No certificate of inspection shall be removed from a vehicle or a mass transit vehicle for which the certificate was issued except to replace it with a new certificate of inspection issued in accordance with the provisions of this chapter or as follows:

(1) The police officer may remove a certificate of inspection in accordance with the provisions of section 4703(f) (relating to operation of vehicle without official certificate of inspection).

(2) A person replacing a windshield or repairing a windshield in such a manner as to require removal of a certificate of inspection shall at the option of the registrant of the vehicle or the owner of a mass transit vehicle cut out the portion of the windshield containing the certificate and deliver it to the registrant of the vehicle or the owner of the mass transit vehicle or destroy the certificate. The vehicle or the mass transit vehicle may be driven for up to five days if it displays the portion of the old windshield containing the certificate as prescribed in department regulations. Within the five day period an official inspection station may affix to the vehicle or mass transit vehicle another certificate of inspection for the same inspection period without reinspecting the vehicle or mass transit vehicle in exchange for the portion of the old windshield containing the certificate of inspection. A fee of no more than $2 plus the fee paid to the department may be charged for exchanging the certificate of inspection.

(3) A salvor shall remove and destroy the current certificate of inspection on every vehicle processed as abandoned in the salvor's possession except vehicles owned by the salvor or used in the operation of the business of the salvor.

(4) Every applicant for a certificate of salvage or nonrepairable certificate pursuant to Subchapter D of Chapter 11 (relating to salvage vehicles, theft vehicles, reconstructed vehicles and flood vehicles) shall remove and destroy the current certificate of inspection.

(5) For the purposes of administering the requirements of regulations promulgated by the department, a qualified Commonwealth employee or an authorized department representative may remove an unauthorized, expired or unlawfully issued certificate of inspection or a certificate of inspection issued for a covert audit.

(June 18, 1980, P.L.223, No.67, eff. imd.; May 26, 1982, P.L.435, No.129, eff. imd.; Apr. 16, 1992, P.L.169, No.31, eff. 60 days; Dec. 9, 2002, P.L.1278, No.152)

2002 Amendment. Act 152 amended the entire section, effective immediately as to par. (5) and 60 days as to the remainder of the section.