Smog check rules, in plain words
Short guides for California station owners. Each one links to the BAR, DMV or CARB page it comes from.
Which test a car needs
- California smog check test types: OBD, ASM and two-speed idleA car gets an OBD, ASM or two-speed idle test depending on its model year, its fuel and the program area. The rule comes from BAR’s Smog Check Manual.
- Which cars are exempt from a California smog checkSome vehicles never need a California smog check, and newer cars skip it for their first years. The rules come from the DMV and BAR.
- Which cars need a BAR-97 tailpipe testWhich vehicles get a tailpipe test on the BAR-97 instead of the OBD test, and how the program area picks ASM or two-speed idle. From BAR’s Smog Check Manual.
- Clean Truck Check and smog stationsWhat CARB’s Clean Truck Check means for diesel and alternative fuel trucks over 14,000 lbs, and where a smog station fits in.
- Smog check rules for a change of ownershipSmog check rules when a California car changes owners: who gets the test, the four-year rule, family transfers and the 90-day window.
Running your station
- What a BAR-compliant smog check invoice must showWhat BAR says a California smog check invoice must show: your shop, every part and service, the totals, the approvals and the inspection report.
- The $8.25 smog certificate feeThe $8.25 smog certificate fee: who pays it, what it buys, how stations order certificates, and what BAR says about the estimate and invoice.
- How to get a smog check station licenseThe BAR licenses a California smog check station needs, test-only versus test-and-repair, the steps and fees, and the official forms.
- STAR certification for smog check stationsWhat BAR’s STAR certification is, who is eligible, the Follow-up Pass Rate, and why it decides whether you can test directed vehicles.
Check a car by its VIN
Type a VIN and see whether the car needs a smog check, and which test. It follows the same rules as these guides.
Check a VIN