RICHMOND – Vehicles in Virginia that have passed safety inspections will now be receiving a blue safety inspection sticker in 2026, the Virginia State Police announced.
Inspection stickers for vehicles were reduced in size and began including a holographic state seal as well as a dogwood tree flower image last year. Both images are difficult for counterfeiters to effectively copy, police said.
For the first time, the sticker also included two QR codes — the larger directs individuals to the Virginia State Police Safety Division webpage while the smaller QR code is for administrative purposes.
The expiration month appears on a white background, while the expiration year is placed on top of the dogwood image.
The 2026 sticker will be blue, VSP said.
The big changes for 2026 center on the rejection stickers, which will now be white instead of pink. Rejection stickers will also adhere more securely to a vehicle’s windshield and will have to be scraped off once a rejected vehicle passes inspection. State police said older versions of the sticker did not adhere as well and had a tendency to fall off after the rejection grace period had passed.
Additionally, police said in 2026, there will be one sticker for motorcycles and trailers. Previously, two different stickers were produced. The year of expiration will also appear on the sticker and it will be orange in color.
Inspection stickers expiring in 2028 will be red and in 2029 will be yellow, police said.
