North Carolina General Statutes
Article 3A - Safety and Emissions Inspection Program.
§ 20-183.2 - Description of vehicles subject to safety or emissions inspection; definitions.

20-183.2. Description of vehicles subject to safety or emissions inspection; definitions.
(a) Safety. - A motor vehicle is subject to a safety inspection in accordance with this Part if it meets all of the following requirements:
(1) It is subject to registration with the Division under Article 3 of this Chapter.
(2) It is not subject to inspection under 49 C.F.R. Part 396, the federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations.
(3) It is not a trailer whose gross weight is less than 4,000 pounds or a house trailer.
(a1) Safety Inspection Exceptions. - The following vehicles shall not be subject to a safety inspection pursuant to this Article:
(1) Historic vehicles, as described in G.S. 20-79.4(b)(90).
(2) Buses titled to a local board of education and subject to the school bus inspection requirements specified by the State Board of Education and G.S. 115C-248.
(b) Emissions. - A motor vehicle is subject to an emissions inspection in accordance with this Part if it meets all of the following requirements:
(1) It is subject to registration with the Division under Article 3 of this Chapter, except for motor vehicles operated on a federal installation as provided in sub-subdivision e. of subdivision (5) of this subsection.
(2) It is not a trailer whose gross weight is less than 4,000 pounds, a house trailer, or a motorcycle.
(3) It is (i) a vehicle with a model year within 20 years of the current year and older than the three most recent model years or (ii) a vehicle with a model year within 20 years of the current year and has 70,000 miles or more on its odometer.
(4) Repealed by Session Laws 1999-328, s. 3.11, effective July 21, 1999.
(5) It meets any of the following descriptions:
a. It is required to be registered in an emissions county.
b. It is part of a fleet that is operated primarily in an emissions county.
c. It is offered for rent in an emissions county.
d. It is a used vehicle offered for sale by a dealer in an emissions county.
e. It is operated on a federal installation located in an emissions county and it is not a tactical military vehicle. Vehicles operated on a federal installation include those that are owned or leased by employees of the installation and are used to commute to the installation and those owned or operated by the federal agency that conducts business at the installation.
f. It is otherwise required by 40 C.F.R. Part 51 to be subject to an emissions inspection.
(6) It is not licensed at the farmer rate under G.S. 20-88(b).
(7) It is not a new motor vehicle, as defined in G.S. 20-286(10)a. and has been a used motor vehicle, as defined in G.S. 20-286(10)b., for 12 months or more. However, a motor vehicle that has been leased or rented, or offered for lease or rent, is subject to an emissions inspection when it either:
a. Has been leased or rented, or offered for lease or rent, for 12 months or more.
b. Is sold to a consumer-purchaser.
(8) It is not a privately owned, nonfleet motor home or house car, as defined in G.S. 20-4.01(27)k., that is built on a single chassis, has a gross vehicle weight of more than 10,000 pounds, and is designed primarily for recreational use.
(9) It is not a plug-in electric vehicle as defined in G.S. 20-4.01(28b).
(10) It is not a fuel cell electric vehicle as defined in G.S. 20-4.01(12a).
(c) Definitions. - The following definitions apply in this Part:
(1) Electronic inspection authorization. - An inspection authorization that is generated electronically through the electronic accounting system that creates a unique nonduplicating authorization number assigned to the vehicle's inspection receipt upon successful passage of an inspection. The term "electronic inspection authorization" shall include the term "inspection sticker" during the transition period to use of electronic inspection authorizations.
(2) Emissions county. - A county listed in G.S. 143-215.107A(c) and certified to the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles as a county in which the implementation of a motor vehicle emissions inspection program will improve ambient air quality.
(3) Federal installation. - An installation that is owned by, leased to, or otherwise regularly used as the place of business of a federal agency. (1965, c. 734, s. 1; 1967, c. 692, s. 1; 1969, c. 179, s. 2; cc. 219, 386; 1973, c. 679, s. 2; 1975, c. 683; c. 716, s. 5; 1979, c. 77; 1989, c. 467; 1991, c. 394, s. 1; c. 761, s. 7; 1993 (Reg. Sess., 1994), c. 754, s. 1; 1995, c. 163, s. 10; 1997-29, s. 12; 1999-328, s. 3.11; 2000-134, ss. 7, 7.1, 9, 11; 2001-504, ss. 4, 5, 6, 10; 2004-167, s. 10; 2004-199, s. 59; 2006-255, s. 1; 2007-503, s. 2; 2008-172, s. 1; 2009-570, s. 33; 2011-95, s. 3; 2011-206, s. 3; 2012-199, s. 1; 2012-200, s. 12(b); 2013-410, s. 5; 2015-264, s. 9; 2017-10, s. 3.5(b); 2017-102, s. 5.2(b); 2020-73, s. 5.)