Massachusetts · MA · Vehicles
Massachusetts: Is there an annual vehicle safety inspection?
Regular safety inspection
Massachusetts requires a yearly safety inspection for registered motor vehicles.
Owners must have the car inspected every year, before the current inspection sticker expires. A car newly bought or registered in Massachusetts must be inspected within seven days of registration. The yearly check covers safety equipment such as brakes, lights, steering, suspension and tires, and is combined with an emissions test in the Massachusetts Vehicle Check program.
Conditions
- Inspection every year, by the sticker's expiration date
- Newly registered cars inspected within seven days of registration
What the law says
Every owner or person in control of a Massachusetts registered motor vehicle shall submit the vehicle for the required inspection annually, no later than the date of expiration on the previously issued Certificate of Inspection
Sources
- M.G.L. c. 90, § 7A Official · malegislature.gov
- 540 CMR 4.03 (Cornell LII) Mirror of official text · law.cornell.edu
Confirm with the state
- Agency
- Massachusetts Vehicle Check Program (Registry of Motor Vehicles and MassDEP)
- Phone
- 844-358-0135
- Website
- mavehiclecheck.com
How bordering states compare
- Connecticut No safety inspectionConnecticut does not require safety inspections for ordinary personal cars; cars from out of state need only a VIN check.
- New Hampshire No safety inspectionNew Hampshire ended its annual vehicle safety inspection on January 31, 2026.
- New York Regular safety inspectionNew York requires every registered vehicle to pass a safety inspection once a year.
- Rhode Island Regular safety inspectionRhode Island requires vehicles to pass a combined safety and emissions inspection every two years.
- Vermont Regular safety inspectionVermont requires every registered vehicle to pass a safety inspection once a year.
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