California smog check rules
Who needs one, who is exempt, and what to do in San Luis Obispo when you fail.
Do you need one?
California asks for a smog check every other year, at registration renewal.
Your DMV renewal notice tells you when yours is due.
Cars eight model years old and newer skip the test. You pay a smog abatement fee with registration instead.
Add eight to your model year and you have the first check. A 2019 comes due in 2027.
Vehicles that never need one
Some vehicles are out of the program for good:
- Gasoline, hybrid, and alternative-fuel: 1975 and older
- Diesel: 1997 and older
- Diesel over 14,000 lbs gross vehicle weight
- Natural gas over 14,000 lbs gross vehicle weight
- Electric vehicles
- Motorcycles
Everything else registered in California is in the program.
What it costs
The state does not set the price. Each station picks its own, so it moves by city and by shop.
In San Luis Obispo it generally runs $40 to $70.
Buying or selling a car
The seller supplies the smog certificate, and it has to be under 90 days old.
Cars four model years old and newer are exempt. The buyer pays a smog transfer fee at DMV instead.
Transfers between immediate family members need no test.
Moving to California
You get 20 days to register after you move here.
An out-of-state car needs a smog check to register, and the eight-year exemption does not apply to it.
It also has to be certified to California emissions standards. Check the label under the hood.
When DMV requires a STAR station
Your renewal notice either says STAR or it does not.
STAR stations meet higher state performance standards. Only they can certify the vehicles the state directs to them.
If the notice stays quiet, any smog station can test you.
4 of San Luis Obispo's 23 stations are STAR certified:
- Wrona's Quality Auto Repair, LLC 109 South St
- Jc Automotive 2923 S Higuera St Unit C
- Villas South Street Service 34 South St
- San Luis Auto Repair & Smog 426 Higuera St
Test-only vs test & repair
Test-only stations inspect. They cannot do the repairs.
Test-and-repair stations do both.
Repair-only shops fix cars but cannot certify them.
23 of San Luis Obispo's 23 stations can also do the repairs.
If you fail
You leave with a vehicle inspection report listing why it failed.
Fix what the report names, then come back for a retest.
Go back to a STAR station if your notice said STAR. Otherwise any smog station can retest you.
The station sends the certificate to DMV. It is good for 90 days.
San Luis Obispo stations that can repair and retest in one stop:
- Reeves Automotive Repair 235 Tank Farm Road Unit C
- Wagners Import Service Center 202 Unit A Tank Farm Rd
- Morin Brothers Automotive 4090 Broad Street
- Continental Motor Works 1101 Laurel Ln
- Scotts Shop LLC 304 Higuera
- Sunset Honda 12250 Los Osos Rd
Help paying for repairs
California pays toward emissions repairs through the Consumer Assistance Program.
Up to $1,450 for a 1996 or newer car, up to $1,100 for 1976 through 1995.
There is an income limit: 225% of the federal poverty level. The car has to have failed its biennial check.
Repairs go through a STAR test-and-repair station under contract with the state, and you cover a co-payment.
The state will also pay to retire a car instead of repairing it.
Rules checked against BAR and DMV, August 2026. California Bureau of Automotive Repair · California DMV