Notice of Action Letters For Failure To Obtain An Inspection Certificate (A2)

Vehicles identified as not having passed Emission and/or Safety Inspection as required by Rhode Island law may be subject to a registration suspension. The vehicle owner will receive a Notification of Action (NOA) letter well in advance of the effective date with the reason for action listed as A2 - FAILURE TO OBTAIN INSPECTION CERTIFICATE. View a sample NOA letter below.

Failure to have the vehicle pass will result in the suspension of the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) listed on the NOA letter. This suspension for A2 - FAILURE TO OBTAIN INSPECTION CERTIFICATE will NOT affect your driver's license or other vehicles you may have registered, it will impact only the VIN listed on the notice. Please be sure to match the VIN from the NOA to your vehicles in order to determine which vehicle is the subject of the notice.

Compliance Instructions

For Vehicles Approved ON OR AFTER the Order Date

Vehicle owners who receive this notice and did not have a valid inspection sticker on the order date need only have the vehicle PASS a Rhode Island Emission and/or Safety Inspection before the suspension effective date and time in order to avoid registration suspension. If you pass inspection on or after the date the notice is issued, please verify that the VIN on the sticker issued exactly matched the VIN on the NOA letter and then no further action is needed. The record will be electronically transmitted to DMV and update based on the VIN match within 24 hours.

For Vehicles Approved BEFORE the Order Date

If the inspection sticker was issued to the vehicle PRIOR to the order date listed on the NOA letter, that means that DMV does not have a record of your inspection. In this case, you must contact our Safety and Emission Control Office as soon as possible and speak with a representative and determine why the record was not received. The most common reasons are incorrect Vehicle Identification Numbers and GVWR discrepancies. A Safety and Emission Control representative can be reached at 462-5890 and will work with you to find resolve the issue.

Frequently Asked Questions:

You need to have your vehicle inspected and approved before the effective date listed on the NOA letter. After you have the vehicle inspected, please verify that the VIN on the sticker issued exactly matched the VIN on the NOA letter and then no further action is needed. The record will be electronically transmitted to DMV and update based on the VIN match.

No, you do not have to attend a hearing as a result of this notice, you need only have the vehicle pass inspection and be issued a Rhode Island inspection sticker to satisfy this order.

Vehicles with a GVWR rating of 8500lbs. or less can be inspected at any of the Safety and Emission Testing Stations located throughout the state.

This indicates that DMV does not have a record of your inspection. In this case, you must contact our Safety and Emission Control Office as soon as possible and speak with a representative and determine why the record was not received. The most common reasons are incorrect Vehicle Identification Numbers and GVWR discrepancies. A Safety and Emission Control representative can be reached at 462-5890 and will work with you to find the issue and a resolution.

No. The 30 days applies only to the right to a free re-inspection at the same station at no additional cost. Owners of vehicles that have passed the safety portion of the inspection may request an extension to allow for emissions repair and driving the vehicle to set the monitors. A Safety and Emission Control representative can be reached at 462-5890 to request this extension.

VIN stands for Vehicle Identification Number. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration requires all automobile manufacturers to issue a unique 17-digit VIN number to identify all vehicles produced. The VIN number is printed on the vehicle itself. The two most common places are on the driver's side dashboard (you can see it from the outside) and on the driver's side door jamb.

If the vehicle is no longer in your possession you need to cancel the registration or transfer it to another vehicle.

Owners of vehicles being stored off the public roads may apply for an exemption while the vehicle is stored and this exemption will prevent the registration from becoming suspended. This exemption expires immediately upon the vehicle being returned to the roadways. The required form and more info can be found HERE.

On occasion, vehicles are not in the State of Rhode Island during the month that its current inspection approval expires, and it is reasonable to understand that these vehicles should not be expected to be returned to Rhode Island solely for the purpose of inspection.

The State will accept a certificate of inspection and approval issued by another state to a vehicle that was not in the State of Rhode Island during the month that its inspection approval expired. The required form and more info can be found HERE.

There are a number of waivers that may apply to this situation, for more information please look HERE. If you believe you qualify for one of these waivers, you will need to obtain an inspection report verifying that you have PASSED the SAFETY portion of the inspection, and contact the Safety and Emission Control Office at 401-462-5890 to speak with a Customer Service Representative and schedule an appointment at the DMV Garage for review and sticker issuance.