Connecticut General Statutes 14-16a – Inspection of older vehicles before or upon transfer of ownership. Historical or special interest fire apparatus. Antique, rare or special interest motor vehicles. Modified antique or composite motor vehicles
(a) The commissioner may require that each motor vehicle registered in this state which is ten model years old or older shall, within thirty days before transfer of ownership or upon such transfer, be presented for inspection, as directed by the commissioner, at any Department of Motor Vehicles office or any official emissions inspection station or other facility authorized by the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles to conduct such inspection. The vehicle shall be inspected to determine whether it is properly equipped and in good mechanical condition before registration is issued to the new owner of the vehicle. If the commissioner authorizes the contractor that operates the system of official emissions inspection stations or other business or firm, to conduct the safety inspections required by this subsection, the commissioner may authorize the contractor or other business or firm to charge a fee, not to exceed fifteen dollars, for each such inspection. The commissioner may authorize any motor vehicle dealer or repairer, licensed in accordance with § 14-52 and meeting qualifications established by the commissioner, to perform an inspection required by this section or to make repairs to any motor vehicle that has failed an initial safety inspection and to certify to the commissioner that the motor vehicle is in compliance with the safety and equipment standards for registration. No such authorized dealer or repairer shall charge any additional fee to make such certification to the commissioner. If the commissioner authorizes any such dealer or repairer to conduct safety inspections, such licensee may provide written certification to the commissioner, in such form and manner as the commissioner prescribes, as to compliance of any motor vehicle in its inventory with safety and equipment standards, and such certification may be accepted by the commissioner as meeting the inspection requirements of this subsection.
Terms Used In Connecticut General Statutes 14-16a
- Commissioner: includes the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles and any assistant to the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles who is designated and authorized by, and who is acting for, the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles under a designation. See Connecticut General Statutes 14-1
- Dealer: includes any person actively engaged in buying, selling or exchanging motor vehicles or trailers who has an established place of business in this state and who may, incidental to such business, repair motor vehicles or trailers, or cause them to be repaired by persons in his or her employ. See Connecticut General Statutes 14-1
- Modified antique motor vehicle: means a motor vehicle twenty years old or older which has been modified for safe road use, including, but not limited to, modifications to the drive train, suspension, braking system and safety or comfort apparatus. See Connecticut General Statutes 14-1
- Motor vehicle: means any vehicle propelled or drawn by any nonmuscular power, except aircraft, motor boats, road rollers, baggage trucks used about railroad stations or other mass transit facilities, electric battery-operated wheel chairs when operated by persons with physical disabilities at speeds not exceeding fifteen miles per hour, golf carts operated on highways solely for the purpose of crossing from one part of the golf course to another, golf-cart-type vehicles operated on roads or highways on the grounds of state institutions by state employees, agricultural tractors, farm implements, such vehicles as run only on rails or tracks, self-propelled snow plows, snow blowers and lawn mowers, when used for the purposes for which they were designed and operated at speeds not exceeding four miles per hour, whether or not the operator rides on or walks behind such equipment, motor-driven cycles, as defined in §. See Connecticut General Statutes 14-1
- Owner: means any person holding title to a motor vehicle, or having the legal right to register the same, including purchasers under conditional bills of sale. See Connecticut General Statutes 14-1
- Registration: includes the certificate of motor vehicle registration and the number plate or plates used in connection with such registration. See Connecticut General Statutes 14-1
- State: means any state of the United States and the District of Columbia unless the context indicates a more specific reference to the state of Connecticut. See Connecticut General Statutes 14-1
- Vehicle: includes any device suitable for the conveyance, drawing or other transportation of persons or property, whether operated on wheels, runners, a cushion of air or by any other means. See Connecticut General Statutes 14-1
(b) The following vehicles, upon transfer of ownership, shall be presented for inspection, as directed by the commissioner, at any Department of Motor Vehicles office or any official emissions inspection station authorized by the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles to conduct such inspection: (1) All motor vehicles ten model years old or older which are registered in this state and which were originally used or designed as fire apparatus and which are of historical or special interest as determined by the commissioner, (2) all antique, rare or special interest motor vehicles, and (3) all modified antique motor vehicles. Any such vehicle shall be inspected to determine whether it is in good mechanical condition before registration can be issued to the new owner of such vehicle. The determination of the mechanical condition of a vehicle described in subdivisions (1) and (2) of this subsection shall be made by inspecting only the vehicle’s original equipment and parts or the functional reproductions of the original equipment and parts. The mechanical condition of modified antique motor vehicles shall be determined by inspecting the original equipment and any functioning replacements of such equipment. The model year designation for the purpose of registration of a modified antique motor vehicle or a composite motor vehicle shall be the model year that the body of such vehicle most closely resembles. If the commissioner authorizes the contractor that operates the system of official emissions inspection stations or other business or firm, except a licensee of the department, to conduct the safety inspections required by this subsection, the commissioner may authorize the contractor or other business or firm to charge a fee, not to exceed fifteen dollars, for each such inspection. The commissioner may authorize any motor vehicle dealer or repairer, licensed in accordance with § 14-52 and meeting qualifications established by the commissioner, to make repairs to any motor vehicle that has failed an initial safety inspection and to certify to the commissioner that the motor vehicle is in compliance with the safety and equipment standards for registration. No such authorized dealer or repairer shall charge any additional fee to make such certification to the commissioner.