If you’ve been driving around with an expired inspection sticker, state officials say you can hold off on fixing it until at least April 10.
In a joint notice issued late Friday afternoon, New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella and Safety Commissioner Robert Quinn said they’re extending the deadline due to an ongoing legal fight over the future of the state’s vehicle inspection program. And they said the state plans to appeal a recent court ruling preventing it from getting rid of mandatory inspections altogether.
“In the interim, due to the public’s reasonable expectation that the program was ending on January 31, 2026, the Department of Safety is extending the deadline to obtain a state inspection to April 10, 2026, for any vehicle with an inspection that expires prior to March 2026,” Formella and Quinn said.
The announcement came at the end of a whirlwind week for New Hampshire car owners.
A new law getting rid of mandatory annual inspections was to take effect Sunday. But a federal judge ordered the state to continue its inspection program, after an emissions testing company sued to stop the new law from taking effect. Gordon-Darby, which is based in Kentucky, alleged that New Hampshire violated the Clean Air Act by eliminating tailpipe emissions testing without federal approval.
The court ruling was met with swift condemnation from Republican leaders in the State House. They vowed to fast-track new legislation to prevent police from flagging down drivers with expired inspection stickers, among other remedies.
In their statement Friday afternoon, Formella and Quinn also said more changes could be in store.
“The State disagrees with the court’s preliminary injunction, plans to appeal the court’s decision, and will seek to pause the ruling while the appeal is underway,” they wrote. “In addition, future legislative action or court developments could change the status of the inspection program.”
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