Virginia state police announce new inspection stickers for 2026

RICHMOND, Va. (WVVA) - Virginia motorists will see updated safety inspection stickers as the calendar turns to 2026, the Virginia State Police announced.

The passed inspection sticker for 2026 will be blue, and the agency says the most significant change this year affects rejection stickers.

What’s new for 2026

• Passed inspection sticker: the 2026 sticker will be blue.

• Rejection stickers: beginning in 2026, rejection stickers will be white instead of pink. The new rejection stickers adhere more securely to windshields and must be scraped off once a rejected vehicle has passed reinspection. Older rejection stickers often fell off after the grace period.

• Motorcycles and trailers: there will be one combined sticker for motorcycles and trailers. The sticker will be orange and will display the year of expiration.

• Anti‑counterfeiting features: stickers introduced in 2025 remain in use, including a smaller size, a holographic state seal, a dogwood flower image, and two QR codes. The larger QR code links to the Virginia State Police Safety Division webpage; the smaller code is for administrative use. The expiration month appears on a white background, and the expiration year is shown over the dogwood image.

Color schedule reminder

• The state noted the color sequence for upcoming expiration years: blue for 2027, red for 2028 and yellow for 2029.

What motorists should know

• Inspect your sticker carefully and note the new colors for 2026.
• If your vehicle received a rejection sticker and you later pass inspection, be prepared to scrape the new white rejection sticker from the windshield.
• Use the larger QR code on stickers to access the VSP Safety Division page for more information about inspection requirements and authorized inspection stations.
• If you suspect a counterfeit sticker or have questions, contact the Virginia State Police Safety Division or your local inspection station.