensure all light signals are working and even check the front ball joints. It is the law that motor vehicles are inspected every year. Vehicle owners are required to have the inspection done one year from the month the last inspection was done. We are asking all vehicle owners to place safety first and make sure to check your inspection date, and don’t be late.

Colleen Ogilvie, Registrar of Motor Vehicles

 

It's important to know that there is no change for owners who get their vehicles inspected on time or before the due date. Owners will continue to receive the sticker with the number of the month in which the vehicle was inspected. The only change in the law will be for people who get their inspection sticker renewed late.

 

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Gallery Credit: Sarah Jones

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