# Enforcement of out-of-state annual auto inspections **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 18, 2003, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/enforcement-of-out-of-state-annual-auto-inspections/176048 "2003-05-18T13:40:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dre2xl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/34f0e0/32.png) [@dre2xl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dre2xl)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2003, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/enforcement-of-out-of-state-annual-auto-inspections/176048/1 "2003-05-18T13:40:51Z")
I live in New York, and I’m not planning to go anywhere else for quite a while. My “real” home is in North Carolina. Anyway, it’s time for me to get that little state auto inspection sticker… I was wondering… if I let that NC auto inspection sticker on my front windshield expire, will New York police enforce it & slap a ticket on my windshield? Seems like that since it’s a NC car bound by NC inspection standards, it’d be silly for the NY police to enforce a NC law. ---
**Author:** ![herman\_and\_bill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/f1d935/32.png) [@herman\_and\_bill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/herman_and_bill)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2003, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/enforcement-of-out-of-state-annual-auto-inspections/176048/2 "2003-05-18T13:45:13Z")
I don’t know,but, I would scrape the expired inspection sticker off so the NYPD won’t have any frame of reference to bother me ---
**Author:** ![ASD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c68b51/32.png) [@ASD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASD)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2003, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/enforcement-of-out-of-state-annual-auto-inspections/176048/3 "2003-05-18T14:08:33Z")
Is your registration current? Cause they’ll definitely nail you for the registration being expired. I’m not sure about the missing inspection if you were able to renew the registration without getting the car inspected. ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2003, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/enforcement-of-out-of-state-annual-auto-inspections/176048/4 "2003-05-18T14:21:08Z")
How long can you be a New York resident before you’re required to have changed the automobile’s registration to NY state? ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2003, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/enforcement-of-out-of-state-annual-auto-inspections/176048/5 "2003-05-18T14:31:07Z")
For many years I had my car registered in VA although I lived in DC. Most of the time my VA inspection sticker was expired and the DC cops didn’t seem to care. . . until one day they gave me a ticket. So, yes, they can give you a ticket. Whether they care or not is another thing. ---
**Author:** ![dre2xl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/34f0e0/32.png) [@dre2xl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dre2xl)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2003, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/enforcement-of-out-of-state-annual-auto-inspections/176048/6 "2003-05-18T14:36:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by sailor \* > \*\*For many years I had my car registered in VA although I lived in DC. Most of the time my VA inspection sticker was expired and the DC cops didn’t seem to care. . . until one day they gave me a ticket. So, yes, they can give you a ticket. Whether they care or not is another thing. \*\* Ah, that’d seem to settle the issue… which brings on another question… if I get a NY inspection sticker, and come back to NC, will NC nail me for having a NY inspection sticker? Sorry to hear about your ticket, sailor. I had the same thing done to me over a registration sticker, and in DC too. \95% of the police’s actual purpose is for revenue.\ ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2003, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/enforcement-of-out-of-state-annual-auto-inspections/176048/7 "2003-05-18T14:37:03Z")
If you live in NY, I suspect you are required to register your car in NY state. That is definately the case in the states I’ve lived in. If your legal residence is in NY, you can get busted for not having your car registered and/or inspected in NY. ---
**Author:** ![davejj](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b19c9b/32.png) [@davejj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davejj)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2003, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/enforcement-of-out-of-state-annual-auto-inspections/176048/8 "2003-05-18T16:06:43Z")
Check the website for NY’s RMV, I know that here in MA you can get a current MA Sticker for temporary use if you are from out of state and your sticker expires ---
**Author:** ![GilaB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8e7dd6/32.png) [@GilaB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GilaB)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2003, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/enforcement-of-out-of-state-annual-auto-inspections/176048/9 "2003-05-18T19:56:04Z")
IANAL, but I think the major exception to such things is students, ie students can functionally live in one state while officially living in another, for voting, taxes, cars, etc. That said, I remember seeing an article in the NY Times a while back about people keeping their cars registered in other states after moving to New York to save on insurance - it’s illegal to do that, and you can get in trouble. ---
**Author:** ![whiterabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/cab0a1/32.png) [@whiterabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whiterabbit)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2003, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/enforcement-of-out-of-state-annual-auto-inspections/176048/10 "2003-05-18T20:05:07Z")
Military people can keep their car registered in other states, but as far as I know, there are few other exceptions. This week I finally – after four trips the DMV – got my Louisiana plate and license, and the next day got my (miserable excuse for an inspection) inspection sticker. I’m told they won’t ticket you for that alone here, but if you are pulled over for something else, they’ll get you for it, and that is its sole purpose. All they did was to see if my lights and wipers worked, and it cost me TEN BUCKS. Assuming you are keeping your registration in NC legally, maybe you ought to contact the NC DMV and see what they have to say about it?