Update: New Hampshire Attorney General has issued guidance on commercial vehicle inspections

Update: See the post with the guidance posted on Feb. 17.

The New Hampshire Attorney General has released guidance on annual vehicle inspections from state-certified inspection stations. This follows a federal judge’s ruling that repealing New Hampshire’s annual inspection law is illegal, at least until the EPA approves New Hampshire’s plan to end emissions testing.

The guidance from the New Hampshire Attorney General is available online. There will not be any separate guidance specific to the trucking industry.

With that in mind, NHMTA urges caution when it comes to the provision in the guidance which states, “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.”

Waiting longer than 12 months to have a Commercial Motor Vehicle inspected by a New Hampshire-certified inspection station would be a violation of the federal regulation (49 CFR 396.17), which requires CMVs to be inspected at least once every 12 months. Therefore, if your trucks have February or March inspection stickers, you might consider having them inspected by a state-certified inspection station sooner rather than later, especially if they will be traveling in other states.

Law enforcement in other states may not be aware of the developments surrounding inspections in NH, including the Attorney General’s guidance.

The following release was posted on the New Hampshire Department of Justice website on Jan. 30.

Public Guidance on Vehicle Inspection Program Status

Concord, NH – The New Hampshire Department of Justice and Department of Safety are providing an update on the state’s vehicle inspection program following a federal court order issued on January 27, 2026:

• The federal court has ordered a continuation of the state vehicle inspection program. The State intends to appeal this court order.
• 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.
• A request to extend a contract to continue operation of the program is anticipated to be considered by the Executive Council in the near future.
• Further guidance will be provided as this situation continues to develop.

Under state law passed last year, New Hampshire’s required vehicle inspection program was scheduled to end on January 31, 2026. However, before that change took effect, a federal court ordered the State to keep the inspection program in place for now. As a result, the vehicle inspection program will continue after January 31, 2026.

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. In addition, future legislative action or court developments could change the status of the inspection program.

We understand that these changes may be confusing or frustrating for New Hampshire drivers. If there are any updates, the State will share new guidance at www.dmv.nh.gov and will work to provide additional flexibility where appropriate.