North Carolina Vehicle Inspection

A NC Vehicle Safety & Emissions Inspection is required annually before your vehicle's registration can be renewed by the State of North Carolina. If your vehicle is due for its annual North Carolina Vehicle Emission & Safety Inspection, be sure to come to the Williams Subaru service center in Charlotte, NC! We will inspect your vehicle and make sure that it is in compliance with the motor vehicle emissions and safety laws and regulations set forth by the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NC DOT) and the North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles (NC DMV).

A inspection consists of two steps - (1) County Requirement & (2) Inspections.

Step 1 - County Requirement

Inspections, Safety & OBD (On-Board Diagnostics), are currently required in 48 North Carolina counties including the following counties in the Greater Charlotte metro area: Mecklenburg County, Union County, Cabarrus County, Stanly County, Rowan County, Iredell County, Gaston County, Lincoln County, Cleveland County, and Catawba County. For a complete list of counties that require an inspection, please visit www.ncdot.gov.

Step 2 - Inspections

Vehicle Safety Inspection

The vehicle inspection can be performed at our Charlotte auto repair and service center, which is a licensed NC inspection station.

Exemptions - the following vehicle types do not need a Safety Inspection:

Vehicle 35 years old, or older

On-Board Diagnostic (OBD) Emissions Inspection

North Carolina is fighting ozone-forming emissions from gasoline-operated cars and light duty trucks. Inspections are conducted using the vehicle's On-Board Diagnostic (OBD) system, computerized equipment installed on all new vehicles since 1996.

Exemptions - the following vehicles do not need an OBD Emissions Inspection: