West Virginia requires a routine safety inspection every twenty-four (24) months. Vehicles may be inspected at any official inspection station licensed by the West Virginia State Police. When a vehicle passes the inspection, a sticker valid for twenty-four (24) months will be placed on the inside of the windshield. It is illegal to drive a vehicle without a valid inspection sticker.
New residents have 10 days from the date they title a vehicle to have a West Virginia inspection. This also includes the purchase of vehicles out of state. West Virginia has reciprocity with Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, New York, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming. Therefore, out of state inspection sticker from these states is valid in West Virginia until expiration.
Any vehicle purchased or otherwise acquired within West Virginia not having a valid inspection sticker must be inspected within three days.
Have a valid registration card and a current certificate of insurance in the vehicle at the time of inspection.
Visit the WV State Police Motor Vehicle Safety Program for more information about vehicle inspections, or click here to access detailed information regarding inspection station procedures.
View all of the official motor vehicle inspection stations by clicking here.
New law takes effect for WV motor vehicle inspection
CHARLESTON, WV - A new law took effect in West Virginia on Monday, January 1, 2024, extending motor vehicle inspection requirements from one to two years.
Gov. Jim Justice signed HB 2310 into law in March 2023. The change allows drivers to get their vehicles inspected every two years. As part of the new law, the maximum inspection sticker fee has been increased to $19, which covers the two-year period.
According to state law, the Superintendent of the West Virginia State Police requires every motor vehicle, trailer, semi-trailer and pole trailer registered in West Virginia to be inspected once every two years and have a valid inspection sticker.
The inspections, which are done at official state inspection stations, ensure that a vehicle’s mechanism, brakes and equipment are working properly.
The West Virginia Division of Motor Vehicles says more than 1.775 million passenger vehicles, trucks, trailers and semis, motorcycles, buses and taxi cabs were registered in the state in fiscal year 2023.