Opening a vehicle inspection station: requirements, equipment and bond

It is Chapter 4.8 of Joint Regulation No. 9473, the last of the licences volume. It governs two licences: the Official Vehicle Inspection Station Licence and the Licence for an Official Inspection Station Authorised to Collect the Renewal Fees and the Premium. Anyone wishing to operate one of those stations and issue any of the official certificates on that inspection and the adequate mechanical condition of the vehicles inspected must obtain the corresponding licence. The certificates form part of or are tied to a single permit, and each licence is valid only for the station.

Applications may be made by natural or legal persons or government agencies interested in setting up an official inspection station or a station authorised to collect the renewal fees and the premium. But the regulation expressly excludes one group: applications will not be considered to set up inspection stations of companies devoted to buying and selling motor vehicles, "gestorías", entities devoted to renting motor vehicles, and scrap buying and selling businesses; nor of their agents, employees or relatives within the fourth degree of consanguinity or second degree of affinity. And approval to set up a new station is conditioned on the needs of the vehicle population and the concentration of active stations by municipality and sector: meeting the requirements does not automatically entitle you to the licence.

• Completing the corresponding application and meeting the requirements set in Rule 4.1.4 of the Joint Regulation.Verified against the official source
• A fixed, protected structure in concrete, steel or aluminium, roofed in aluminium, galvanised steel, concrete or other material authorised by OGPe, with bars on doors and windows.Verified against the official source
• Dimensions of fourteen (14) feet wide by thirty (30) feet long by fourteen (14) feet high, with a sign reading "Estación Oficial de Inspección" and its authorisation number in a visible place of the business.Verified against the official source
• A parking area fully paved in concrete, asphalt or another material with monolithic characteristics, no less than four thousand (4,000) square feet, for a capacity of no fewer than ten (10) motor vehicles.Verified against the official source
• Evidencing the availability of no fewer than two (2) aspiring inspection mechanics per station.Verified against the official source
• Evidence of having acquired all the equipment required for the inspections, including the gas analyser, which must be recertified twice a year.Verified against the official source
• Where the centre is authorised to sell marbetes: showing compliance with a bond or policy of no less than twenty thousand dollars ($20,000) in favour of the Government of Puerto Rico.Verified against the official source
• To inspect commercial vehicles and ambulances under Ley No. 109 of 28 June 1962: obtaining the corresponding Franchise from the NTSP.Verified against the official source

Information pending verification.

1. 1

   Step 1: The two licences and what they authorise

   Anyone wishing to operate an official vehicle inspection station, or an official inspection station authorised to collect the renewal fees and the premium, and to issue any of the official certificates on that inspection and the adequate mechanical condition of the vehicles inspected, must obtain the corresponding licence. Either certificate forms part of or is tied to a single permit, and the licence is valid only for the station: it is not transferable to another.

2. 2

   Step 2: Collecting the compulsory insurance premium

   The regulation explains where that second licence comes from. By virtue of Ley 245-2014, amending Ley 253-1995, the compulsory motor vehicle liability insurance act, it is ordered that official inspection stations authorised to collect the renewal fees and deliver the corresponding marbete shall collect the Compulsory Liability Insurance premium from people who do not hold a Certificate of Compliance. For that purpose the Selection Form approved by the Office of the Insurance Commissioner is used.

3. 3

   Step 3: Who may not have a station

   Here is an exclusion that cuts across family ties. Applications will not be considered to set up inspection stations of companies devoted to buying and selling motor vehicles, "gestorías", entities devoted to renting motor vehicles and scrap buying and selling businesses; nor of their agents, employees or relatives within the fourth degree of consanguinity or second degree of affinity. And there are two further bans: the inspection station’s facilities may not be used to make repairs, corrections or other activities other than the inspection or reinspection of a motor vehicle; and no new official inspection stations will be authorised in areas identified as flood-prone on the official maps.

4. 4

   Step 4: Approval depends on how many there already are

   This is the condition that stops most applications and is worth knowing before investing. Approval to set up a new official vehicle inspection station, or a new station authorised to collect the renewal fees and the premium, is conditioned on the needs of the vehicle population and the concentration of active stations by municipality and sector. Meeting every requirement does not guarantee the licence if the sector is already served.

5. 5

   Step 5: The structure, to the letter

   The structure must be fixed, protected, and meet every safety standard set under applicable federal and state laws and regulations: built in concrete, steel or aluminium, roofed in aluminium, galvanised steel, concrete or other material authorised by OGPe, with bars on doors and windows. It must have lighting, adequate ventilation, air extractors and extinguishers, and the electrical installations must meet the codes set by the Colegio de Peritos Electricistas de Puerto Rico and the safety standards required for the structure type. It must have an inspection area. The office must have a waiting room and metal, fireproof filing cabinets. And the facility must be fourteen feet wide by thirty feet long by fourteen feet high, duly identified with a sign reading "Estación Oficial de Inspección" and its authorisation number, shown in a visible place of the business.

