Expired Inspection Sticker
Do not get caught with a expired inspection sticker
Make sure to get your car inspected on time. This is critical in Massachusetts as no only could you be severely fined $100 for a simple mistake. Did you know that you could be charge points for having an expired sticker?
Quotes About Expired Tickets
"If you're caught driving without an inspection sticker, or one that's expired, you will be cited by the police for driving an unsafe vehicle, which could also result in insurance surcharges and you could be forced to pay a fine." - Massachusetts DMV
"In Massachusetts, a ticket for an expired vehicle inspection sticker is the equivalent, in auto insurance citation points, of a moving violation. According to the MA Department of Insurance, surcharge points are incurred if you: cause an at-fault accident. are convicted of or pay a fine for a traffic law violation" - Massachusetts Auto Insurance
Massachusetts Rules on Inspection Stickers
This is the official rule if you get caught with an expired inspection sticker:
Any person who operates and any person who owns or permits to be operated a motor vehicle or trailer that fails to meet the safety standards established by the registrar pursuant to section 7A shall be punished by a fine of $25. Any person who owns and fails to have inspected a motor vehicle owned by him, as required pursuant to section 7A or 7V of this chapter or sections 142J and 142M of chapter 111 or any person who operates or permits a motor vehicle owned by him to be operated without a certificate of inspection or a certificate of rejection displayed in accordance with the provisions of said section 7A or 7V or said sections 142J or 142M and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder shall be punished by a fine of $50. Any motor vehicle which is required to be inspected pursuant to the provisions of said section 7A and said section 142J or 142M and fails to meet the requirements of such inspection and has not been issued a certificate of waiver under the provisions of clause (b) of the first paragraph of said section 7V or said section 142M shall be subject to suspension or revocation of the certificate of registration as may be prescribed by the registrar under section 22.
New Bill Being Proposed
There is currently a bill, proposed by Bradley H. Jones, Jr., to remove an expired inspection sticker as a surchargeable incident.
Bill H.541
SECTION 1. Section 113B of chapter 175 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2014 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting, in line 227, after the word "incident" the following sentence:-
Driving a motor vehicle which has an expired inspection sticker shall not be considered a surchargeable incident.
Back in 1997, the Massachusetts DMV used to mail out reminder cards to let people know about the inspection sticker was about to expire. This ended during the budget cuts of the 2000s.
Don't take chances, check your car inspection sticker, don't let it lapse.