Skip to Main Content
Visit www.ca.gov/lafires for information and resources for Californians impacted by the Los Angeles Fires.
Renewal Fee Postponement for Los Angeles Fire Survivors Information
CA.govCA.gov Logo image
Home Facebook Twitter YouTube
 Contact Us  Translate  Accessibility
Bureau of Automotive Repair Logo
  • Consumers
    • Consumer Assistance Program
    • Maintenance and repairs
    • Smog Check inspections
    • Safety systems inspections
    • Check inspection history
    • Get a collision repair inspection
    • Find an auto shop
    • Check a license
    • File a complaint
  • Licensees
    • News
    • Business licenses
    • Inspector/technician licenses
    • Training
    • Repairs and services
    • Safety systems
    • Smog Check
    • STAR
    • Laws and regulations
    • ET Blasts
    • Newsletter
  • Industry
    • News and updates
    • Certified training providers
    • Government fleet facilities
    • Cars for Schools program
    • Careers
  • Information
    • About BAR
    • BAR Advisory Group
    • Educational Advisory Group
    • Public workshops
    • Laws and regulations
    • Regulatory actions
    • Enforcement actions
    • Publications, reports, forms
    • Records requests
    • Join our email list
  • Online Services
    • Find an auto shop
    • Check a license
    • File a complaint
    • Check CAP application status
    • Submit CAP documentation
    • Search enforcement actions
    • Check STAR score
    • Apply for a business license
    • Apply for an individual license
    • Renew a license
    • Print a license
    • View all
Custom Google Search
  1. Home

Smog Check Executive Summary Report
April 2023

Download Data (.csv)
  • Initial Tests
  • Initial Test Failures
  • Certification
  • Inspection and Repair Costs
  • Stations and Technicians
  • Smog Check Requirements by Vehicle Type

Initial Tests

Testing Volume

Test Type Performed Failed Failure Rate
Initial Test 891,250 81,182 9.11%
All Tests 971,143 93,362 9.61%

Initial Tests Performed by STAR Stations

Vehicle Type Test-and-Repair Station Initial Tests Test-Only Station Initial Tests Test-and-Repair Station Certificates Issued Test-Only Station Certificates Issued
Directed 92,264 220,591 80,708 192,927
Non-Directed 144,037 270,753 132,032 249,790
Total 236,301 491,344 212,740 442,717

Initial Tests Performed by Non-STAR Stations

Vehicle Type Test-and-Repair Station Initial Tests Test-Only Station Initial Tests Test-and-Repair Station Certificates Issued Test-Only Station Certificates Issued
Directed 130 44 5 2
Non-Directed 121,546 22,730 113,299 21,062
Total 121,676 22,774 113,304 21,064

