NC Inspection sticker, $250, "if expires"

SHINTON

SHINTON

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 17, 2005
Location
Triad area of NC
We got one of these blanket emails here at work which I figure is a hoax/viral marketing campaign by this MCCS Auto Care Center.

It says you will AUTOMATICALLY get a$250 fine if your inspection sticker expires, that there is no more "3 month grace period"

Is this really true...says it kicked in on 1/1/2007, but I cannot find anything on google, ncdot.org or google "news" about this and I figure it would have been HUGE news about it.

Love to know for sure so our secretary can quit calling everyone she knows today to tell them...

Sam
 
I have herd the same thing.. but no confirmation from a reliable source
 
I haven't heard that they have done away with the grace period on that either. Of course, we are some of the last to know on that stuff.

Just to clarify...this is the civil penalty from the state. As far as being a "criminal" violation under state law, there is no "grace" period on inspections. The sticker is valid until midnight on the last day of the displayed month. The fine is $25.00 and court costs are $110.00 for a total of $135.00. The kicker is, if it is expired enough to warrant the civil fine, then you will find yourself paying both.
 
It's true. I got one for a 97 truck that hasn't been driven in quite a while. $250 f'ng dollars for expired inspection. This was in november though.

Says:
Emissions inspection civil penalty: $250.00
Late payment penalty: 0.
interest: 0
Total amt due: 250.00

"to avoid a late payment penalty of $25.00 plus accruing interest, you may resolve this situation by completing the following steps..."

:rolleyes: What a joke. Thank God almost all of my vehicles are too old for any inspections...
 
so that is the reason that on Jan 3rd the raleigh PD had a inspection stop on Old wake forest rd..

hahahah glad mine was up to date... I have played this game before and it sucks
 
braxton357 said:
It's true. I got one for a 97 truck that hasn't been driven in quite a while. $250 f'ng dollars for expired inspection. This was in november though.
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How far overdue was it?

I've got two vehicles that expire in November. One just got inspected a week or so ago, the other one is still expired. No fines on either one.
 
braxton357 said:
This wasn't a ticket either. It was a letter I recieved in the mail...
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When the sticker expire? I have gotten one of those letters before also but it was bcause my inspetion was dead on a car I had and did not ever drive. So it was about 4 months past due.
 
Pretty far expired. I don't remember the exact month it expired but I was at Parris island then camp geiger for more than 7 months...so it hadn't been driven. But IIRC it was around 4 months expired when I got the letter. I didn't know about this crap either otherwise it would have been taken care of.
 
Yep, I got one also, mine was expired by several months. I had to pay the fine, and turn in the plate.
 
fine

You are supposed to get a letter warning you to get it inspected before the $250 fine is enforced.
 
I got a letter last year...'bout a month or so after Inspection was due...but I had it inspected...just a computer glitch. Said something like 30 days to get inspected or the 250 fine.
 
thats wierd, the jeeps inspection expired last july and I haven't renewed it yet. I rarely drive it on the street so I just haven't had time. No letter or anything of the sorts. Maybe I should go get that done.
 
I got a letter last august syaing my truck was overdue also. It was a $250.00 fine as well. My sticker expired in Nov the year prior so it was justified. I did luck out though and since my truck is emissions exempt the fine was invalid. The thing everyone is talking about now is a new law that went into effect Jan 01 2007. "Starting Jan 1 2007 DMV has implemented a new law that states if your inspection sticker expires you will be fined $250.00 This fine will not come from the inspection station but from DMV located in Raleigh N.C. Upon inspecting your vehicle all data is tranferred to DMV in raleigh through computer datbase. They will detect that your sticker had expired and will send that fine in the mail. If you do not pay the fine it will keep increasing due to fines and penalties. If still not paid when it is time to re-new your tags they will not renew your tags. As for military personnel deployed overseas upon returning if your sticker has expired you will be required to submit a set of orders showing your deployment dates to DMV along with your fine and they will take care of it on a case by case basis. For more information contact Raleigh Division of Motor Vehicles at (919)-715-7000." This was the email I recieved about at work today. If I could post an attatchment I would put it up here. If anyone wants it sent to them just let me or if someone will post it here I will e-mail it to them. Thanks
 
i think this is mostly enforced on 96 and newer vehicles that have to have obd II testing. my RamCharger has gone a few months without any letter from dmv.