6. 6

   Step 6: The parking: 4,000 feet for ten cars

   The parking area must be fully paved in concrete or asphalt or another material with monolithic characteristics, with an area of no less than four thousand square feet, for a capacity of no fewer than ten motor vehicles. It is a size requirement, not a matter of intent: the queue has to fit inside.

7. 7

   Step 7: Two mechanics and an equipment list

   You must evidence the availability of no fewer than two aspiring inspection mechanics per station, and evidence of having acquired all the equipment required for the inspections. The list is concrete: a decelerometer, or platform or dynamometer, gauge or micrometer for discs or drums; a fixed or dynamic platform or alignment machine, a ball-joint tolerance gauge, and a steering-play gauge or twelve-inch rule; a dynamic, bubble or electronic balance machine, an air pressure gauge and a tyre tread depth gauge; a gas analyser to measure emissions or opacity as applicable, which must be recertified twice a year; a headlight alignment and intensity meter; and ramps, lifts and a jack system. The gas analyser’s twice-yearly recertification is the detail most often forgotten.

8. 8

   Step 8: The notice on the right to choose an insurer

   Every official inspection station authorised to collect the Compulsory Liability Insurance premium together with the renewal fees and to deliver the corresponding marbete must display in its establishment a notice in a place visible to the consumer, located in the area where licence fees are paid. That notice must be a sign in print type no smaller than size 45, with this text: "Toda persona tiene derecho a seleccionar el Asegurador de su preferencia para el Seguro de Responsabilidad Obligatorio. A tales fines utilizará el Formulario de Selección." If you are the driver, that is the sign reminding you that you may choose.

9. 9

   Step 9: The catalytic converter sign

   Every business authorised to operate as an official inspection station, or as a station authorised to collect renewal fees and the premium, must install and display in a visible and prominent place a sign on the penalties faced by anyone who eliminates, alters or modifies the catalytic converter and related parts without making the corresponding replacement, under Article 12.07(h) of Ley 22 of 7 January 2000. The regulation describes the sign down to the millimetre: title "ADVERTENCIA"; material aluminium; dimensions 24" x 48" x .040"; letter size 3.0" for the title and the law and 1.0" for the body; and the content: "Toda persona natural o jurídica en posesión de un vehículo de motor, que haya sido alterado, modificado, removido o eliminado el convertidor catalítico y piezas relacionadas y no se haya hecho el reemplazo correspondiente, incurrirá en delito menos grave, convicto que fuere será castigado con pena de multa no mayor de cinco mil (5,000) dólares a discreción del Tribunal".

10. 10

    Step 10: The twenty thousand bond to sell marbetes

    Where the inspection centre is authorised to sell marbetes, it must show compliance with a bond or policy of no less than twenty thousand dollars in favour of the Government of Puerto Rico. Note the nature of that figure: it is a bond or policy, not a licence fee. And if you want to operate a Commercial Vehicle and Ambulance Inspection Centre as defined in the Puerto Rico Public Service Act, Ley No. 109 of 28 June 1962, as amended, the interested natural persons must also obtain the corresponding Franchise from the NTSP.

11. 11

    Step 11: Who supervises afterwards

    Holding one of these licences or a Permiso Único does not exempt anyone from the Joint Regulation itself, Ley 22-2000, the regulations adopted under it, or any other applicable DTOP rule; nor from the Puerto Rico Public Service Act or its applicable regulations. Oversight of official inspection stations, and of those authorised to collect renewal fees and the compulsory insurance premium, is the responsibility of DTOP and the NTSP as applicable, and their officials supervise, evaluate and intervene with the stations periodically for faithful compliance with the law, standards and regulations in force.

Before OGPe, a hierarchy I-III autonomous municipality or an Authorised Professional, through the SUI and together with the Permiso Único, because the regulation lists the two inspection station licences among those filed and evaluated exclusively that way. The franchise to inspect commercial vehicles and ambulances is obtained from the NTSP. Later oversight belongs to DTOP and the NTSP as applicable.

• Investing in the station before confirming the sector is not already served: approval depends on the concentration of active stations.
• Choosing premises in an area identified as flood-prone on the official maps.
• Applying as a dealer, "gestoría", rental company or scrap dealer, or as a relative within the fourth degree of consanguinity of their owners.
• Using the facilities for repairs or corrections rather than only for inspection or reinspection.
• Falling short of the four thousand square feet of parking for ten vehicles.
• Forgetting to recertify the gas analyser twice a year.
• Selling marbetes without the bond or policy of no less than twenty thousand dollars in favour of the Government.
• Failing to display the insurer-choice notice in the payment area, in type no smaller than size 45.
• Posting the catalytic converter sign without the dimensions and letter sizes the regulation fixes.

These are the government pages this guide is based on.

• Oficina de Gerencia de Permisos (OGPe)

  OGPe

  docs.pr.gov

• Permit Management Office

  ogpe

  ogpe.pr.gov