Section 451.140  Certificate of Safety

a)         Certificates of Safety shall be affixed to vehicles that meet or exceed the specifications necessary to pass a safety test (see 92 Ill. Adm. Code 441, 443, 445, 438 and the Appendix G Inspection, as defined in Section 451.15).

b)         COS remain the property of the State of Illinois and will be seized if a permit is cancelled or suspended.

c)         COS at all OTSs and OMSTCs shall be subject to inspection by an inspector at any time the OTS or OMSTC is open for business.

d)         COS shall comply with the following physical description:

1)         COS Colors:

A)        Truck (annual and semi-annual (six months)) – blue;

B)        Trailer (annual and semi-annual (six months)) – green;

C)        School bus – yellow; and

D)        Rebuilt – gray.

2)         Display the State of Illinois seal on the front side;

3)         Display on the front side a serial number that is unique to the COS.

4)         Display on the backside an area where required information shall be inserted by the CST (except trailer COS); and

5)         Display two numerical insert decals on the front side identifying the expiration month and year (except rebuilt vehicle COS).  Rebuilt COS are issued once and do not expire.

e)         COS shall not be duplicated, altered, manufactured, or created by any manner or means unless specifically done under contract with the Department.

f)         COS expire at midnight on the last day of the month indicated by the numerical month insert decal applied to the COS.  COSs that are applied to vehicles displaying a USDOT number expire 12 months from the date the safety test was performed.

g)         School bus COS expire at midnight on the last day of the month indicated by the numerical month insert decal applied on the COS or when the odometer reading on the bus exceeds the mileage found on the mileage inspection due line on the backside of the COS.

h)         No owner or CST shall issue, nor shall any person accept, obtain or attempt to obtain a COS for a vehicle which has not completely passed a safety test.

1)         Possession by a vehicle owner or operator of a COS which is not firmly affixed to a vehicle, or is affixed in any other location than the prescribed location, shall be prima facie evidence of obtaining a COS without a proper safety test.  Possession of such COS indicates the CST did not perform a proper safety test.

2)         If as the result of an Administrative Hearing or the filing of a voluntary waiver of hearing and a plea of guilty, the Secretary of the Department makes a determination of a defendant's guilt, the serial number associated with each COS illegally obtained as prescribed in subsection (h)(1) shall be reported by the owner to the local police department where the OTS or OMSTC is located.

3)         The Department assumes no liability for the cost of reinspection of a vehicle from which a COS has been illegally issued or illegally obtained.

4)         Each COS illegally issued or illegally obtained shall be a separate, distinct violation of this Part.

i)          Each COS issued by an OTS or OMSTC shall be accounted for on the appropriate corresponding VIR.

j)          The COS shall be affixed by the CST in numerical sequence by book, starting with the lowest serial number and proceeding in strict ascending order through the highest serial number. Such numerical progression shall be directly related to the passage of time and date of tests performed.

k)         Two numerical insert decals applied to the COS shall indicate the month and the year of expiration.

l)          COS shall be written upon only as prescribed by the Department.  The backside of the COS shall be completed by the CST before the COS is affixed to the vehicle.  The following information shall be completed on the backside of the corresponding COS:

1)         Truck – license plate number, OTS or OMSTC identification number, CST identification number, and CST signature.

2)         School bus – date of inspection, mileage inspection due OTS or OMSTC identification number, CST identification number, and CST signature.

3)         Rebuilt – date of inspection and CST signature.

m)        No OTS or OMSTC shall borrow, purchase or receive any COS from another OTS or OMSTC.  No OTS or OMSTC shall lend, sell, or give any COS to another OTS or OMSTC.  All COS shall be obtained from the Department.

n)         A COS shall not be issued to any vehicle not subject to the Illinois Vehicle Inspection Law or this Part as identified in Section 451.20(b).

o)         Certificates of Safety shall be applied as follows:

1)         Vehicles with windshields – Applied to clear glass as close as practicable to the extreme bottom of the windshield directly in line with the steering column.

Exception:  If the application or removal of the COS may cause damage to the vehicle (e.g., electronic defroster or heads-up display), the COS may be applied near the left side windshield pillar as low as practicable but must not obstruct the driver's view.

2)         Trailers – Directly to a permanent part on the exterior surface of the trailer.  The COS shall be affixed to the left side of the trailer vehicle at the lower corner of the leading edge above the bump rail, as defined in Section 451.15.  If no permanent part of the body exists, the COS can be affixed to the bump rail.  The front of the COS shall face at approximately ninety degrees from the body of the vehicle.