Duane
 
Need to check with NCDMV. Their web site should have any recent changes highlighted. NC DOT is clueless. Expired inspections have been a crap shoot in the past. Been my experience the inspection stations don't give a crap about a expired sticker, just want the money. The cops do.

:beer: :beer:
 
I think this is it.

http://www.ncdot.org/dmv/vehicle_services/emissioninspection/denialPenalties.html

"Registration Denial / Penalties

Under General Statute 20-183.8A, if a vehicle-owner fails to pass a Safety & Emissions Inspection within four (4) months of the expiration of the existing inspection sticker, the vehicle owner will receive the civil penalty and be unable to renew the registration until the vehicles passes an emissions inspection.

You will only receive one (1) official warning letter through the mail within a four (4) month period before the Penalty & Registration Block is actually issued. However, if you are stopped by a law enforcement officer, you are subject to be cited with a traffic ticket any time you are driving the vehicle if the sticker has expired. You will be liable for a $100.00 fee/penalty if you own a 1977-1980 vehicle and a $250.00 fee/penalty if your vehicle is a 1981 or newer model."
 
My jeep expired in april, I got it inspected in august, and I never got a letter.
 
i have known of people that never got it inspected and got away with it, i think mine was around 4-5 months over once maybe and i never got the letter, but a good friend of mine just got hit with the $250 fine

it kinda makes me wonder what system they have for catching these things, because it must not work very well
 
awspence said:
i have known of people that never got it inspected and got away with it, i think mine was around 4-5 months over once maybe and i never got the letter, but a good friend of mine just got hit with the $250 fine
it kinda makes me wonder what system they have for catching these things, because it must not work very well
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I don't believe this law came into effect until the new statewide emissions checks became law this past year. Although some counties have had emissions checks for a while...
 
So what happens if your sticker expires and your vehicle is out of commission? Say you wheel something OBDII and it's on jackstands and unable to go get inspected? Or the same scenario except you have a vanity plate and you want to keep it and not turn it in
 
Josh C said:
So what happens if your sticker expires and your vehicle is out of commission? Say you wheel something OBDII and it's on jackstands and unable to go get inspected? Or the same scenario except you have a vanity plate and you want to keep it and not turn it in
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That was my problem, my wife, the lawyer, checked into it. Basically you have to go before a DMV officer and try to explain it and get exempt. I've not talked to anyone successful yet. I had to pay the fine, and turn in my plate to avoid another fine.

Silly, I could understand a fine if your driving it with an expired sticker, but if it's parked, not being driven, and your still paying tags on it, there shouldn't be an issue. Now they lost the income for my personal tags too.
 
Rob said:
That was my problem, my wife, the lawyer, checked into it. Basically you have to go before a DMV officer and try to explain it and get exempt. I've not talked to anyone successful yet. I had to pay the fine, and turn in my plate to avoid another fine.
Silly, I could understand a fine if your driving it with an expired sticker, but if it's parked, not being driven, and your still paying tags on it, there shouldn't be an issue. Now they lost the income for my personal tags too.
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Yup when my XJ was on blocks for 10 months. I got the fine and had to pay..

I tried to do the DMV court thing and it was a pain.. you have to go to DMV and state your case then they give you a court date, where you are supposed to come back and show proff it has not been driven..

I told them I have pics of it on blocks and they said every pic better have date stamps on them for each month it was off the road.. and I needed reciepts form manufactures showing I was buying parts to build it ( since that is what I told them I was doing ) when I said I was building it all myself they said then you betetr have proof of that.. they even said I should get sworn staetments from freinds that helped me do this.. and then they said this 1st court date is not the be all say all I may need to come back again after for the decision..

SO I said screw, it here is the money, kept my plate and drove the jeep the next day.. ( if you try to go threw the trouble you can not drive the vehicle until the decision is made)

they make it diffucult for a reason..
 
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