California Smog Requirements

[JKO_ZHP]

Hey all, so I got myself some BimmerBrakes GEN3 headers not too long ago and I've been wondering if I could get the car smogged early in CA so that I don't have to wait for the DMV to mail me the form for it later this year. I plan on getting them installed right after I pass smog, so at the bare minimum, I would have two years to enjoy them.
I checked, and it seems that the previous owner had the car smogged in April of 2012, with change of ownership as the reason (I have the physical document). According to CA's smog requirements, that would mean I'd need to smog sometime this year in 2014, every two years.

I went here: http://www.bar.ca.gov/pubwebquery/Vehicle/PubTstQry.aspx
And in my plate (JKOZHP) but it says no tests are found?
Does anyone know what this means? And will I have to wait until the DMV sends out the form to smog, or can I do it earlier?

Side note: I put in random plates, and it's funny how it reveals if the plate has been taken or not. (Ex: XCUZEM3, PARDNM3, etc.)

[Avetiso]

Hermes might know. I've also wondered if you could just get smogged early and party on your own schedule.

[trancenation]

The previous smog test may be in the system under the old plates that came with the car as opposed to the customized ones that you currently have. The dmv will send you a re-registration/smog notice about 2-3 months prior to the due date. From that time frame, you can get smogged and registered whenever you like (from the time you received notice until your due date that is).

If you check the month listed on your License plate, that is your registration month.

Hope this helps!

[derbo]

Change of ownership and out of state cars will require a smog. This is separate from the bi-annual smog test.


A smog certificate is ONLY valid for 90 days. After the 90days has passed, you will be required to re-smog again to give another 90days.

I used to deal with the Pre-owned cars at BMW SF and smogs were the biggest waste of times for us. We constantly buy out of state cars from Dealer only Auctions and have to deal with smogs on cars that are brand new...

[stephenkirsh]

I can only imagine the state of California won't be flexible like that, JKO.

Derbo that sounds ridiculous. But I guess I can't be surprised. This state hates cars.

[johnrando]

This is conjecture, but you can re-register your car whenever you want, so I imagine the same for SMOG. I would think you could get SMOGed, and pay for your registration, get your sticker, and you're done for two years. The reason I think this is they send re-registration notices way early... and what if you were in a job where you had to be overseas like the military? They must allow for that somehow.

[JKO_ZHP]

The previous smog test may be in the system under the old plates that came with the car as opposed to the customized ones that you currently have. The dmv will send you a re-registration/smog notice about 2-3 months prior to the due date. From that time frame, you can get smogged and registered whenever you like (from the time you received notice until your due date that is).

If you check the month listed on your License plate, that is your registration month.

Hope this helps!

Thanks for the info - I completely forgot about that.
The previous owner's plate was also customized - GTPLANB
Last smog check was done on 04/12/2012 at 11:18 AM.

Guess this means that I'll have to wait around two more months before headers go in...

[derbo]

I can only imagine the state of California won't be flexible like that, JKO.

Derbo that sounds ridiculous. But I guess I can't be surprised. This state hates cars.


Unfortunately the highest population state means there is alot more cars on the road here than most states. If California isn't strict, I'm sure the quality of air would be far more subpar than it already is.. Can't believe I just supported California's Air Resource Board... I must stop driving the Prius..


This is conjecture, but you can re-register your car whenever you want, so I imagine the same for SMOG. I would think you could get SMOGed, and pay for your registration, get your sticker, and you're done for two years. The reason I think this is they send re-registration notices way early... and what if you were in a job where you had to be overseas like the military? They must allow for that somehow.

Rando, that definitely sounds true.


Here is what I know about smogs in CA:


Out of state cars require a smog when first entering the state.
4 year or newer cars do not require a smog for transfer of title.
6 year or older cars do not require a bi-annual smog. They pay a seperate abatement fee to waive the inspection.
Registration can be paid without a smog certificate to avoid late fees. However no sticker will be provided until a smog certificate is submitted.
Smog certificates are only valid for 90days.
If a family member (parents, sibling, grandparents only) transfer a title to you, the car is smog exempt for the transfer.
Diesel require smogs (its really a OBD check really) for out of state or change of registration regardless if it is 4+ or 6+ newer.


I think that is all of them.

In JKO situation, I would imagine he COULD do a smog 90days prior to when he pays his registration. Usually he won't know his registration amount until the notice arrives.

[stephenkirsh]

Yea I live in the Bay Area. I know all about it. But I get frustrated when I need to pay money to get my SULEV smogged just as often as any other car. It's cleaner than any non-SULEV hybrid!

[JKO_ZHP]

Prius.

:shift

Hehe I hope you pardon my contributing to the "L.A. haze" in the future....