West Virginia's 2-year inspection bill awaits Governor's signature

According to the provisions of HB 2310, vehicles registered in West Virginia would undergo motor vehicle inspections every two years beginning Jan 1, 2024.

The bill doubles the charge for an inspection sticker from $3 to $6 and increases the cap on what an official inspection station can charge for inspection from $14 to $19.

The bill’s original purpose was to modify the definition and permissible uses of antique motor vehicles and create an antique fleet plate program for owners of five or more antique vehicles.

Antique motor vehicles or motorcycles are defined as those 25 years old or older and owned solely as a collector’s item. Antique military vehicles are defined as those manufactured for use in any country’s military that maintains its history, design and markings.

HB 2310 would allow an antique vehicle owner to use a single license plate for multiple antique vehicles renewed annually.

But the bill was amended by the state Senate Transportation and Infrastructure Committee to include the contents of Senate Bill 254, which would change motor vehicle inspections to every two years.

SB 254 passed the Senate Jan. 27 on a 23-5 vote and was recommended for passage by the House Technology and Infrastructure Committee. But the bill was referred to the House Finance Committee where it was never taken up.

The original version of HB 2310 passed the House Jan. 24 on a 90-3 vote.

The bill was recommended for passage by the Senate Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and was on its way to the Senate floor. But after some delays, it was sent back to the Senate Transportation and Infrastructure Committee again and amended to include the two-year vehicle inspection window.

The House later concurred with the Senate changes to HB 2310 on a 94-0 vote, and the bill completed legislative action on March 3.

State Sen. Mike Stuart, lead sponsor of SB 254, said that because newer vehicles are more reliable, he believes changing inspections to every two years won’t put drivers at risk.

“I think it’s the best compromise we could get between the Senate and the House,” he said in an interview Thursday. “There were certainly members of the Senate and quite a few members of the House that would have preferred eliminating the requirement entirely. But I think a two-year time-frame is entirely reasonable, especially with the quality of vehicles they make today.”

HB 2310 reached the desk of Justice on Monday.

When the Legislature is not in session, the governor has 15 days to either sign a bill or veto a bill. The governor can also allow a bill to become law without his signature.

“I want a little bit more time to do a review,” Justice said Wednesday during a virtual briefing with reporters from the Capitol. “My time is surely looking at it.

“It’s surely time-consuming and a nuisance in a lot of ways to have your car run down there every year and go through all this stuff and all of that and everything. At the same time, there’s a real safety issue with it. We’ll make the best decision we can possibly make here.”

Stuart called two-year vehicle inspections “reasonable.”

“I think one of the questions is what will this do to vehicular safety in West Virginia,” he said. “I don’t think it compromises it one bit. Going from one year to two years is completely reasonable.”

West Virginia is one of 14 states, including neighboring Virginia and Pennsylvania, that required annual vehicle inspections as of 2020, according to Kelly Blue Book.

If the bill is signed into law, West Virginia would join five states that either do inspections every two years or have other special safety requirements.

Maryland requires inspection of used vehicles before being sold. Kentucky requires inspection for vehicles not purchased in Kentucky, while Ohio has no vehicle inspection requirement.

“There are states that don’t have an inspection situation at all,” Justice said. “To go to every two years doesn’t seem inadequate, but just gives us a little more time.”

Stuart said he’s “hopeful the governor does sign the bill. I think it’s a great bill for West Virginians from a convenience standpoint and a time standpoint.”