§ 14-16a — Inspection of older vehicles before or upon transfer of ownership. Historical or special interest fire apparatus. Antique, rare or special interest motor vehicles. Modified antique or composite motor vehicles.

Connecticut § 14-16a

• Jurisdiction: Connecticut
• Title 14: Motor Vehicles. Use of the Highway By Vehicles. Gasoline
• Ch. 246: Motor Vehicles

Text

(a) The commissioner may require that each motor vehicle registered in this state which is ten model years old or older shall, within thirty days before transfer of ownership or upon such transfer, be presented for inspection, as directed by the commissioner, at any Department of Motor Vehicles office or any official emissions inspection station or other facility authorized by the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles to conduct such inspection. The vehicle shall be inspected to determine whether it is properly equipped and in good mechanical condition before registration is issued to the new owner of the vehicle. If the commissioner authorizes the contractor that operates the system of official emissions inspection stations or other business or firm, to conduct the safety inspections required by this subsection, the commissioner may authorize the contractor or other business or firm to charge a fee, not to exceed fifteen dollars, for each such inspection. The commissioner may authorize any motor vehicle dealer or repairer, licensed in accordance with section 14-52 and meeting qualifications established by the commissioner, to perform an inspection required by this section or to make repairs to any motor vehicle that has failed an initial safety inspection and to certify to the commissioner that the motor vehicle is in compliance with the safety and equipment standards for registration. No such authorized dealer or repairer shall charge any additional fee to make such certification to the commissioner. If the commissioner authorizes any such dealer or repairer to conduct safety inspections, such licensee may provide written certification to the commissioner, in such form and manner as the commissioner prescribes, as to compliance of any motor vehicle in its inventory with safety and equipment standards, and such certification may be accepted by the commissioner as meeting the inspection requirements of this subsection. (b) The following vehicles, upon transfer of ownership, shall be presented for inspection, as directed by the commissioner, at any Department of Motor Vehicles office or any official emissions inspection station authorized by the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles to conduct such inspection: (1) All motor vehicles ten model years old or older which are registered in this state and which were originally used or designed as fire apparatus and which are of historical or special interest as determined by the commissioner, (2) all antique, rare or special interest motor vehicles, and (3) all modified antique motor vehicles. Any such vehicle shall be inspected to determine whether it is in good mechanical condition before registration can be issued to the new owner of such vehicle. The determination of the mechanical condition of a vehicle described in subdivisions (1) and (2) of this subsection shall be made by inspecting only the vehicle's original equipment and parts or the functional reproductions of the original equipment and parts. The mechanical condition of modified antique motor vehicles shall be determined by inspecting the original equipment and any functioning replacements of such equipment. The model year designation for the purpose of registration of a modified antique motor vehicle or a composite motor vehicle shall be the model year that the body of such vehicle most closely resembles. If the commissioner authorizes the contractor that operates the system of official emissions inspection stations or other business or firm, except a licensee of the department, to conduct the safety inspections required by this subsection, the commissioner may authorize the contractor or other business or firm to charge a fee, not to exceed fifteen dollars, for each such inspection. The commissioner may authorize any motor vehicle dealer or repairer, licensed in accordance with section 14-52 and meeting qualifications established by the commissioner, to make repairs to any motor vehicle that has failed an initial safety inspection and to certify to the commissioner that the motor vehicle is in compliance with the safety and equipment standards for registration. No such authorized dealer or repairer shall charge any additional fee to make such certification to the commissioner.

Legislative History

(1963, P.A. 506; P.A. 77-150; P.A. 79-25, S. 2; P.A. 84-254, S. 24, 62; 84-429, S. 7; 84-462; P.A. 91-355, S. 1; P.A. 94-189, S. 3; P.A. 95-260, S. 17, 24; P.A. 97-236, S. 3, 27; P.A. 99-287, S. 2, 9; P.A. 00-169, S. 24; P.A. 01-24, S. 3, 5; P.A. 03-278, S. 36; P.A. 08-150, S. 5; P.A. 09-187, S. 30.) History: P.A. 77-150 added Subsec. (b) re motor vehicles more than 10 years old used or designed as fire apparatus; P.A. 79-25 included all antique, rare or special interest vehicles and all modified antique motor vehicles in Subsec. (b); P.A. 84-254 increased the fees in Subsecs. (a) and (b), scheduling the increases to take effect on July 1 of 1984, 1985, 1989, 1991 and 1993 respectively; P.A. 84-429 rephrased provisions and made other technical changes; P.A. 84-462 amended Subsecs. (a) and (b), increasing the inspection fees from $2 to $7, the same increase as incorporated in P.A. 84-254; P.A. 91-355 amended Subsecs. (a) and (b) to provide for conduct of inspections at authorized official emissions inspection stations, to require inspection fees collected at such inspection stations to be deposited in separate safety inspection account within emissions inspection fund and to delete obsolete provisions re fees; P.A. 94-189 amended section by deleting obsolete language re inspection fee increases; P.A. 95-260 amended Subsec. (a) to provide for conduct of inspections at other facilities authorized by commissioner, effective June 13, 1995; (Revisor's note: In 1997 references throughout the general statutes to “Motor Vehicle(s) Commissioner” and “Motor Vehicle(s) Department” were replaced editorially by the Revisors with “Commissioner of Motor Vehicles” or “Department of Motor Vehicles”, as the case may be, for consistency with customary statutory usage); P.A. 97-236 amended Subsec. (a) to allow motor vehicles 10 model years old or older to be inspected within 30 days before transfer of ownership and amended Subsec. (b) to substitute “model years” for “years”, effective July 1, 1997; P.A. 99-287 amended Subsecs. (a) and (b) by providing for inspection “as directed by the commissioner”, by deleting provisions requiring a $25 fee to be charged for a safety inspection and deposited into a safety inspection account within the Emissions Inspection Fund and by adding provisions re authorization of entities to conduct safety inspections, inspection fees and repair of vehicles failing such inspections, and amended Subsec. (b) by deleting regulation-making authority, effective July 1, 1999; P.A. 00-169 amended Subsec. (b) by making a technical correction; P.A. 01-24 amended Subsec. (a) by changing authority provision from “Except as provided in subsection (b) of this section” to “The commissioner may require that”, allowing certain motor vehicle dealers or repairers to perform inspections required by section and adding provision re the requirement of such dealers or repairers to provide written certification as to compliance of any motor vehicle in their inventory with safety and equipment standards, effective May 15, 2001; P.A. 03-278 made a technical change in Subsecs. (a) and (b), effective July 9, 2003; P.A. 08-150 amended Subsec. (b) to add provision re model year designation of a modified antique motor vehicle is model year that the body of vehicle most closely resembles; P.A. 09-187 amended Subsec. (b) to provide for model year designation of composite motor vehicle.