Vermont Looking at Changing Vehicle Inspection Laws

Details: Created on Monday, 09 February 2026 18:45; Written by Paige Lenahan

Following in New Hampshire's footsteps, Vermont lawmakers have started looking to make changes to their vehicle inspection laws.

Vermonters have become accustomed to yearly safety and emmission inspections, making them one in only 14 states with this requirement. This year, Vermont lawmakers are looking at extending vehicle inspection laws, pushing them to every two years.

Last year, New Hampshire looked into studies surrounding the link between vehicle inspections and vehicle fatality data. A study released in 2018 about New Jersey's inspections ending in 2010, showed no significant increase in vehicle fatalities or accidents when inspection requirements went away. With this, and multiple other studies, New Hampshire has been working to eliminate their vehicle inspection requirements.

Due to these pending changes in New Hampshire, Vermont lawmakers decided to look into how necessary yearly inspections are. Rather than entirely eliminating inspections, they decided it would be best to move it to every two years.

"Just living here, a lot can happen in 13 months to a car. 12 months is brutal to car around here," Rory Whittemore, the owner at Burke View Auto, explains, "A lot of people do pay attention to their car. Whenever a car comes here we basically do a state inspection anyways for free as a part of an oil change or just whatever we're doing to hopefully catch those things."

Road and weather conditions are not always ideal in our region, leading to cars taking a rough beating. Especially during winter months with an increase in road salt and potholes, it can be difficult to maintain a vehicle.

"The downside to it is there is going to be a lot of vehicle that are not safe to quite honestly be on the road," Explained Brett Trahan, owner of Wesward Auto,"I don't see a huge benefit overall, I think it's a benefit for the people that can't inspect their vehicles or don't have the means to inspect their vehicles"

Vermont is looking to change these laws to help Vermonters with the financial burden of having to deal with yearly inspections. Unlike other states, like New Hampshire, Vermont feels that extending inspections would be beneficial to Vermonters, while ensuring that roads and drivers stay safe.