S 211 Vermont Senate · 2025-2026 Regular Session

An act relating to motor vehicle inspections

This Vermont bill (S.211) changes vehicle inspection requirements from annual to biennial (every two years) for most registered vehicles. It directly affects Vermont vehicle owners by altering inspection frequency, with exceptions for school buses (inspected as prescribed) and motor buses (inspected twice yearly). Key provisions include increasing the inspection fee from $8 to $16 (with half the revenue funding bridge maintenance) and setting an effective date of July 1, 2026. The bill modifies existing law to require safety and emissions inspections every two years instead of annually for standard vehicles.

Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2026

Committee Review

Mar 2026

Senate Passage

Mar 2026

House Passage

Governor

Introduced Jan 7, 2026 Last action Mar 19, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

As Passed By the Senate (UnofficialOpens in a new window) → As Passed By the Senate (OfficialOpens in a new window) · 4 edits · Mar 17, 2026

MODERATE

The official Senate-passed version of S.211 adds substantive statutory amendments that were absent from the unofficial version. The bill now directly amends Vermont law to require biennial (every two years) safety and visual emissions inspections, doubles the inspection fee from $8 to $16, and includes a transition mechanism - rather than merely requiring agencies to develop a plan and report as in the unofficial version.

Scope change

The bill shifts from a study-and-report approach (unofficial) to one that immediately amends the statute to require biennial inspections effective July 1, 2026, while also mandating a comprehensive implementation plan for the full transition by January 2028. The fee is doubled to compensate for the reduced inspection frequency.

REQUIREMENT

New Section 1 amends 23 V.S.A. section 1222 to change the inspection frequency for all registered motor vehicles from once each year to once every two years for safety and visual emissions inspections, and adds a biennial OBD (on-board diagnostic) emissions inspection requirement for vehicles 16 model years old or less.

FISCAL

New Section 2 amends 23 V.S.A. section 1230 to double the per-inspection fee from $8.00 to $16.00, likely to offset reduced revenue from fewer inspections per year.

TIMELINE

New Section 3 (Transition) provides that the month of next inspection is shown on the current certificate, and certificates issued after July 1, 2026 will show a date two years after the inspection month, establishing how vehicles roll into the new biennial schedule.

SCOPE

The unofficial version only required the Secretaries of Transportation and Natural Resources to develop a plan and submit a report by October 15, 2026. The official version both directly changes the law to biennial inspections effective July 1, 2026 AND retains the plan-and-report requirement for the full transition to be complete by January 2028.

As IntroducedOpens in a new window → As Passed By the Senate (UnofficialOpens in a new window) · 10 edits · Mar 17, 2026

MAJOR

The Senate completely restructured the bill from a direct mandate for biennial vehicle inspections into a planning and study process. Instead of immediately changing inspection frequency and raising fees, the bill now requires the Secretaries of Transportation and Natural Resources to develop a transition plan for biennial inspections of pleasure cars beginning in January 2028, with a report due to legislative committees by October 15, 2026. The $8-to-$16 fee increase was removed entirely.

SCOPE

The bill no longer directly amends statutes to change inspection frequency. It now requires the Secretaries of Transportation and Natural Resources to develop a plan for transitioning to biennial inspections, with actual implementation deferred to January 2028.

Scope narrowed from all motor vehicles to specifically 'pleasure cars' for the biennial inspection requirement.

FISCAL

The fee increase from $8.00 to $16.00 per inspection certificate (amending 23 V.S.A. section 1230) was removed entirely.

The plan must propose a fee structure for inspections, address potential different fees for different vehicle types, and identify anticipated impacts to state revenues with mitigation options.

REQUIREMENT

The plan must address Clean Air Act compliance, including any necessary changes to the emissions inspection program and the State Implementation Plan.

The plan must include a proposal for amendments to the mileage-based user fee related to annual reporting of miles traveled by battery electric vehicles during years when they are not required to be inspected.

The Secretaries must solicit feedback from stakeholders including inspection station owners, mechanics, vehicle owners, and dealers during plan development.

The plan must outline an outreach and education program to inform inspection mechanics, stations, vehicle owners, and other parties of the new biennial requirements.

TIMELINE

A written report on the plan and recommendations for legislative action is due to House and Senate committees by October 15, 2026.

TECHNICAL

The transition provision (former Sec. 3) specifying how inspection months would work on certificates issued after July 1, 2026 was removed.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Mar 19, 2026

Committee

Referred to the Committee on Transportation

lower

Mar 13, 2026

Upper · Passed

Recommendation of amendment by Committee on Transportation agreed to

upper

Mar 13, 2026

Upper · Passed

Reported favorably by Senator Mattos for Committee on Finance

upper

Mar 13, 2026

Upper · Passed

Read 2nd time, reported favorably with recommendation of amendment by Senator White for Committee on Transportation

upper

Mar 13, 2026

Upper · Passed

Favorable report by Committee on Finance

upper

Mar 13, 2026

Upper · Passed

Favorable report with recommendation of amendment by Committee on Transportation

upper

Mar 12, 2026

Upper · Passed

Favorable report by Committee on Finance

upper

Mar 12, 2026

Upper · Passed

Favorable report with recommendation of amendment by Committee on Transportation

upper

Feb 26, 2026

Committee

Referred to Committee on Finance per Senate Rule 31

upper

Feb 26, 2026

Upper · Passed

Favorable report with recommendation of amendment by Committee on Transportation

upper

Jan 7, 2026

Introduced

Read 1st time & referred to Committee on Transportation

upper

10 primary · 0 co-sponsors