If you are active duty military or a military veteran, you still need a smog inspection for your vehicle. If your car fails the smog inspection, you should contact the Bureau of Automotive Repair Referee Program. The purpose of the Smog Check is to ensure that the vehicle meets the required limits for emissions for California. This keeps the air and environment clean us and for our future generations. If you sell it as a running vehicle when the registration is not current, the buyer will have to register it.
Your vehicle must have been registered in California for at least the last two years. A loose gas cap can also cause you to fail the smog check. To find a vehicle's Smog Check history, enter either the Vehicle Identification Number or license plate number below. The California Air Resources Board created the Gross Polluter category to identify and encourage heavy polluters of air that exceed standards. These are some bad vehicles who need immediate attention from auto mechanics.
Understand that “valid" means the certification is within 90 days of the issuance date. The web pages currently in English on the DMV website are the official and accurate source for the program information and services the DMV provides. Any discrepancies or differences created in the translation are not binding and have no legal effect for compliance or enforcement purposes. If any questions arise related to the information contained in the translated website, please refer to the English version. The content currently in English is the official and accurate source for the program information and services DMV provides. If any questions arise related to the information contained in the translated content, please refer to the English version.
Most cars will complete in 100 to 200 miles but there are sometimes exceptions. Make an appointment at a Referee station and bring documentation of two failed smog tests and receipts for money spent on repairs at a licensed smog repair station as well as diagnostics. If you meet the qualifications, you will be granted a waiver that allows you to pass the test without the repairs. In California,smog checks are mandatory every other year for vehicles that are more than eight years old. Apart from this, if you are selling a vehicle that is more than four years old or want to register an out-of-state vehicle for the first time in California, you will need a smog check.
Once your vehicle passes inspection, you'll receive a smog inspection certificate to present to the CA DMV when you register or renew your vehicle registration. Generally, most smog check stations also report inspections to the DMV electronically. This helps in case you want to renew your registration via mail or online. STAR smog stations will be able to issue a certificate of compliance to a vehicle passing a smog check when a motorist is referred by the DMV to such a station for vehicle registration renewal. A non “star” station may not issue a certificate to the motorist’s vehicle. They may however, test and issue certificates to vehicles not directed by the DMV to a “STAR” smog check station.
Please refer to California Bureau of Automotive Repair website where you can enter license plate or vehicle identification number to check the history. Specially constructed vehicles model year 1976 and newer. Reviews inspection results, inspects unusual vehicles, and more.
The DMV will inform the buyer that the registration is not valid and it needs a smog cert. You must not be in the process of selling the vehicle or registering it in the State of California for the first time. Functional inspection of the vehicle’s check engine light, ignition timing, exhaust gas recirculation system, fuel evaporative system, and visible smoke.
STAR inspections will vary in price a little depending on the location or your automobile. These are typicallybetween $29.95 and $59.95 plus the state Smog Test fee. If you received the DMV registration renewal paper saying “SMOG Certification Required at a STAR station”, you are at the right place.
Forcounties requiring a smog inspection, the CA DMV employs a biennial smog certification program; meaning, your qualifying vehicle must undergo a smog check every 2 years. Your registration renewal reminder should indicate whether it's time for your smog inspection. Smog test only stations are not allowed to profit or perform any auto repairs, whether smog check related or not. In the past smog test only centers typically charged more for their smog inspection in order to cover their expenses. The state of California has stringent laws around vehicle inspections.