A. The Superintendent shall not designate any person, firm, or corporation as an official inspection station unless and until such person, firm or corporation satisfies the Superintendent, under such regulations as the Superintendent shall prescribe, that such person, firm, or corporation has met and will continue to meet the following standards:

1. The station has sufficient mechanical equipment and skilled and competent mechanics to make a complete inspection in accordance with the provisions of this article;

2. Adequate means are provided by the station to test the brakes, headlights, and steering mechanism of motor vehicles and to ascertain that motor vehicles inspected by the station meet the safety standards prescribed by the Superintendent under the terms of this title;

3. The person making the actual inspection or under whose immediate supervision such inspection is made shall have at least one year's practical experience as an automotive mechanic, or has satisfactorily completed a training program in automotive mechanics approved by the Superintendent of State Police;

4. No person shall be designated by such station to make such inspections unless the person has been approved for that purpose by the Department of State Police;

5. The Superintendent of State Police may, at his discretion, waive the experience and training requirements of this section for inspections of motorcycles and trailers when, in the Superintendent's opinion, the person performing such inspections is otherwise qualified to perform such inspections; and

6. The station has garage liability insurance in the amount of at least $500,000 with an approved surplus lines carrier or insurance company licensed to write such insurance in this Commonwealth, provided this requirement shall not apply to inspection stations that inspect only their company-owned or leased or government-owned or leased vehicles.

B. Any official inspection station may, at the discretion of the inspection station, accept vehicles on a first-come, first-served basis or by prescheduled appointments for the safety inspection of a motor vehicle pursuant to § 46.2-1157.

Code 1950, § 46-319; 1958, c. 541, § 46.1-320; 1962, c. 246; 1980, cc. 31, 168; 1989, c. 727; 2004, c. 383; 2005, c. 179; 2017, c. 525; 2018, c. 400.