Fact Sheet on Smog Check Program
In an effort to further reduce air pollution in the Inland Empire, air quality officials have recommended a stricter Smog Check program in some growing communities in western Riverside and San Bernardino counties.
The South Coast Air Quality Management District's Governing Board recommended a more stringent Smog Check procedure in and around several communities including Murietta, Lake Elsinore, Perris, Idyllwild, Beaumont, Banning, Desert Hot Springs, Forest Falls, Lytle Creek and Running Springs. (See complete list below of communities and ZIP codes that would be affected.) The Board met last Friday.
"Motor vehicles are primarily responsible for roughly half of our smog-forming pollution," said Barry Wallerstein, AQMD's executive officer. "Reducing vehicle emissions by enhancing the Smog Check program is one of the most cost-effective methods available to us to clean the air."
If approved by the state Bureau of Automotive Repair (BAR), vehicles registered in the affected communities will switch from a "Basic" to a "Partially Enhanced" Smog Check program by the end of this year.
In a Basic Smog Check, a vehicle's emissions are tested at two idle speeds. In Partially Enhanced procedures, a vehicle is tested on a treadmill-type device, simulating actual driving conditions and providing a more accurate gauge of emissions. The "Enhanced" Smog Check program, in effect across most of the metropolitan Los Angeles area, adds a test-only component for 15 percent of vehicles. (See following fact sheet for details.)
The Partially Enhanced Smog Check would affect about 205,000 vehicles and could increase the price of a Smog Check test by about $10 to $15 and the cost of related repairs by about $23. However, about 45 percent of affected vehicle owners currently take their vehicles to Enhanced stations for convenience or other reasons, and therefore would not pay any additional amount.
In addition, Smog Check stations in the affected area would be required to use the treadmill-type equipment as well as new emissions analyzers, which could cost station owners $30,000 to $50,000 each. However, BAR is expected to require all stations to upgrade their analyzers by 2003, which accounts for up to half of the cost. In addition, some of the affected stations have already upgraded to the treadmill equipment for various reasons including improved emissions diagnostic capabilities, and would not have to purchase any additional equipment.
AQMD's enhancement of the Smog Check program is expected to reduce emissions of smog-forming volatile organic compounds by 0.5 tons per day; nitrogen oxides by 0.7 tons per day and carbon monoxide by 3.6 tons per day.
AQMD's action was prompted by the BAR's announcement last year that it would implement an Enhanced Smog Check program in Temecula this fall. State law requires that communities be subject to an Enhanced Smog Check program when their population exceeds 50,000. BAR officials suggested that the entire Inland Empire could be placed under uniform Smog Check requirements, instead of the current patchwork of different requirements in adjoining communities.
Parts of the San Bernardino Mountains, including the communities of Lake Arrowhead and Big Bear Lake, previously were considered for an enhanced Smog Check program, but requirements in those areas will not change under today's decision. A large percentage of vehicles in mountain communities are all-wheel-drive and cannot be tested on treadmill machines.
AQMD is the air pollution control agency for Orange County and major portions of Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Riverside counties.
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Fact Sheet on Stricter Smog Check Program
Cities and ZIP Codes Affected
Riverside County
Aguanga — 92536
Anza — 92539
Banning — 92220
Beaumont — 92223
Cabazon — 92230
Desert Hot Springs — 92240, 92241
Homeland — 92548
Idyllwild — 92549
Lake Elsinore — 92530 – 92532
Mecca — 92254
Menifee — 92584
Mountain Center — 92561
Murrieta — 92562 –92564
North Palm Springs — 92258
Perris — 92570-92572, 92599
Sun City — 92585-92587
Thousand Palms — 92276
Wildomar — 92595
Winchester — 92596
San Bernardino County
Angelus Oaks — 92305
Lytle Creek — 92358
Forest Falls — 92339
Running Springs — 92382
Smog Check Test Requirements in Southern California
|
Type |
Features |
Where Used Now |
|
Basic |
Static test measuring vehicle's carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrocarbon (HC) emissions at two idle speeds |
Currently in communities under 50,000 population |
|
Partially Enhanced |
"Treadmill" test measuring CO, HC and nitrogen oxides |
Proposed in Inland Empire ZIP codes listed above |
|
Enhanced |
Same as partially enhanced, but with additional provision that 15 percent of vehicles must be tested at "test only" stations that cannot perform repairs. |
All of Los Angeles and Orange counties, and communities with more than 50,000 population in Riverside and San Bernardino counties |
Background on Smog Check
Under California's Smog Check program, administered by the state Bureau of Automotive Repair, vehicle owners in seriously polluted urban areas must take their vehicles to a licensed mechanic for inspection and testing every two years. Since its introduction in 1984, the Smog Check program has helped ensure that vehicle emission control devices are operating properly and have not been tampered with or removed.
For more information on the state Bureau of Automotive Repair's Smog Check program, see the agency's website at http://smogcheck.ca.gov/.
AQMD Home Page
This page updated: March 01, 2004
URL: http://www.aqmd.gov/news1/Smog_Check2002.htm