Emissions Sticker Question (Pittsburgh: inspection, living in, law)

[airwair]

I know you get a ticket if you get pulled over for an expired emissions sticker, but are there any penalties upon getting to the inspection station, such as a late fee or something?

The reason I'm asking is because my husband and I were living in Pittsburgh but needed to come to Tennessee for an indefinite time period to deal with some personal problems involving my family. Since we didn't know how long (or short!) we'd be here, we never changed our registration. The time has now come for us to move back to PA, but my inspection stickers expired in December.

I already have an appointment with our old mechanic to get the car inspected the first day we're back (first week in March), but I was just curious about the repercussions I might fight alongside a citation, if any. (Completely my fault if there are any-- not trying to get out of anything.)

Thank you for your help!

[PA-native71]

Originally Posted by airwair

I know you get a ticket if you get pulled over for an expired emissions sticker, but are there any penalties upon getting to the inspection station, such as a late fee or something?

The reason I'm asking is because my husband and I were living in Pittsburgh but needed to come to Tennessee for an indefinite time period to deal with some personal problems involving my family. Since we didn't know how long (or short!) we'd be here, we never changed our registration. The time has now come for us to move back to PA, but my inspection stickers expired in December.

I already have an appointment with our old mechanic to get the car inspected the first day we're back (first week in March), but I was just curious about the repercussions I might fight alongside a citation, if any. (Completely my fault if there are any-- not trying to get out of anything.)

Thank you for your help!

As long as you have an appointment and if you do get stopped you can tell them when and where the inspection is they will just give you a warning as long as they can verify it, they do understand if you are out of town due to a family situation and some people do forget with everything that goes on in their life, so as long as they have an appointment they will usually let it slide,but if after that date you still don't have it done than you will get a fine, and the inspection station will not charge anything outside of the normal fees associated with the inspection, but the police will fine you so make that appointment as soon as possible.
Good luck and welcome back

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by airwair

I know you get a ticket if you get pulled over for an expired emissions sticker, but are there any penalties upon getting to the inspection station, such as a late fee or something?

No penalties whatsoever are given from the inspection station. I know first hand. I've had taken more than my share of cars with expired inspection stickers to the inspection station. We often have a third car in the garage that we don't use. When one of our cars break down, we'll pull out the spare one in the garage to be inspected.

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by PA-native71

As long as you have an appointment and if you do get stopped you can tell them when and where the inspection is they will just give you a warning as long as they can verify it, they do understand if you are out of town due to a family situation and some people do forget with everything that goes on in their life, so as long as they have an appointment they will usually let it slide....

This is not necessarily true. It all depends on the police officer. Try telling a "family situation in another state" story to a cop in a bad mood.

They are more likely to just give warnings if the sticker recently expired. Not as likely for a sticker that's a few months expired.

Originally Posted by PA-native71

....so make that appointment as soon as possible.

The OP clearly stated that she already has an appointment scheduled.

[airwair]

Awesome! Thanks so much!

Now the tricky part is just being super stealthy and getting past all the cops from the state line to the mechanic.

[onwardandupward]

If you do get a ticket for an expired sticker, you should request for and show up at the hearing at traffic court, as the judge is likely to reduce or eliminate the fine if you can show that you've had the inspection done.

[PA-native71]

Originally Posted by airwair

Awesome! Thanks so much!

Now the tricky part is just being super stealthy and getting past all the cops from the state line to the mechanic.

once you tell the police officer that you have the appointment they don't care as long as they can verify it with the shop.

[PA-native71]

Originally Posted by Hopes

This is not necessarily true. It all depends on the police officer. Try telling a "family situation in another state" story to a cop in a bad mood.

They are more likely to just give warnings if the sticker recently expired. Not as likely for a sticker that's a few months expired.


The OP clearly stated that she already has an appointment scheduled.

If they have a legitimate reason to be out of state than yes he has to give them time to get the inspection I have known a couple people who had to leave the state for a few months to a year to take care of a relative and because of the distance there was no way for them to get back to get an inspection, as long as there is a legitimate reason the cops let it go, just as long as it is getting taken care of right away and usually you have two weeks coming back to the state to get it done or get the appointment made, because if that cop does fine you he will get chewed out by the local magistrate and no matter the mood they are in they can only go by what the law says and this what the law is first time is a warning and it goes out on the wire and if the date passes and it is still not done than a fine for the second time.
Before you give advice actually have real experience with it or find someone that has, I had a car one time that the inspection was out for two years when I bought it but it was a week before I could get it in to be inspected got stopped once, asked for the place it was being inspected and when and at the time he asked me to bring it by the station to have him or another trooper to look at the sticker than that was it, he put out the wire when I was to get the inspection so I wouldn't be stopped all the time until this date had passed the day I got it done I ran into him and he looked and he went to his car and ripped up the report, I was free and clear. As long as they are honest they will have no problem and police is limited to what they can do til you either get it done or not get it done.
And if she wants to know for sure they can call a state police barracks and ask for sure and stop by on their own and let them know what the situation was, they are very helpful and understanding and they appreciate the honesty.

[Pghuser]

And if you are driving around with an expired sticker you are better off scraping off the old sticker so you don't get noticed by a cop in the opposite lane of traffic.

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by Pghuser

And if you are driving around with an expired sticker you are better off scraping off the old sticker so you don't get noticed by a cop in the opposite lane of traffic.

That's not wise. If you get pulled over with an expired sticker, they'll likely give a warning. If you get pulled over and they discover you scraped it off, you'll get a ticket for sure.