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Virginia Administrative Code
Title 19. Public Safety
Agency 30. Department of State Police
Chapter 70. Motor Vehicle Safety Inspection Regulations
12/22/2024

19VAC30-70-1. Purpose and authority.

Virginia's Official Motor Vehicle Inspection Program was developed and adopted to promote highway safety. The program model is based on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. Vehicles submitted for inspection must be compliant with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards applicable on the date of manufacture. The goal of the Official Motor Vehicle Inspection Program is to assure all Virginia registered vehicles are mechanically safe to operate over the highways of the Commonwealth.

The rules and regulations governing the Official Motor Vehicle Inspection Program are contained in the Official Motor Vehicle Safety Inspection Manual. These rules and regulations are promulgated under the authority of Chapter 10 (§ 46.2-1000 et seq.) of Title 46.2 of the Code of Virginia. All official inspection stations shall comply with these rules and regulations, issuing approval certificates only to those vehicles which the inspections shall determine to be in compliance with those rules and regulations.

For devices or equipment required to be approved pursuant to § 46.2-1005 of Title 46.2 of the Code of Virginia, the superintendent may waive such approval and the issuance of a certificate of approval when the device or equipment is identified as complying with the standards and specifications of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), or the regulations of the federal Department of Transportation (DOT).

These rules and regulations are intended to ensure a uniform system of corrective action for those who violate the rules and regulations of the Official Motor Vehicle Inspection Program.

The Official Motor Vehicle Safety Inspection Manual covers administrative procedure as well as numerous vehicular safety items of varying importance. It is, therefore, necessary that the various sections of the manual be divided into categories of seriousness. This will provide a uniform system of corrective action for the certified inspectors and the inspection stations.

Statutory Authority

§ 46.2-1165 of the Code of Virginia.

Historical Notes

Derived from Virginia Register Volume 12, Issue 21, eff. August 7, 1996; amended, Virginia Register Volume 21, Issue 4, eff. September 22, 2004; Volume 28, Issue 24, eff. August 1, 2012; Volume 33, Issue 25, eff. September 8, 2017; Volume 36, Issue 25, eff. September 4, 2020.

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