California smog check rules
Who needs one, who is exempt, and what to do in Lomita 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.
Gas, hybrid, and alternative-fuel cars eight model years old and newer skip the renewal test. You pay a smog abatement fee with registration instead. There is no model-year exception for diesels.
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 rating
- Natural gas, propane, and LNG over 14,000 lbs gross vehicle weight rating
- Electric vehicles
- Two-cylinder and smaller engines
- Two-stroke engines, except rotary
- Motorcycles
Everything else registered in California is in the program, though rural change-of-ownership areas require a check only when a car is sold or first registered here, not every other year.
What it costs
The state does not set the inspection price. Each station picks its own, so it moves by city and by shop. Every station also charges a $8.25 state certificate fee on top.
In Lomita 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.
Gas, hybrid, and alternative-fuel cars four model years old and newer are exempt. The buyer pays a smog transfer fee at DMV instead.
Buying from a dealer? The pass can be up to two years old.
Transfers between immediate family members need no test.
Look up a car's smog history
California keeps smog check results on record. Looking one up is free.
Enter a VIN or a plate. Plates change, so the VIN is better.
Check a vehicle's history at BAR
Records update nightly, so today's test shows up tomorrow.
Run the VIN before you buy used. Ask the seller for the inspection report too.
A fail followed by a pass is just a repair that worked.
A gross polluter is a car that failed by a wide margin.
Only a STAR station or a state referee can certify one.
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, or a state referee, can certify the vehicles the state directs to them.
If the notice stays quiet, any smog station can test you.
No Lomita station is on the STAR list. A STAR notice means driving out of town.
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.
3 of Lomita's 7 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.
Lomita stations that can repair and retest in one stop:
- Lomita Auto Services 2000 Lomita Blvd #1
- Nery's Auto Repair 2429 Lomita Blvd
- Leos Auto Repair 1860 Pacific Coast Hwy
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.
Apply first and wait for your letter of eligibility. BAR will not reimburse repairs started before it arrives.
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