History of the Smog Check Program

The first “Smog Check” program was implemented in March 1984. It came about as a result of “SB 33” which was passed in 1982. The program included a biennial and change of ownership testing, “BAR 84” idle emissions test plus a visual and functional inspection of various emission control components, a $50 repair cost limit, licensing shops to perform smog checks and mechanic certification for emissions repair competence. The program is generally known as “BAR 84” program. Motor vehicles from the 1966 model year and beyond were subjected to Smog Check I. If you wonder what a STAR smog check is, please go to the end of this article.

In 1997 important laws were passed that made significant changes to Smog Check II.

• AB 57 created a financial assistance program.
• AB 208 provided funding for low-income assistance and vehicle retirement
• AB 1492 exempted vehicles less than four years old from the biennial smog check
• AB 42 exempted vehicles manufactured before 1974 from smog check testing. Also required that vehicles 30 years old or older be exempt from the Smog Check program starting in 2004. AB 42 established a brief rolling chassis exemption until it was repealed in 2006 where 1976 and newer vehicles were subjected to emission testing.

How do I find a STAR smog check? Please see the end of this article.

In 1999, “AB 1105” made additional changes to the program. It authorized but did not require the Bureau of Automotive Repairs (BAR) to exempt vehicles up to six years old from the biennial smog check and gave the agency authorization to except additional vehicles by low-emitter profiling (Schwartz). It also created additional changes to the repair assistance program and provided BAR with increased flexibility for how much to pay drivers whose vehicle failed the smog check so that the vehicle may be scrapped.

In 2010 the Air Resource Board and the Bureau of Automotive Repair jointly sponsored legislation, “AB 2289”, that is designed to improve the program to reduce air pollution through “the use of new technologies that provide considerable time and cost savings to consumers while at the same time improving consumer protections by adopting more stringent fine structures to respond to stations and technicians that perform improper and incomplete inspections”. The bill, which passed and will take effect in 2013, will allow for a major upgrade in technologies used to test vehicle emissions. According to ARB Chairman, Mary D. Nichols, “[t]his new and improved program will have the same result as taking 800,000 vehicles away from California residents, also resulting in a more cost effective program for California motorists”. One way the program would reduce costs is by taking advantage of on-board diagnostic (OBDII) technology that has been installed on new vehicles since 1996. The program will eliminate tailpipe testing of post-1999 vehicles and instead use the vehicle’s own emissions monitoring systems. This system has saved consumers in 22 states time and money. Vehicles manufactured in the model years between 1976 and 1999 are now requirements a more stringent dynamo meter-based tail-pipe test than was previously required. A high number of vehicles in this range have begun to fail the emissions test with the arrival of their first test-year under the new rule; some question the influence of the automotive industry on the new rule and the inherent push and perceived unfair requirement to purchase a new or near-new vehicle to replace an otherwise functional and OBDII compliant vehicle.

If your vehicle has been selected to undergo a  STAR smog check don’t be worried. Simply locate a convenient STAR certified smog station and proceed with the inspection. The smog technician conducting the test can inform you of any serious issues. There are several hundred STAR smog stations throughout California and you can find one in your area using our  website.