RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia State Police are reminding drivers and auto glass businesses that state inspection stickers should be transferred to replacement windshields rather than routinely replaced.
Under Virginia law, a valid state inspection sticker may be removed from a windshield for the purpose of transferring it to a newly installed windshield.
The sticker belongs to the vehicle, not the person or business performing the repair.
State police said businesses replacing windshields are required to make a good-faith effort to transfer the existing inspection sticker from the old windshield to the new one.
The state’s current anti-counterfeiting stickers are designed to be removed and reapplied, and minor cosmetic changes caused by the transfer do not invalidate the sticker.
A replacement should generally be needed only when the original sticker is destroyed or damaged during the process.
If that happens, the business must give the damaged sticker to the vehicle owner, who can contact the nearest Virginia State Police Motor Vehicle Inspection Program office for a replacement.
There is no charge for a replacement when the owner provides a valid inspection receipt.
A police report is required before state police will replace an inspection sticker that has been lost or stolen.
State police also reminded vehicle owners to keep the original inspection receipt in their vehicle, as required by law.
If a transferred sticker raises questions during a traffic stop, drivers can present the inspection receipt and documentation showing that the windshield was replaced.
Possessing an inspection sticker belonging to a vehicle a person does not own or operate could result in criminal prosecution.