Several U.S. states conduct an annual vehicle inspection before issuing a registration to the owner of a car. The state inspection may check a motor vehicle for operational safety, emissions or both. Most motor vehicle departments place stickers on windshields with the due date for the next vehicle inspection. Should that sticker come off for any reason there are procedures in most issuing states to obtain a replacement without having the vehicle reinspected before the annual due date.
Reattach a state inspection sticker that has simply peeled off. The New York state DMV recommends using deer tape or deer adhesive to reapply the sticker to the windshield.
Collect the documents pertaining to the vehicle, including the current registration, the receipt for the inspection and your driver's license. Make a note of the vehicle identification number, model, make and year if these are not listed on the registration. Contact your local DMV office to verify the replacement process for lost, stolen or damaged inspection stickers. Many states that mandate vehicle inspections will replace stickers without making owners repeat the state inspection. Some states provide specific information on inspection sticker replacement procedures, including New York, Texas, Vermont and Virginia.
Send a request for a replacement New York vehicle inspection sticker to the DMV with the reason for your request. Include the receipt for the current inspection or your daytime telephone number, along with the vehicle license plate number, year and make, the date of the last inspection and the odometer mileage when the inspection occurred. Write the serial number of the original sticker on the request if you have that. Include a check or money order for $2 payable to the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles.
Bureau of Consumer and Facility Services
Division of Vehicle Safety Services, NYSDMV
P.O. Box 2700-ESP
Albany, NY 12220-0700
Replace a Vermont vehicle inspection sticker at an official inspection station if the windshield is in need of replacement. A state law forbids scraping a sticker from the old windshield and reapplying it on a new one. Vermont does not offer a means for replacing stickers without having the vehicle inspected again unless the windshield is damaged and must be replaced. A sticker that is stolen or lost can only be replaced by having the vehicle reinspected.
Replace a Texas state inspection sticker in counties that require emissions testing by contacting a Department of Public Safety challenge/waiver station by phone. Use the state-provided Web locator for the challenge/waiver station near you. There is no sticker replacement procedure in Texas counties that do not test vehicles for emissions due to the low cost of testing.
Replace a Virginia state registration sticker by contacting the Virginia State Police Safety Division near your city. Replacement stickers are available without repeating the state vehicle inspection. Refer to the state map on the Virginia State Police website to locate the office nearest you.
