CARB explains smog-check contingency the San Joaquin trigger; BAR and DMV to implement changes by 2027

The California Air Resources Board laid out how a federally approved smog-check "contingency" measure would work in areas that fail to meet national air-quality standards, telling the Bureau of Automotive Repair (BAR) advisory group that the change could be in effect for the San Joaquin Valley by early 2027.

"When this measure is triggered in a nonattainment area, one model year of the exemptions from smog check will be removed," said Ariel Fiddledine of the California Air Resources Board, explaining that an area-by-area trigger would change the exemption from 8 model years to 7 — and a subsequent trigger could move it to 6.

Why it matters: contingency measures are held "on the shelf" to be implemented automatically if EPA finds a failure to attain or a missed milestone; once EPA 's finding becomes effective CARB has committed to notify BAR and DMV within 30 days and to begin implementation within the 1-to-2 year window required for federally creditable reductions.

Fiddledine noted the federal Clean Air Act consequences for failing to meet SIP commitments and emphasized that contingency measures must be already adopted and able to take effect without additional board action. She said EPA approved CARB 's smog-check contingency measure into California 's SIP in 2024, and that EPA published a finding that the San Joaquin Valley failed to attain the 80 ppb 8-hour ozone standard effective Oct. 27, 2025.

CARB staff said they are coordinating with BAR and DMV on implementation details and public outreach, including ZIP-code definitions of affected areas and FAQs. "We will work really closely with BAR and DMV both to implement this measure," Fiddledine said, adding that the exemptions would be removed at the start of a calendar year and that staff target the beginning of 2027 for the San Joaquin Valley.

Costs and modeling: CARB described the existing fee and cost structure for SmogCheck: an annual smog-abatement fee of $25 for 7- and 8-year-old model vehicles (about $21 of which goes to the Carl Moyer program and $4 to BAR), a certification fee of $8.25, and an average inspection cost around $68; BAR data cited an average repair cost of approximately $770. CARB staff said earlier modeling (from the measure's 2023 adoption) estimated a roughly 4.5% failure rate for 8-year vehicles and a 9% overall failure rate, and that the emissions reductions from bringing additional vehicles into the inspection/repair system were estimated to exceed the emissions benefits that would be lost by reducing Carl Moyer funding tied to the abatement fee.

Questions and follow-up: advisory members and the public asked for more granular failure-mode data (what components or codes drive the 4.5% failure rate), how the change would affect the Carl Moyer funding pipeline, and whether a targeted, area-specific trigger is fair to the San Joaquin Valley. CARB and BAR said they would provide the requested numbers and work jointly on outreach and programming changes to allow industry and motorists time to prepare.

Next steps: CARB will continue coordinating with BAR and DMV on implementation logistics and public messaging; BAR staff said they will examine budget impacts (how many motorists would move from the abatement-fee cohort into active SmogCheck obligations) and the advisory group recommended that BAR and CARB publish clear, local outreach materials describing which ZIP codes and counties would be affected.

The advisory group took public comment and asked for follow-up data; CARB reaffirmed it will supply more detailed failure-rate and cost-effectiveness analyses to BAR staff.