Court Opinions

State Laws

US Code

US Constitution

Operation of vehicle without official certificate of inspection - 75 Pa. Cons. Stat. § 4703

Legal Research Home > Pennsylvania Statutes

     § 4703.  Operation of vehicle without official certificate of
                inspection.
        (a)  General rule.--Except as otherwise provided in this
     section, no motor vehicle required to bear current registration
     plates issued by this Commonwealth and no farm vehicle with a
     gross weight or gross vehicle weight rating of greater than
     17,000 pounds for which a Type I biennial certificate of
     exemption has been issued shall be driven and no trailer
     required to bear current registration plates issued by this
     Commonwealth shall be moved on a highway and no mass transit
     vehicle shall be operated unless the vehicle displays a
     currently valid certificate of inspection issued under this
     chapter.
        (b)  Exceptions.--Subsection (a) does not apply to:
            (1)  Special mobile equipment.
            (2)  Implements of husbandry.
            (2.1)  Registered commercial implement of husbandry with
        an implement of husbandry body type.
            (3)  Motor vehicles being towed.
            (4)  Motor vehicles being operated or trailers being
        towed by an official inspection station owner or employee for
        the purpose of inspection.
            (5)  Trailers having a registered gross weight of 3,000
        pounds or less.
            (5.1)  A trailer or semitrailer with a gross weight or
        gross vehicle weight rating of greater than 17,000 pounds
        displaying a currently valid Federal certificate of
        inspection.
            (6)  Motorized pedalcycles.
            (7)  Vehicles being repossessed by a financier or
        collector-repossessor business or vehicles enroute to a
        wholesale vehicle auction by a transporter business using the
        appropriate miscellaneous motor vehicle business registration
        plates.
            (8)  New vehicles while they are in the process of
        manufacture, including testing, and not in transit from the
        manufacturer to a purchaser or dealer.
            (9)  Any military vehicle used for training by a private,
        nonprofit, tax exempt military educational institution when
        such vehicle does not travel on public roads in excess of one
        mile and the property on both sides of the public road is
        owned by the institution.
            (10)  A motor vehicle registered as an antique pursuant
        to section 1340 (relating to antique, classic and collectible
        plates).
            (11)  A motor vehicle being operated by the vehicle owner
        while enroute to an inspection station where an appointment
        for inspection has been scheduled, provided that such
        operation occurs no later than ten days after the expiration
        of a valid certificate of inspection issued under this
        chapter.
            (12)  (Deleted by amendment).
            (13)  New vehicles in the possession of a second-stage
        manufacturer which are in transit:
                (i)  from a dealer or distributor for completion; or
                (ii)  to a dealer or distributor upon completion.
        (c)  Inspection of vehicles reentering this Commonwealth.--
     Vehicles subject to registration and inspection in this
     Commonwealth which have been outside this Commonwealth
     continuously for 30 days or more and which, at the time of
     reentering this Commonwealth, do not bear a currently valid
     certificate of inspection shall not be required to be inspected
     until ten days after reentering this Commonwealth.
        (d)  Newly-purchased vehicles.--Newly-purchased vehicles may
     be driven without a current inspection certificate for ten days
     after sale or resale or entry into this Commonwealth, whichever
     occurs later.
        (e)  Display of unauthorized certificate of inspection.--No
     certificate of inspection shall be displayed unless an official
     inspection has been made and the vehicle or mass transit vehicle
     is in conformance with the provisions of this chapter.
        (f)  Authority of police.--Any police officer may stop any
     motor vehicle, mass transit vehicle or trailer and require the
     owner or operator to display an official certificate of
     inspection for the vehicle being operated. A police officer may
     summarily remove an unauthorized, expired or unlawfully issued
     certificate of inspection from any vehicle or mass transit
     vehicle. For the purposes of administering the requirements of
     regulations promulgated by the department, a qualified
     Commonwealth employee or an authorized department representative
     may remove an unauthorized, expired or unlawfully issued
     certificate of inspection from any vehicle.
        (g)  Limitation on prosecution.--A motor vehicle, mass
     transit vehicle or trailer shall be the subject of only one
     prosecution under subsection (a) in any 24-hour period.
        (h)  Penalty.--
            (1)  Except as provided in paragraph (2), a person
        violating this section is guilty of a summary offense and
        shall, upon conviction, be sentenced to pay a fine of up to
        $25.
            (2)  Where the subject vehicle is a motor carrier
        vehicle, bus or school bus, the police officer or qualified
        Commonwealth employee shall place the vehicle out of service
        and require that the vehicle not be operated under its own
        power until such time as the vehicle is issued a valid
        official certificate of inspection. In addition, the person
        violating this section commits a summary offense and shall,
        upon conviction, be sentenced to pay a fine of not less than
        $100 nor more than $500.
     (June 18, 1980, P.L.223, No.67, eff. imd.; June 18, 1980,
     P.L.229, No.68, eff. 60 days; Mar. 7, 1982, P.L.152, No.49, eff.
     imd.; May 26, 1982, P.L.435, No.129, eff. imd.; July 10, 1984,
     P.L.679, No.146, eff. 60 days; Feb. 7, 1990, P.L.11, No.6, eff.
     60 days; June 11, 1992, P.L.266, No.47, eff. 60 days; Dec. 18,
     1992, P.L.1411, No.174, eff. 60 days; May 20, 1993, P.L.30,
     No.10, eff. 60 days; Dec. 7, 1994, P.L.820, No.115, eff. 60
     days; July 6, 1995, P.L.246, No.30, eff. imd.; Dec. 21, 1998,
     P.L.1126, No.151; June 22, 2001, P.L.411, No.33, eff. 60 days;
     Dec. 23, 2002, P.L.1982, No.229, eff. 6 months; July 14, 2005,
     P.L.285, No.50, eff. 60 days)

        2005 Amendment.  Act 50 amended subsec. (b).
        2002 Amendment.  Act 229 amended subsec. (h). See section 21
     of Act 229 in the appendix to this title for special provisions
     relating to promulgation of guidelines to implement Act 229.
        1998 Amendment.  Act 151 amended subsecs. (b)(10) and (f) and
     added subsec. (b)(13), effective immediately as to subsec. (f)
     and 60 days as to subsec. (b)(10) and (13).
        1995 Amendment.  Act 30 amended subsec. (a). See section 5 of
     Act 30 in the appendix to this title for special provisions
     relating to equipment standards and inspection criteria.
        1990 Amendment.  Act 6 amended subsec. (d).
        1982 Amendments.  Act 49 added subsec. (b)(9) and Act 129
     amended subsecs. (b), (c) and (d).
        Cross References.  Section 4703 is referred to in section
     4729 of this title.

Last modified: November 27, 2007