Elimination of mandatory car inspections in New Hampshire on hold after court ruling
Starting this weekend, mandatory annual car inspections were supposed to become a thing of the past in New Hampshire. But a federal court's ruling has put that on hold.
Last year, New Hampshire Gov. Kelly Ayotte signed a bill to eliminate mandatory yearly inspections. The law was slated to go into effect on Jan. 31, 2026.
The vendor that runs New Hampshire's car inspection program, Gordon-Darby, had sued the state, arguing that the new law violates the Clean Air Act. New Hampshire is seeking approval from federal regulators to get rid of car inspections, but hasn't been cleared to do so yet.
"Unless the federal Environmental Protection Agency approves the State's decision to abolish the inspection program before January 31, the State will be in violation of the Clean Air Act as of that date," U.S. District Judge Landya McCafferty wrote.
The ruling noted that there's already been a "substantial decrease" in monthly car inspections since the bill was passed last year. In November, there was a 33% drop in inspections from the previous year.
"We are reviewing the court's decision and considering appropriate next steps," a spokesperson for the New Hampshire Department of Justice said in a statement. "We note that the order addresses a preliminary matter and does not resolve the merits of the case. The State will be issuing further guidance for the public in the coming days."
Only 14 states require a yearly car safety inspection. New Hampshire, Massachusetts and New York are the only states that require both a safety and emissions test annually.
Opponents of the New Hampshire law said car inspections save lives. But Deputy House Speaker Steven Smith, who was a leading advocate for the bill, called them a cash grab that have not proven to make the roads any safer.
"We have all these other states where everybody didn't die when they got rid of their inspection provisions," Smith previously told WBZ-TV.