Vehicle Inspections

• Safety Inspections
• Emission Inspections
  • When to Obtain an Inspection
  • Fees for Inspections
  • Additional Information
  • Sales to Out-of-County Residents
• Vehicle/Hull Identification Number (VIN/HIN) Inspections

Safety Inspections

Effective January 1, 2018, the State of Utah removed the safety inspection requirement for most vehicles as a prerequisite for registration. Vehicles that require a safety inspection are listed below.

• Salvage vehicles that have been rebuilt and are requesting a rebuilt title.
• First time street legal ATV registrations. This includes ownership transfers for previously registered street legal ATVs.
• Commercial vehicles are required to obtain a safety inspection for display and presenting to law enforcement, but it is not a prerequisite for registration.
• Motorhomes with three axles are considered a “Class 6” vehicle and require an annual safety inspection for display and presenting to law enforcement.

Emission Inspections

When to Obtain an Inspection

An emission inspection may be made no more than two months prior to the renewal of the registration. The emission certificate must be submitted to the appropriate Motor Vehicle office as a condition of registration.

Fees for Inspections

Fees that may be charged by approved inspection stations for the emission inspection are not to exceed:

Exempt from this requirement are:

• New vehicles,
• Motorcycles, and
• Vehicles with a model year of 1967 and older.

In addition to the inspection fee paid to the station, the following counties impose fees for emission programs. Payment of fees is required at the time of registration. Fees are due regardless if a certificate is required or not. The fees are as follows:

Additional Information

For more information about emissions test requirements contact the appropriate County Health Department below:

Vehicles Sold by Dealers in Non-Emission Counties to Emission-County Residents

Utah law requires all licensed Utah dealers to assure vehicles they sell to residents of Cache, Davis, Salt Lake, Utah, or Weber counties meet emission testing requirements prior to issuing a temporary permit. However, because emission testing facilities are often not available in counties where emission testing is not required, the air quality administrators from the five emission-required counties have granted a limited emission test exemption.

If a vehicle is sold to a resident of Cache, Davis, Salt Lake, Utah, or Weber counties by a licensed Utah dealer whose place of business is located in a non-emission county, the dealer must:

• Issue a temporary permit,
• Provide the customer with a copy of Form TC-820, Exemption Affidavit for Utah Emission Testing.

The purchaser must:

• Obtain an emission test certificate of compliance within 10 days of return to county of residence;
• Provide a copy of Form TC-820, Exemption Affidavit for Utah Emission Testing to the local motor vehicle office with the application for plate, title and registration, and,
• Send certificate of compliance and a copy of the TC-820 to the local Department of Health.

Vehicle/Hull Identification Number (VIN/HIN) Inspections

Trailers, boats, off-highway vehicles, and snowmobiles require separate VIN or HIN inspections, which can be completed using a Form TC-661, Certificate of Inspection completed by a DMV employee, designated contractor, designated contractor, Utah peace officer or designated enforcement agency employee, licensed dealer, or a certified safety inspector. Note that this may be completed by a DMV employee at no extra charge.