The operation of official inspection stations shall be carried out pursuant to the following procedures:
(a) Once a motor vehicle has been inspected and the mechanical conditions and emission pollution control systems are found to be adequate pursuant to the provisions of this chapter and the regulations promulgated by the Secretary, the inspection station shall issue a certificate accrediting such inspection. This certificate shall be a requirement for the renewal of the motor vehicle’s license. If the inspection is not approved, no official certificate shall be issued.
(b) If the inspection reveals that the vehicle needs adjustments, corrections or repairs, the owner shall be notified thereof and a certificate may be issued granting him/her a grace period to correct said defects. The owner of the vehicle shall have absolute freedom to select the person or shop that will make the necessary corrections.
(c) The Secretary shall establish through regulations the manner in which the owner shall be notified of the need to correct a defect, the grace period, and the procedure to be followed for the owner to notify that the defect has been corrected and it is verified.
(d) The station shall keep records of the inspections performed and that the Secretary has required by regulations. The inspection stations and their record shall be subject to inspection during reasonable periods by any police officer or person assigned by the Secretary to inspect said stations.
(e) The Secretary shall fix the amount that shall be paid for each inspection, which shall not exceed eleven dollars ($11). The amounts generated by inspection stations established in vocational schools as provided in § 5354 of this title, shall be covered into the General Fund, but shall be consigned in the Annual Budget of the Department of Education in the item destined to the operation of vocational schools. The Secretary is hereby authorized to collect the amount of two dollars ($2) from the Official Inspection Stations for each certificate of inspection that they issue and to establish the procedure for said purpose by regulations. The funds generated thereby shall be covered into a special fund in the Office of Driver Services (DISCO, Spanish acronym). Fifty percent (50%) of said total shall be used for the Motor Vehicle Inspection Program, thirty-five percent (35%) shall be used for the Drivers Examination Program, the Mechanization of License Files, and the Traffic Safety Operations Programs, and the remaining fifteen percent (15%) for the Environmental Education Program. This last program shall be responsible for planning, coordinating and developing the educational and orientation phase for all drivers and the general public on the norms and requirements established by this chapter for the motor vehicle inspection system and those measures needed for the solution, control and prevention of the air pollution problem.
History —Jan. 7, 2000, No. 22, § 12.06; June 3, 2004, No. 132, § 12, eff. 8 months after June 3, 2004.