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Massachusetts emissions test: the official wording
Everything in quotation marks here is from 2 sources and was matched to them on November 11, 2026. The quotes are the sources’ words; ours only label them.
About these quotes.
Every mass.gov page we requested refused our reader, so the only text quoted here is the Massachusetts General Laws. We could not read the regulations the statute refers to, so the checker makes no comparison with the statute’s figures; read the lines below together. The program’s public name and its fee are not quoted here for the same reason.
On this page: where · how often · fee · new and older vehicles · diesel, electric, hybrid · check a vehicle · sources
What does the text call it?
''Emissions inspection and maintenance program'' or ''I&M program'', a component of the periodic staggered motor vehicle inspection required by section 7A of chapter 90 which shall include motor vehicle emissions inspections
The page we point to: Massachusetts General Laws chapter 111, section 142M. The agency’s own page, which our reader could not open: Mass.gov.
Where does it apply?
The emissions component of the inspection program shall be required statewide, shall be conducted on a staggered basis throughout the year and shall be required of each subject motor vehicle at least every two years unless otherwise exempted or specified by the department.
How often is the test?
The emissions component of the inspection program shall be required statewide, shall be conducted on a staggered basis throughout the year and shall be required of each subject motor vehicle at least every two years unless otherwise exempted or specified by the department.
What does the test cost?
The motorist presenting a motor vehicle for an emissions inspection shall pay a fee to the inspection facility pursuant to section 7A of chapter 90.
What does the text say about new and older vehicles?
No line we hold for Massachusetts is set up for a model-year comparison. Lines that mention age or model year, if we hold any, are under “What else does the text say?”.
What about diesel, electric and hybrid vehicles?
Every current line we hold for Massachusetts that uses the word diesel, electric or hybrid. Some are about one place or one kind of test; each speaks for itself.
Listed under:
The following motor vehicles may be exempt from the provisions of this section and may require alternative test procedures:
(iii) any motor vehicle operated exclusively by electric power;
The commissioner, in consultation with the registrar, may adopt rules and regulations to implement an emissions inspection and maintenance program for diesel-fueled motor vehicles.
What else does the text say?
Listed under:
The following motor vehicles may be exempt from the provisions of this section and may require alternative test procedures:
(v) for one inspection cycle only, any motor vehicle two model years old or less at the time the vehicle is due for inspection.
Said commissioner shall, in consultation with the registrar, establish rules and regulations which shall determine and identify the motor vehicles which shall be subject to the emissions component of the inspection and shall notify the registrar of such determination.
Listed under:
The following motor vehicles may be exempt from the provisions of this section and may require alternative test procedures:
(i) any motor vehicle the model year of which is 15 years before the year in which the inspection occurs;
Check a vehicle against these quotes
Enter a model year, a fuel. The checker repeats the quotes above and, where a figure can be compared, says where your entry falls against it. It does not decide anything about your vehicle.
Which pages could we not read?
We ask for each page with a plain request that names this site, and we don’t work around a refusal. These pages matter for Massachusetts and did not open for us:
- Mass.gov, the Commonwealth’s website (refused our reader on November 11, 2026)
Where do these quotes come from?
- Massachusetts General Laws chapter 111, section 142M (malegislature.gov; statute or administrative code; read November 11, 2026)
- Massachusetts General Laws chapter 90, section 7A (malegislature.gov; statute or administrative code; read November 11, 2026)
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