Do I have to get a vehicle inspection after obtaining specialty/vanity plates? (Boston: vehicle registration, insurance)

[lrfox]

I just got a new set of specialty plates and an updated registration reflecting the new plate numbers. My car was inspected in September so I have a "9/2021" sticker on the windshield. However, my registration says "no inspection on record." Do I have to get inspected again, or am I good through September?

New/used car purchases require an inspection within 7 days. But this isn't a new purchase. I'm assuming I can just get a new sticker in September as I can't find anything (even deep in the Regs) stating otherwise. I've inquired with the RMV, but I figured I'd get responses here a bit faster. Anyone have experience with this? Thanks.

[BostonMike7]

I went through this a few years back and asked around and never got a clear answer. The person at the RMV who gave me the plates said yes. My insurance agent said no. The actual RMV website says "Newly purchased vehicles must be inspected within 7 days of registration" and I was never able to find anything official that said it was needed.


In the end, I didn't. I kept my paperwork with me in case I ever needed to talk my way out of it but it never came up.

[fabfan84]

Yes, anyone who gets a vanity plate should get a head inspection.

[lrfox]

Originally Posted by BostonMike7

I went through this a few years back and asked around and never got a clear answer. The person at the RMV who gave me the plates said yes. My insurance agent said no. The actual RMV website says "Newly purchased vehicles must be inspected within 7 days of registration" and I was never able to find anything official that said it was needed.


In the end, I didn't. I kept my paperwork with me in case I ever needed to talk my way out of it but it never came up.

Thanks, this is what I plan on doing unless I see/hear otherwise. I'll keep the old registration and inspection paperwork on hand.

Originally Posted by fabfan84

Yes, anyone who gets a vanity plate should get a head inspection.

It's not a vanity plate, it's a charity specialty plate (the money goes to charity and it has a corresponding graphic in addition to the standard plate numbers). Thanks for the very helpful feedback though.

[BostonMike7]

After thinking about it, I remember that the RMV person said the reason I needed a new sticker was because they have your license plate printed on them. Since I had a new plate, I needed a new sticker with the new plate number on it.

I couldn’t find any official regulation on that however, so I rolled the dice.

Originally Posted by fabfan84

Yes, anyone who gets a vanity plate should get a head inspection.

I’ve got two. Bugger off with your unsolicited opinion. Have a nice day

[lrfox]

Originally Posted by BostonMike7

After thinking about it, I remember that the RMV person said the reason I needed a new sticker was because they have your license plate printed on them. Since I had a new plate, I needed a new sticker with the new plate number on it.

I couldn’t find any official regulation on that however, so I rolled the dice.

That's a good point. Eh, we'll see. I may just have to WFH some day over the next few weeks and get one. I can't imagine I'll run into any big issues (though I can see a ticket slapped on the windshield if I'm parked on the street and the BTD person has a keen eye), but I'd probably rather not chance it just to prolong paying the $35.

[BostonMike7]

If you are street parking at a meter, it might be worth the $35 just to avoid the hassle of a parking enforcement officer writing you a ticket and having to argue your side in front of a magistrate.

[BosYuppie]

Originally Posted by BostonMike7

If you are street parking at a meter, it might be worth the $35 just to avoid the hassle of a parking enforcement officer writing you a ticket and having to argue your side in front of a magistrate.

How is a meterperson or LEO to know that the sticker with a valid date doesn't "match" the license plate?

I would be shocked if the information systems they are using are actually intelligent enough to say that someone's sticker doesn't match the license plate.

Based on personal experience and anectdotes, where people have gone literally years with an expired sticker, this seems to be extremely low priority for enforcement.

[fabfan84]

Originally Posted by BosYuppie

How is a meterperson or LEO to know that the sticker with a valid date doesn't "match" the license plate?

I would be shocked if the information systems they are using are actually intelligent enough to say that someone's sticker is invalid.

Based on personal experience and anectdotes, where people have gone literally years with an expired sticker, this seems to be extremely low priority for enforcement.

I think it depends where you live. If you live in the city of Boston and don't have off-street parking, they will nail you. Every time on the 1st or 2nd of the month. if you have off-street parking, I can see how it might be difficult for them to catch it quickly.

[BostonMike7]

Originally Posted by BosYuppie

How is a meterperson or LEO to know that the sticker with a valid date doesn't "match" the license plate?

I would be shocked if the information systems they are using are actually intelligent enough to say that someone's sticker doesn't match the license plate.

We don't know. No real clear answer to the OP's original question, and who knows how the automated systems are setup. They could be looking at vehicle registrations and simply see the car has a new registration, without a new inspection, and flag it. Who knows if the system can identify if the car was previously registered to the same person and had a valid inspection that hasn't expired.

I'd say your risk all depends on your driving habits. Some towns and cities have automatic license plate scanners than parking enforcement officers use. Who knows if a good, but mismatched sticker would flag in their system. In general though, I do know of people who've received tickets from parking enforcement for expired inspection stickers, so it does happen. But, if you live in the suburbs, have off-street parking, and don't really travel anywhere where parking enforcement is that strict, then you can probably go years with an expired sticker and never get caught provided you don't get pulled over for any other reason.

I agree that law enforcement priority for stickers is generally low, but there are outliers where towns do set up a cruiser to simply nail people for expired stickers. Billerica loves to do this in Billerica Square next to the library with frequency. I've been passenger in a few coworkers cars who were pulled over with recently expired inspection stickers.

Also, recently the RMV sent out letters (and emails) to those who had expired stickers urging them to have their vehicles inspected. I was one of these, and had to fill out the below form to get an exception (for restoration). I would imagine if the state is sending out letters for people to inspect their vehicles, then I wouldn't be surprised if they could escalate penalties beyond a letter in the future. Of course, that's getting beyond the scope of this thread and it's specific circumstance.

https://www.mass.gov/doc/off-the-roa...-form/download