We have a few general FAQs if you are wondering about the California Smog Abatement Fee and California’s Smog Check program. Essentially, this program ensures that all vehicles meet the emission levels established in state law. If not, the vehicle is not permitted to be operated until it passes a Smog Check inspection. However, a separate program exists in which specific cars are exempt from these tests. These vehicles pay an annual smog abatement fee instead of regular checks and are referred to as Conditional Exempt Vehicles (CEVs).
The smog abatement fee in California saves you a lot of time, trouble, and money. It is the fee that you pay instead of getting your car smogged. But do you qualify for this program?
What Is The California Smog Abatement Fee
In most California cities, you must provide a smog certificate every other year to the DMV. However, if your car is six years old or less, then the state of California assumes that your car is going to pass the smog certification test. For the first six years, you will pay a smog abatement fee of $20 for this car. Let’s learn more about the smog abatement fee in California and how it works there.
The fee you pay to skip getting that smog certification might or might not save you money, depending on the smog price for your car. If your cost is only $35.00 for your car every other year, you will save money just getting the smog. However, it is a hassle to have done. Most people would rather pay the yearly fee with their registration; additionally, if an adjustment should need to your car for some reason, of course, that costs an additional charge. With the abatement program, you avoid having to deal with that.
Changes to the Fee in 2019
Legislation effective January 1, 2019, makes the following changes to the smog program and abatement fee:
- Exempts vehicles eight or fewer model years old in a biennial smog check area from smog certification.
- Requires an annual $25 smog abatement fee for vehicles seven and eight model years old.
- Exempts seven model-year-old vehicles (2012 model year vehicles) that obtained a smog certificate in 2018 from paying a smog abatement fee.
- The current annual $20 smog abatement fee for vehicles six or fewer model years old remains in effect.
You don’t have to worry about when you will have to start getting those certificates again. Your car’s registration renewal notice will have a notice on it letting you know that you will need to get one that year.
Where Smog Certificates Happen
When your car gets a little older and tired, the smog abatement fee will no longer be an option for you. You will need to take your car in to get a smog certification every other year. If your registration renewal says it is that time, stop by A1 Performance Auto Repair. We often have specials for smog certification to save you a little cash.
Can you pay for your car registration without the smog check?
Technically you can’t renew your vehicle’s registration without a smog check, but you can pay your renewal fees. You may pay your vehicle registration renewal fees without a smog check, but you’ll receive your new registration card and sticker after a passing smog check is obtained.
Understanding Abatement Costs:
Abatement costs can negatively impact company earnings and decrease a company’s public image’s positivity as consumers demand greener practices. Especially for specific industries, abatement costs can significantly impact a company. For example, when an industrial company requires the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to clean up pollution accumulated by a company’s manufacturing, mining, processing, or waste discharge site, it will undoubtedly involve abatement costs.
When discussing abatement fees, the term “marginal abatement cost” also refers to the marginal benefit of achieving an efficient pollution reduction—calculating the marginal abatement cost curve, also known as the MAC curve MACC. It’s a process that involves mapping out the cost-effectiveness of greenhouse gas emissions reductions—for example, weighing a company’s toxic waste against initiatives that may have reforestation in a fund.
Example of a Smog Abatement Cost
The EPA currently classifies a 200-mile portion of the Hudson River in New York as one of the largest Superfund sites in the country. For 30 years ending in 1977, the EPA banned polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Approximately 1.3 million pounds of PCBs were discharged into the Hudson River from two General Electric (GE) capacitor manufacturing plants in Fort Edward and Hudson Falls, New York.
Final Thoughts on the California Smog Abatement Fee
This article covers the California Smog Abatement Fee and why you should pay attention to it if you live in California. It also covers a few ideas for saving money on your fee and finding out how much you might owe if your vehicle needs to be smogged. I hope this might be helpful for those who need the information.
