The Virginia State Police administer the safety inspector examination at State Police testing sites across the Commonwealth, and the agency publishes the current list of Virginia state inspector test dates and locations on the Virginia State Police website under the Safety Division for Inspectors page.1Virginia State Police. Safety Division for Inspectors You can walk into any posted testing site on its scheduled date, provided you bring a complete application packet with you.
Finding the Current Schedule
The State Police maintains the authoritative schedule, and it changes. Sites and dates are posted on the Safety Division for Inspectors page at vsp.virginia.gov, and that page is the only source that will reliably reflect current openings, cancellations, or new locations. Testing happens at State Police facilities, not at DMV offices or private shops.
You do not register in advance the way you would for a classroom course. You arrive at a posted testing site on its scheduled day with your paperwork in hand. If you show up after the designated testing time listed for that site, you will not be allowed to take the exam that day.2Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Administrative Code 19VAC30-70-9.2 – Examinations for Inspectors License Build in time for traffic.
What to Bring to the Testing Site
Four documents must be completed and brought with you. All are available for download from the Virginia State Police website:1Virginia State Police. Safety Division for Inspectors
- Safety Inspector Application (SP-170B), completed in full and notarized.
- Criminal History Record Request (SP-167), notarized, with a $15 payment by cashier’s check, business check, or money order payable to “Virginia State Police,” or credit card information provided on the form.
- Inspector Application Worksheet listing two character references, two mechanical references, your employment history, and your automotive training.
- Authorization for Release of Information (SP-170D), signed in the presence of a notary public.
Three of the four forms require notarization, so plan a trip to a notary before your testing date. The State Police specifically prohibits using the NotaryCam remote notarization option for the SP-167 in this context, so you need traditional in-person notarization.3Virginia State Police. Safety Inspector Certification Instructions If the SP-170D is not notarized, your application will be returned.
Also bring your driver’s license. The trooper at the site verifies your notarizations and checks your license before you sit down. If your license is expired, suspended, or revoked, your application is destroyed on the spot, and you will need to resolve the license issue and reapply from scratch.
What Happens at the Site
After your paperwork and license clear the trooper’s review, you sit for the written examination. For a Class A license (any motor vehicle, motorcycle, or trailer), the exam has five sections of 20 questions each, covering general information, brakes, suspension, lights, and glass. You must score at least 75% on every section individually. Class B (trailers only) and Class C (motorcycles only) each use a single 50-question exam with a minimum passing score of 74%.2Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Administrative Code 19VAC30-70-9.2 – Examinations for Inspectors License
You also take a practical examination that tests whether you can actually inspect a vehicle. The passing threshold matches the written exam: 75% for Class A, 74% for Classes B and C. Free study guides for each class are posted on the Virginia State Police website, and the regulation directs applicants to study the Official Motor Vehicle Safety Inspection Manual in its entirety before testing.1Virginia State Police. Safety Division for Inspectors
Testing Through a Vocational-Technical Program
Students enrolled in a vo-tech automotive mechanics program have their own testing arrangement. The vo-tech instructor contacts the assigned Safety Division trooper or local area office by March 15 each year to schedule testing for students who are at least 18, or who will turn 18 by March 31 of that year.2Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Administrative Code 19VAC30-70-9.2 – Examinations for Inspectors License
Both the written exam and the practical exam are administered at the vo-tech center itself, so students do not need to travel to a State Police testing site. Students who complete all requirements but have not yet turned 18 can finish the application process through their place of employment once they reach the age threshold, so a graduating student who narrowly misses the March 31 cutoff does not have to abandon the process.
When You Can Return After a Failed Exam
Failing the written or practical exam on your first attempt means you can retest after 30 days at any posted testing site. A second failure is more serious: the trooper takes your application forms and forwards them to Safety Division Headquarters, and you must wait six months before contacting your assigned Safety Division trooper or local area office to reapply.4Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Administrative Code 19VAC30-70-9.1 – Inspector Certification
The six-month reset is a real setback, so treat the first attempt as the one that counts. The per-section passing requirement for Class A catches people who assumed general automotive knowledge would carry them through brakes, lights, suspension, and glass alike.
Recertification Testing
Your inspector’s license is valid for three years. Recertification requires a written examination matching the class you hold, with the same minimum passing scores as the original certification. Recertification exams are typically administered at the same State Police testing sites used for initial certification.2Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Administrative Code 19VAC30-70-9.2 – Examinations for Inspectors License
If your license expires, you have a one-month grace period to take the recertification exam, and you cannot perform inspections during that month. If you fail the recertification exam during the grace period, you get one more attempt after waiting 30 days. A second failure means the license is treated as fully expired, which puts you back through the complete initial certification process.5Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Administrative Code 19VAC30-70-9.3 – Reinstatement of Safety Inspector License, Classification Change, Recertification
If you want to add or change a classification later, you take the written and practical exams for the new class at a posted testing site without resubmitting a full application packet.5Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Administrative Code 19VAC30-70-9.3 – Reinstatement of Safety Inspector License, Classification Change, Recertification Check the current VSP schedule before heading out, confirm the site is testing on the day you plan to go, and bring your paperwork.