An Act to amend and reenact § 46.2-1166 of the Code of Virginia, relating to motor vehicle safety inspections; safety inspectors.
Summary
HB1145 amends Virginia’s motor vehicle safety inspection law to update the minimum standards for official inspection stations and the qualifications of safety inspectors. The bill keeps the existing framework requiring inspection stations to have the equipment, mechanics, and approval needed to perform complete safety inspections, but revises the language describing who may perform inspections. It clarifies that the person making the inspection, or supervising it, must have at least one year of practical automotive mechanic experience or have satisfactorily completed an approved training program and be certified as a safety inspector by the Superintendent of State Police.
The bill also preserves the Superintendent’s authority to approve inspectors and to waive experience and training requirements for motorcycle and trailer inspections when appropriate. It continues the requirement that most inspection stations carry at least $500,000 in garage liability insurance, while exempting stations that inspect only company-owned, leased, or government-owned vehicles. In addition, it confirms that stations may choose whether to accept vehicles on a first-come, first-served basis or by prescheduled appointment for safety inspections.
Impact
HB1145 amends § 46.2-1166 of the Code of Virginia, affecting the licensing and operational standards for official motor vehicle inspection stations and the qualifications of safety inspectors. The practical effect is to update statutory language governing inspector certification and station requirements while leaving the core inspection system intact. It continues to regulate who may conduct inspections, what equipment stations must have, and what insurance coverage is required, with limited exemptions for certain fleet-only stations.
Sentiment
The bill appears to have been broadly supported and noncontroversial. It passed both chambers unanimously or near-unanimously, including unanimous committee reports and unanimous floor votes in the House and Senate. The absence of recorded opposition or committee discussion suggests general agreement on the need to clarify and maintain inspection-station standards rather than substantially change policy.
Contention
No significant points of contention are evident in the available record. The only potentially notable policy issues are the continued requirement for garage liability insurance and the certification/training standards for inspectors, but the votes indicate these provisions were accepted without dispute. The bill also preserves discretionary authority for the Superintendent of State Police to waive certain requirements for motorcycle and trailer inspections, but there is no indication that this discretion was controversial.