3)         Rebuilt trailers and motorcycles (without windshields):

A)        Remove the protective coating from the front of the COS;

B)        Write the date the safety test was performed on the front side of the COS with black or blue permanent marker.  Do not cover any part of the serial numbers on the COS;

C)        Reapply the protective coating (or apply clear packing tape) to the front of the COS;

D)        Staple the COS to the vehicles' copy of the VIR.

p)         COS are void when removed from the vehicle. Any voided COS cannot be reaffixed to the same or any vehicle.

q)         If the original COS is destroyed within 60 days of the original test due to the replacement of the vehicle's windshield, the vehicle shall return to the original issuing OTS or OMSTC.

1)         The original OTS or OMSTC shall issue a replacement COS for the fee established by statute in IVC Section 13-110 provided the vehicle owner returns the original COS that displays the complete serial number.  If the complete serial number is not present on the COS, a copy of the VIR that displays the complete serial number can be presented with the illegible COS.  The replacement COS shall expire the same month and year as the original COS.  The CST will complete a new VIR to record and document the replacement COS.

2)         If more than 60 days has elapsed since the original test, a complete safety test shall be performed.

3)         A police report shall be presented to the OTS or OMSTC by the driver of a vehicle who requests a replacement for a lost or stolen Certificate of Safety.  The police report shall be submitted to the Department along with the serial number of the COS replacing the lost or stolen COS, if applicable.

r)          COS shall be issued to an OTS or OMSTC by the Department only after the appropriate fee has been collected.  The exact number of COS will be issued for the fees received.

s)         The following procedures shall be followed when ordering COS:

1)         COS orders and payment shall be submitted using the electronic payment system established by the State of Illinois and utilized by the Department.  (i.e., Illinois State Treasurer's E-Pay system) Fees authorized by the Section 13-110(b) of IVC shall be paid to:  Treasurer, State of Illinois, by the OTS or OMSTC for each COS.  The OTS or OMSTC shall only charge the authorized fee for issuing a COS.

2)         Delivery of COS shall only be made to the address listed on the permit.

t)          Inventory requirements for OTSs and OMSTCs:

1)         OTSs and OMSTCs shall maintain a supply of COS and numerical insert decals to issue to both originally tested vehicles and vehicles returning for retest.

2)         If the original OTS or OMSTC does not have a supply of COS to issue to a rejected vehicle being returned for retest, the test fee shall be refunded to the vehicle owner.

u)         COS shall be stored in a locked place within the OTS, OMSTC, or a vehicle operated by an OMSTC to perform safety tests.

v)         Reporting requirements for COS lost or stolen from an OTS or OMSTC:

1)         The owner shall, without delay, notify the police agency in the jurisdiction where the OTS or OMSTC is located of the loss or theft of any COS.  The owner shall obtain a report from the police agency notified.

2)         The owner shall notify the Department without delay at email provided in Section 451.40 giving OTS or OMSTC name, identification number, and serial numbers of the COS that were lost or stolen.

3)         The Owner shall complete the Report of Lost or Stolen Safety Certificates form (BIC 1241). The original form is to be emailed to the Department at email address provided in Section 451.40 along with the corresponding police report.

4)         COS that are lost or stolen from an OTS or OMSTC shall not be replaced by the Department.  It is the responsibility of the owner to file a claim with the appropriate party.

w)        COS that are mutilated, destroyed, or voided while being applied by a CST shall not be returned to the Department for replacement COS or refund of the fee of the COS.  The owner shall submit the original mutilated COS to the Department along with a completed Defective, Mutilated, or Replacement COS Report.

x)         COS that are manufactured with a defect can be returned for replacement COS.  The owner shall complete and submit the Defective, Mutilated, or Replacement COS Report and attach the returned COS to the form.  Defective COS shall display a complete serial number to qualify for replacement.  The Department will mail replacement COS to the owner in intervals of 10 COS.  OTS and OMSTCs will receive credit for defective COS returned to the Department which must be used toward the OTS's next COS order once the credit is at 10 or more (one book of COS).

y)         When an OTS or OMSTC permanently closes, the owner shall submit a written request to the Department at the email provided in Section 451.40 in order to obtain any refund monies due to the owner for unused COS.  The request shall include the OTSs or OMSTCs current IRS W-9 form.  An inspector will collect any unused COS, the permit, CST certificates, and all property of the Department.  The Department will submit the OTSs or OMSTCs refund to the State of Illinois Comptroller within 30 days of the Department receiving the refund request.

(Source:  Amended at 49 Ill. Reg. 15244, effective November 13, 2025)