Safety Testing

As part of the state´s clean air strategy originally outlined in the federal Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990, New Hampshire expanded the ongoing annual safety inspection to include several emissions components. A significant portion of the 1.1 million vehicles registered in the state now undergo the enhanced safety inspect

The state achieved a major success and cost savings to the public by convincing the federal government that the emissions inspection should remain under the domain of the state’s more than 2,500 certified safety inspection stations.

In addition to the program for cars and light trucks, and as part of a legislative directive to create an environmentally superior clean air strategy, the state implemented roadside diesel opacity testing for heavy-duty trucks and buses. Testing heavy-duty vehicles for excessive diesel smoke addresses both the ozone precursor and particulate matter categories of pollutants, thereby providing a two-fold benefit to residents of the state.

The successful operation of the programs requires coordination and cooperation between the Division of Motor Vehicles and the Division of State Police, with the additional cooperation of outside agencies such as the Department of Environmental Services.

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