{"data":{"id":"us-nc/n.c.-gen.-stat.-20-183.2","jurisdiction":"us-nc","citation":"N.C. Gen. Stat. § 20-183.2","heading":"Description of vehicles subject to safety or emissions inspection; definitions.","body":"(a)\tSafety. - A motor vehicle is subject to a safety inspection in accordance with this Part if it meets all of the following requirements:\n(1)\tIt is subject to registration with the Division under Article 3 of this Chapter.\n(2)\tIt is not subject to inspection under 49 C.F.R. Part 396, the federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations.\n(3)\tIt is not a trailer whose gross weight is less than 4,000 pounds or a house trailer.\n(a1)\tSafety Inspection Exceptions. - The following vehicles shall not be subject to a safety inspection pursuant to this Article:\n(1)\tHistoric vehicles, as described in G.S. 20-79.4(b)(94).\n(2)\tBuses titled to a local board of education and subject to the school bus inspection requirements specified by the State Board of Education and G.S. 115C-248.\n(b)\tEmissions. - A motor vehicle is subject to an emissions inspection in accordance with this Part if it meets all of the following requirements:\n(1)\tIt is subject to registration with the Division under Article 3 of this Chapter, except for motor vehicles operated on a federal installation as provided in sub-subdivision e. of subdivision (5) of this subsection.\n(2)\tIt is not a trailer whose gross weight is less than 4,000 pounds, a house trailer, or a motorcycle.\n(3)\t(Repealed once contingency met - see note) It is (i) a vehicle with a model year within 20 years of the current year and older than the three most recent model years or (ii) a vehicle with a model year within 20 years of the current year and has 70,000 miles or more on its odometer.\n(3a)\t(Effective once contingency met - see note) It is a vehicle with a model year within 20 years of the current year and earlier than the 2017 model year.\n(4)\tRepealed by Session Laws 1999-328, s. 3.11, effective July 21, 1999.\n(5)\tIt meets any of the following descriptions:\na.\tIt is required to be registered in an emissions county.\nb.\tIt is part of a fleet that is operated primarily in an emissions county.\nc.\tIt is offered for rent in an emissions county.\nd.\tIt is a used vehicle offered for sale by a dealer in an emissions county.\ne.\tIt is operated on a federal installation located in an emissions county and it is not a tactical military vehicle. Vehicles operated on a federal installation include those that are owned or leased by employees of the installation and are used to commute to the installation and those owned or operated by the federal agency that conducts business at the installation.\nf.\tIt is otherwise required by 40 C.F.R. Part 51 to be subject to an emissions inspection.\n(6)\tIt is not licensed at the farmer rate under G.S. 20-88(b).\n(7)\tIt is not a new motor vehicle, as defined in G.S. 20-286(10)a. and has been a used motor vehicle, as defined in G.S. 20-286(10)b., for 12 months or more. However, a motor vehicle that has been leased or rented, or offered for lease or rent, is subject to an emissions inspection when it either:\na.\tHas been leased or rented, or offered for lease or rent, for 12 months or more.\nb.\tIs sold to a consumer-purchaser.\n(8)\tIt is not a privately owned, nonfleet motor home or house car, as defined in G.S. 20-4.01(27)k., that is built on a single chassis, has a gross vehicle weight of more than 10,000 pounds, and is designed primarily for recreational use.\n(9)\tIt is not a plug-in electric vehicle as defined in G.S. 20-4.01(28b).\n(10)\tIt is not a fuel cell electric vehicle as defined in G.S. 20-4.01(12a).\n(c)\tDefinitions. - The following definitions apply in this Part:\n(1)\tElectronic inspection authorization. - An inspection authorization that is generated electronically through the electronic accounting system that creates a unique nonduplicating authorization number assigned to the vehicle's inspection receipt upon successful passage of an inspection. The term \"electronic inspection authorization\" shall include the term \"inspection sticker\" during the transition period to use of electronic inspection authorizations.\n(2)\tEmissions county. - A county listed in G.S. 143-215.107A(c) and certified to the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles as a county in which the implementation of a motor vehicle emissions inspection program will improve ambient air quality.\n(3)\tFederal installation. - An installation that is owned by, leased to, or otherwise regularly used as the place of business of a federal agency. (1965, c. 734, s. 1; 1967, c. 692, s. 1; 1969, c. 179, s. 2; cc. 219, 386; 1973, c. 679, s. 2; 1975, c. 683; c. 716, s. 5; 1979, c. 77; 1989, c. 467; 1991, c. 394, s. 1; c. 761, s. 7; 1993 (Reg. Sess., 1994), c. 754, s. 1; 1995, c. 163, s. 10; 1997-29, s. 12; 1999-328, s. 3.11; 2000-134, ss. 7, 7.1, 9, 11; 2001-504, ss. 4, 5, 6, 10.; 2004-167, s. 10; 2004-199, s. 59; 2006-255, s. 1; 2007-503, s. 2; 2008-172, s. 1; 2009-570, s. 33; 2011-95, s. 3; 2011-206, s. 3; 2012-199, s. 1; 2012-200, s. 12(b); 2013-410, s. 5; 2015-264, s. 9; 2017-10, s. 3.5(b); 2017-102, s. 5.2(b); 2020-73, s. 5; 2023-134, s. 12.7(a).)","path":["Chapter 20. Motor Vehicles.","Article 3A. Safety and Emissions Inspection Program.","Part 2. Safety and Emissions Inspections of Certain Vehicles."],"source_url":"https://www.ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/HTML/BySection/Chapter_20/GS_20-183.2.html","current_through":"S.L. 2026-30","vintage":"","retrieved_at":"2026-08-27T17:58:08Z","sha256":"28f67a7e7b8c85a8deceb87a1575c35e271d78e04d89d33c5096cb1a454da187","source_id":"us-nc","stale":false,"prev":"us-nc/n.c.-gen.-stat.-20-183.1","next":"us-nc/n.c.-gen.-stat.-20-183.3"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}