New Hampshire Seeks Pause on Court Order to Reinstate Vehicle Inspections
The state of New Hampshire is asking a federal appeals court to temporarily block an order that would force it to restart its vehicle inspection program.
Officials from the Department of Safety and the Department of Environmental Services have filed the request as they work to challenge the original ruling.
According to court filings, the state argues the order is meant to prevent financial harm to a third party—Gordon-Darby, the company that previously ran the inspection program.
State attorneys also claim the ruling goes too far, saying the case isn’t really about air quality, but instead a private dispute being presented as a Clean Air Act issue.
This situation stems from a January decision, when a federal judge ordered New Hampshire to continue its auto inspection program. That ruling followed a lawsuit from Gordon-Darby Holdings, which argued the state violated the Clean Air Act by ending emissions testing.
New Hampshire had already suspended inspections after passing a law to eliminate the program, and the Executive Council later ended its contract with Gordon-Darby.
The state has also applied for a waiver from the Environmental Protection Agency, though a decision on that request could take up to 18 months.
In its latest filing, the state warns that enforcing inspections under a court order—rather than state law—could create confusion for drivers, especially if law enforcement begins issuing citations for expired inspection stickers.
For now, nothing has changed. Vehicle inspections remain suspended across New Hampshire.
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