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So I didn't realize that since the '01 SSEi is now registered in Virginia it had to have a Virginia State Inspection sticker. So I have been riding around with the North Carolina State Inspection, sticker since I bought it in N.C.

It expires this month and I was planning on getting the car inspected tomorrow morning. This evening I got pulled over and ticketed for not having a Va. Inspection sticker. The officer asked if I had any reason for not having the Va Sticker. I told him I bought the car in N.C. less than a year ago and I didn't realize I had to have a Va. Decal since the N.C. decal hadn't expired yet. I told him it expires this month and I was planning to get it inspected tomorrow morning. He kind of sarcastically said if it's registered in Virginia it has to be inspected in Virginia. Then walked back to his car and wrote the ticket up. When he came back he informed me that my license plate covers were illegal as well. I know tinted ones are, but these are clear plastic. He said it's ticketable but he was gonna let me go for the covers.

So you guys think if I go to court and show them I got it inspected the morning after, that they might drop it? Or just pay it off and not bother with it. I'm not sure how much the ticket is, it doesn't say on the ticket. I'll have to look it up or call them on Tuesday I guess.

Call them on Monday and ask all your questions. If it's not a huge fine, I'd just pay it, and avoid the hassle of going to court.

The judge will probably let it slide if you get it inspected the next day. If your nice and admit it was an honest mistake. Sometimes cops just have a bad night and get tired of dealing with BS so they just write you up anyway.

wow, he gave you a citation?

I'll call them Tuesday, I probably won't bother fighting it. Besides, I crossed the county line, so I'd have to drive all the way to the other court house. I did get it inspected this morning though.

Unfortunately un-awearness isn't an excuse for anything
Living 'n Learnin.

Ignorance isn't an Excuse.

Yeah, that's what I meant

Did you get any paperwork that says you have to get it inspected after you registered it?

In NY state where my car is registered, the DMV gave me a 10-day inspection exemption sticker along with the registration sticker and told me I had 10 days to get it inspected or they'd revoke my registration. It's all tracked by VIN at the DMV, and the inspection station sends your VIN in when they do the yearly emissions test, so DMV knows if you get it inspected or not.

In some states including mine any kind of frame around the license plate is illegal even the ones they put on your car from the dealer. If it covers any part of the states name they can give you a ticket here, or if it covers the bottom part where it says "Garden State" or "Commercial".

I don't believe I got any paperwork from the dealer, as the car had N.C. State temporary tags from the dealer. And I don't recall seeing anything when I had it registered at in VA. Which now that I think about it, Dad had it registered in Va, which got me the generic random state tags. When I went in I was just transferring the "W BOOZE" plates from the '93 to the '01.

Anyway, the ticket itself is $30, plus a processing fee of $61.

I'm not going to fight it, just gonna pay it off. I doubt it would be dropped, I would have been expected to get the car inspected as soon as possible after receiving that ticket anyway. I would end up paying the $91 + the court fee.

That's odd that you were able to register the car in VA if it required a state inspection. Here in CA they won't give you your registration without passing a required state emissions test first.

This is a longshot, but if the NC inspection process is as stringent as VA, and you had an NC inspection already, (and you also got the VA inspection the next day), then you might be able to explain that to a judge and get it waived. But it might be more hassle than it's worth.

Most states say you can't have anything covering the LP, even if it's clear. Could kill reflectivity, etc.

I don't see how you could claim an NC inspection would pass in VA, c'mon that's common sense..

EDIT: what's an inspection?