More cars now exempt from emissions testing in North Carolina; this time, it’s old ones
If your car is at least 20 years old, you’ll no longer need to get it tested for emissions in North Carolina starting Dec. 1.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency this fall agreed with state legislators that it’s not necessary to test the emissions equipment on cars and trucks older than 20 years. The General Assembly approved the change in 2017, contingent on the EPA’s blessing.
Previously, state law exempted emissions testing on vehicles made in 1995 or earlier. The new law sets a rolling age of 20 years, so a new model year will qualify for the exemption every Dec. 1, starting this year with 1999.
The change was part of a broader regulatory reform bill signed into law by Gov. Roy Cooper in May 2017. That law also ended emissions testing in 26 counties, on top of the 52 where it was already unnecessary.
That leaves 22 counties where emissions testing is still required, including in the Triangle region Wake, Durham, Johnston, Franklin and Alamance. Cars and trucks less than three years old are also exempt in those counties, as long as they have less than 70,000 miles on the odometer. The annual emissions inspection costs $30.
Cars and trucks in every county are still subject to annual safety inspections before their registration is renewed. The fee for that is $13.60. For more information, go to www.ncdot.gov/dmv/title-registration.
The goal of emissions testing is to identify and make repairs to cars and trucks with high emissions of pollutants such as nitrogen oxides that cause ozone, the main ingredient of smog. Ozone levels have been decreasing for years, thanks to cleaner burning fuels and stricter emissions standards for new cars and trucks, factories and power plants.
This story was originally published November 19, 2019 at 4:02 PM.