BAR-97 Initial Tests by Vehicle Model Year

Model Year Initial Tests Failed Overall Overall Failure Rate Emissions Failure Rate Gross Polluter Failure Rate Functional Failure Rate Visual Failure Rate OBDII Failure Rate
1976 373 83 22.25% 17.16% 8.04% 7.51% 3.22% NA
1977 484 108 22.31% 16.12% 4.75% 9.09% 4.96% NA
1978 582 129 22.16% 15.81% 4.64% 10.82% 5.50% NA
1979 632 141 22.31% 15.19% 5.85% 10.13% 3.96% NA
1980 329 61 18.54% 14.29% 5.47% 7.60% 4.86% NA
1981 373 92 24.66% 18.23% 7.24% 10.19% 4.29% NA
1982 359 76 21.17% 16.16% 4.46% 8.36% 2.51% NA
1983 513 123 23.98% 16.37% 6.24% 10.92% 5.46% NA
1984 882 201 22.79% 18.03% 6.58% 8.16% 4.20% NA
1985 1,164 250 21.48% 16.41% 5.07% 8.08% 4.38% NA
1986 1,471 322 21.89% 15.98% 5.23% 9.45% 4.21% NA
1987 1,713 401 23.41% 16.23% 6.01% 10.57% 5.08% NA
1988 1,904 381 20.01% 14.39% 5.09% 8.72% 3.20% NA
1989 2,517 553 21.97% 15.10% 4.09% 9.89% 3.62% NA
1990 2,890 604 20.90% 13.60% 3.56% 9.72% 4.08% NA
1991 3,343 691 20.67% 14.42% 4.04% 9.00% 2.96% NA
1992 3,225 610 18.91% 12.84% 3.07% 8.19% 2.88% NA
1993 3,816 862 22.59% 17.16% 4.38% 8.54% 3.20% NA
1994 4,778 1,052 22.02% 15.01% 2.64% 8.62% 4.10% NA
1995 6,676 1,300 19.47% 13.81% 2.38% 7.68% 2.97% NA
1996 5,799 1,157 19.95% 9.86% 1.43% 10.78% 3.54% 10.76%
1997 10,781 2,050 19.01% 8.77% 1.19% 10.96% 2.90% 10.96%
1998 10,903 2,105 19.31% 8.18% 1.33% 11.76% 2.99% 11.76%
1999 18,183 2,873 15.80% 5.41% 0.83% 10.36% 2.71% 10.35%
2000 294 28 9.52% 6.46% 3.40% 1.70% 3.74% 1.70%
2001 278 26 9.35% 4.32% 1.08% 3.24% 2.88% 3.24%
2002 263 21 7.98% 5.32% 1.90% 2.66% 1.14% 2.66%
2003 319 24 7.52% 3.76% 1.25% 2.19% 1.57% 2.19%
2004 309 16 5.18% 4.53% 1.94% 0.65% 0.32% 0.65%
2005 317 9 2.84% 1.58% 0.00% 0.63% 1.26% 0.63%
2006 338 16 4.73% 2.96% 0.89% 0.59% 1.48% 0.59%
2007 322 13 4.04% 3.11% 0.93% 0.31% 1.24% 0.31%
2008 209 13 6.22% 2.87% 0.00% 0.96% 2.39% 0.96%
2009 115 8 6.96% 2.61% 0.00% 1.74% 2.61% 1.74%
2010 78 2 2.56% 1.28% 1.28% 0.00% 1.28% 0.00%
2011 182 1 0.55% 0.00% 0.00% 0.55% 0.00% 0.55%
2012 128 3 2.34% 0.78% 0.78% 1.56% 0.00% 1.56%
2013 344 4 1.16% 0.58% 0.00% 0.29% 0.29% 0.29%
2014 164 2 1.22% 0.61% 0.61% 0.00% 0.61% 0.00%
2015 402 1 0.25% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.25% 0.00%
2016 57 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2017 61 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2018 49 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2019 38 1 2.63% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 2.63% 0.00%
2020 36 1 2.78% 0.00% 0.00% 2.78% 0.00% 2.78%
2021 44 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2022 142 1 0.70% 0.70% 0.70% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2023 69 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
All Model Years 88,248 16,415 18.60% 10.42% 2.31% 9.48% 3.14% 5.68%

Note: Some model year 1975 and older vehicles required a Referee inspection (for example, engine changes). Vehicle model years 2000 and newer were tested on the BAR-97 because they may not be compatible with the OIS test (for example, a non-OBD-II certified vehicle).

