North Carolina § 20-183 - 4C. When a vehicle must be inspected; 10-day temporary license plate.

§ 20-183. 4C. When a vehicle must be inspected; 10-day temporary license plate.

Inspection. - A vehicle that is subject to a safety inspection, an emissions inspection, or both must be inspected as follows: A new vehicle must be inspected before it is delivered to a purchaser at retail in this State. Upon purchase, a receipt approved by the Division must be provided to the new owner certifying compliance. A new motor vehicle dealer who is also licensed pursuant to this Article may, notwithstanding subdivision (1) of this section, examine the safety and emissions control devices on a new motor vehicle and perform such services necessary to ensure the motor vehicle conforms to the required specifications established by the manufacturer and contained in its predelivery check list. The completion of the predelivery inspection procedure required or recommended by the manufacturer on a new motor vehicle shall constitute the inspection required by subdivision (1) of this section. For the purposes of this subdivision, the date of inspection shall be deemed to be the date of the sale of the motor vehicle to a purchaser. A used vehicle must be inspected before it is offered for sale at retail in this State by a dealer. Upon purchase, a receipt approved by the Division must be provided to the new owner certifying compliance. Repealed by Session Law 2007-503, s. 5, effective October 1, 2008. Except as authorized by the Commissioner for a single period of time not to exceed 12 months from the initial date of registration, a new or used vehicle acquired by a resident of this State from outside the State must be inspected before the vehicle is registered with the Division. Except as authorized by the Commissioner for a single period of time not to exceed 12 months from the initial date of registration, a vehicle owned by a new resident of this State who transfers the registration of the vehicle from the resident's former home state to this State must be inspected before the vehicle is registered with the Division. Repealed by Session Law 2007-503, s. 5, effective October 1, 2008. A vehicle that has been inspected in accordance with this Part must be inspected by the last day of the month in which the registration on the vehicle expires. A vehicle that is required to be inspected in accordance with this Part may be inspected 90 days prior to midnight of the last day of the month as designated by the vehicle registration sticker. A new or used vehicle acquired from a retailer or a private sale in this State and registered with the Division with a new registration or a transferred registration must be inspected in accordance with this Part when the current registration expires unless it has received a passing inspection within the previous 12 months. Repealed by Session Laws 2010-97, s. 3, effective July 20, 2010. An unregistered vehicle may be registered with the Division in accordance with G.S. 20-50(b) for a period not to exceed 10 days prior to the vehicle receiving a passing inspection in accordance with this Part. A person who owns a vehicle located outside of this State when its emissions inspection becomes due may obtain an emissions inspection in the jurisdiction where the vehicle is located, in lieu of a North Carolina emissions inspection, as long as the inspection meets the requirements of 40 C.F.R. § 51. Temporary License Plate. - The Division may issue a temporary license plate under and in accordance with G.S. 20-50(b) that is valid for 10 days to a person that authorizes the person to drive a vehicle whose inspection authorization or registration has expired. Exemption. - The Division may issue a temporary exemption from the inspection requirements of this Article for any vehicle that has been determined by the Division to be principally garaged, as defined under G.S. 58-37-1(11), in this State and is primarily operated outside a county subject to emissions inspection requirements or outside of this State. History (1993 (Reg. Sess., 1994), c. 754, s. 1; 1997-29, s. 2; 2001-504, s. 11; 2007-481, s. 2; 2007-503, s. 5; 2008-190, s. 3; 2009-319, s. 2; 2010-97, s. 3; 2015-241, s. 29.35(a); 2018-42, s. 5.) Editor's Note. - Session Laws 2015-241, s. 29.35(c), provides: "Ten-day trip permits issued under G.S. 20-183.4 C(b) prior to the effective date of this section shall remain valid for the duration of the issuance." Session Laws 2015-241, s. 29.35(d), provides: "This section becomes effective January 1, 2016, and applies to temporary license plates issued on or after that date." Session Laws 2015-241, s. 1.1, provides: "This act shall be known as 'The Current Operations and Capital Improvements Appropriations Act of 2015.'" Session Laws 2015-241, s. 33.4, provides: "Except for statutory changes or other provisions that clearly indicate an intention to have effects beyond the 2015-2017 fiscal biennium, the textual provisions of this act apply only to funds appropriated for, and activities occurring during, the 2015-2017 fiscal biennium." Session Laws 2015-241, s. 33.6, is a severability clause. Effect of Amendments. - Session Laws 2007-481, s. 2, effective August 30, 2007, added subdivision (a)(1a). Session Laws 2007-503, s. 5, effective October 1, 2008, and applicable to offenses committed on or after that date, added the second sentence in subdivision (a)(1); in subdivision (a)(2), deleted "a location other than a public auction" at the end of the first sentence, and added the second sentence; deleted subdivision (a)(3); in subdivision (a)(4), inserted "new or" and deleted "a person" preceding "outside the State"; deleted subdivision (a)(5a); in subdivision (a)(6), substituted "registration" for "inspection sticker" and deleted "unless another subdivision of this section requires it to be inspected sooner" from the end; and added subdivisions (a)(7) through (a)(11). Session Laws 2008-190, s. 3, effective October 1, 2008, substituted "three-day" for "one-way" in the section heading; substituted "before" for "within 10 days after" in subdivisions (a)(4) and (a)(5); and rewrote subdivisions (a)(9), (a)(10), and subsection (b). Session Laws 2009-319, s. 2, effective July 17, 2009, added the exceptions at the beginning of subdivisions (a)(4) and (a)(5); in subsection (b), substituted "a vehicle" for "an insured vehicle" in the first sentence, and added the second sentence; and added subsection (c). Session Laws 2010-97, s. 3, effective July 20, 2010, in the section catchline and in the first sentence in subsection (b), substituted "10-day trip permit" for "three-day trip permit"; in subdivision (a)(8), inserted "or a private sale" and "unless it has received a passing inspection within the previous 12 months"; deleted subdivision (a)(9), which read: "A used vehicle acquired from a private sale in this State must be inspected in accordance with this Part before the vehicle is registered with the Division unless it has received a passing inspection within the previous 12 months"; in subdivision (a)(10), substituted the language "may be registered with the Division in accordance with G.S. 20-50(b) " for "must be inspected before the vehicle is registered with the Division unless it has received a passing inspection within the previous 12 months"; and in subsection (b), substituted "drive the described vehicle for a period not to exceed 10 days from the date of issuance" for "drive the described vehicle only from the place the vehicle is parked to an inspection station, repair shop, or Division or contract agent registration office" in the last sentence, and deleted the last paragraph, which pertained to the Division's authority to issue a 10-day temporary permit, which must describe the vehicle that failed to pass the inspection and the date that it failed to pass inspection. Session Laws 2015-241, s. 29.35(a), effective January 1, 2016, substituted "temporary license plate" for "trip permit" in the section heading; and rewrote subsection (b). For applicability, see editor's note. Session Laws 2018-42, s. 5, effective June 22, 2018, substituted "delivered to a purchaser at" for "sold at" in subdivision (a)(1).