NG_LT1

Hello,

So heres the scenario for me;

I live in Mountain Home ID, and plan to PCS soon overseas for 1 year then come back to either Florida or Nellis as a follow-on. My Camaro is registered in Mountain Home which doesn't require smog testing. However the car will be stored in California with my parents.

My Dad does SMOG inspections and says that it would have to be smog checked because it's Federal Law. If I continue registering the vehicle in Mountain Home wouldn't that exempt me from emission tests even if I'm storing or "passing through" a state?

Is he right?


Now before I'm directed to find the solution on the DMV site or whichever site, I've been looking at Mountain Homes lackluster site which eludes to no smog inspections but I'd like to know what the Federal law says about this.

I hope this all makes some sense.

Jerrymichaels7

As long as you register it in ID, you do not have to smog it in a different state...If i ever get a base in cali my car will be registered back home as to avoid smog crap

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

Federal law doesn't have anything to do with individual state testing requirements and processes. In fact, there is no federal mandate for any sort of recurring emissions testing for vehicles once they are sold to consumers. Federal law calls for an FTP (federal test proceedure) for all engine/chassis configurations that are offered to the public by OEMs, but not for each individual car. It's federally illegal to change any mechanical part of a vehicle, from the air filter to the tail pipe, with an item that deviates from OE specifications (meaning all mechanical modifications are technically illegal as far as the Feds/Clean Air Act are considered) unless you can prove that there is no increase in tail pipe emissions beyond the original configuration via the successful completion of an FTP at your expense.

Having said that, the feds don't have the resources tp chase down individual cars or owners, nor do they have any process in place for recurring testing of any privately owned vehicles.

All that really matters in this regard is what you can get away with in your particular state. If your car is registered in ID and is wearing ID plates, I don't really see how you can be tested in CA just because the car happens to be stored there for a period of time. If nobody is even driving the car, how would CA even know that it's there? Driving it in and out of the state for storage is not a reason for them to test it. If it was being regularly operated in the state by a resident of the state, then they might have an arguement for forcing you to register the car in CA and pass CA smog, if they really wanted to press the issue. But for storage purposes though, I don't see that happening.

fruitsalad

iTrader: (5)

I'm assuming your home address is still going to be in Idaho and that you're going to maintain the Idaho registration and your Idaho insurance, and you are not going to live or even go into CA except for the purposes of storing the car. If all of my assumptions are correct, you don't need CA registration, and obviously they can't force you to smog it unless it's registered here. As far as I can remember there's nothing that states you have to get CA registration if you're storing it here. Will it be driven while it's here?

If you become a CA resident and bring in a car from out of state, under state law you have 20 days to register it in CA. You aren't going to be a CA resident though so that doesn't apply to you.

PlatnumStatuz

iTrader: (6)

federal law says emission systems are not to be removed or modified. My car was registered in NV while I was living in CA. Got harrased by the local pigs. One cop had a real hard on about it and said he would tow my **** if he ever saw me driving it again so I decided **** that and registered it in cali. You should have a DL from the state the car is registered in or the cops will give u a hard time. Also they will ask you how long you have been living in cali if they pull you over and if you dont give them the right answer they will tell you to register the car in CA and to get a CA DL.

NG_LT1

Gotcha, thanks guys. I was going to just continue registering the vehicle in Mountain Home. Also off topic, Does LS1tech have an IRC chat?