OIS Initial Tests by Vehicle Model Year

Model Year Initial Tests Failed Overall Overall Failure Rate Functional Failure Rate Visual Failure Rate OBDII Failure Rate OBDII Readiness Failure Rate Smoke and/or Liquid Leak Failure Rate
1996 2 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
1997 5 2 40.00% 20.00% 0.00% 20.00% 20.00% 0.00%
1998 150 22 14.67% 11.33% 4.67% 10.00% 5.33% 1.33%
1999 584 75 12.84% 11.13% 2.74% 10.79% 7.71% 0.34%
2000 18,293 3,188 17.43% 15.64% 3.33% 15.43% 11.61% 0.21%
2001 29,930 4,571 15.27% 13.69% 2.79% 13.52% 10.18% 0.17%
2002 23,214 3,281 14.13% 12.51% 2.74% 12.35% 8.71% 0.16%
2003 39,377 4,835 12.28% 10.63% 2.49% 10.39% 7.39% 0.23%
2004 30,469 3,920 12.87% 11.15% 2.58% 10.92% 7.63% 0.23%
2005 49,655 5,403 10.88% 9.26% 2.14% 9.10% 6.35% 0.16%
2006 34,818 3,907 11.22% 9.53% 2.31% 9.39% 6.36% 0.15%
2007 59,235 4,740 8.00% 6.76% 1.56% 6.64% 4.51% 0.12%
2008 33,853 2,881 8.51% 7.43% 1.46% 7.32% 5.05% 0.11%
2009 37,050 2,541 6.86% 6.12% 0.99% 6.05% 4.29% 0.07%
2010 26,455 2,268 8.57% 7.88% 0.96% 7.79% 3.60% 0.09%
2011 54,182 3,605 6.65% 6.10% 0.72% 6.04% 2.83% 0.06%
2012 29,724 2,610 8.78% 7.96% 1.08% 7.90% 3.36% 0.06%
2013 91,016 4,896 5.38% 4.83% 0.66% 4.81% 2.28% 0.02%
2014 29,549 2,162 7.32% 6.68% 0.81% 6.65% 2.96% 0.03%
2015 116,897 5,228 4.47% 4.02% 0.53% 4.00% 1.86% 0.03%
2016 15,747 783 4.97% 4.54% 0.44% 4.52% 2.43% 0.03%
2017 16,766 870 5.19% 4.90% 0.36% 4.87% 2.90% 0.02%
2018 15,850 683 4.31% 3.97% 0.37% 3.96% 2.68% 0.01%
2019 19,947 944 4.73% 4.52% 0.20% 4.51% 3.52% 0.01%
2020 11,188 508 4.54% 4.34% 0.21% 4.32% 3.36% 0.02%
2021 11,251 421 3.74% 3.57% 0.20% 3.57% 2.57% 0.00%
2022 5,311 224 4.22% 4.10% 0.13% 4.09% 3.16% 0.02%
2023 2,527 200 7.91% 7.91% 0.00% 7.91% 6.96% 0.00%
2024 2 1 50.00% 50.00% 0.00% 50.00% 50.00% 0.00%
Other 4 3 75.00% 0.00% 50.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
All Model Years 803,051 64,772 8.07% 7.15% 1.27% 7.06% 4.41% 0.09%

Note: Some model year 1999 and older vehicles required a Referee inspection, were tested at Beta stations, or were 1998/1999 model year diesels.

Initial Test Failures

Initial Test Failures by Failure Type

Failure Type OIS BAR-97
Failed Failure Rate Failed Failure Rate
All Emissions NA NA 9,192 10.42%
All Visual 10,229 1.27% 2,767 3.14%
All Functional 57,435 7.15% 8,362 9.48%
OBDII 56,730 7.06% 5,014 5.68%
Overall 64,772 8.07% 16,415 18.60%

Initial Test Failures by Program Area

Program Area OIS BAR-97
Initial Tests Failed Failure Rate Initial Tests Failed Failure Rate
Enhanced 695,949 56,262 8.08% 73,802 14,109 19.12%
Partial 39,382 3,181 8.08% 4,282 855 19.97%
Basic 62,568 4,888 7.81% 9,648 1,333 13.82%
Change of Ownership 5,152 441 8.56% 516 118 22.87%
All Program Areas 803,051 64,772 8.07% 88,248 16,415 18.60%

Initial Test Failures by Station Type

Station Type OIS BAR-97
Initial Tests Failed Failure Rate Initial Tests Failed Failure Rate
STAR Test-Only 439,912 37,818 8.60% 51,432 9,686 18.83%
STAR Test-Only (Suspended) 8,295 596 7.19% 1,094 132 12.07%
Non-STAR Test-Only 21,037 1,385 6.58% 1,737 226 13.01%
STAR Test-and-Repair 210,791 17,347 8.23% 25,510 5,152 20.20%
STAR Test-and-Repair (Suspended) 3,768 235 6.24% 240 35 14.58%
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 114,548 6,825 5.96% 7,128 948 13.30%
Test-and-Repair/Dealer 2,113 90 4.26% 41 8 19.51%
Business Fleet 283 6 2.12% 0 0 0.00%
Permanent Fleet Registered 11 1 9.09% 0 0 0.00%
Referee 501 406 81.04% 60 32 53.33%
Government Fleet 1,792 63 3.52% 1,006 196 19.48%
All Stations 803,051 64,772 8.07% 88,248 16,415 18.60%

BAR-97 Initial Test Failure Rate by Vehicle Model Year

BAR-97 Initial Test Failure Rate by Vehicle Model Year. A visual representation of the data of the chart in the BAR-97 Initial Tests by Vehicle Model Year table from 1976 to 1999.

Note: Please see tabular data in the BAR-97 Initial Tests by Vehicle Model Year table for BAR-97 tests conducted on other vehicle model years not shown in chart.

OIS Initial Test Failure Rate by Vehicle Model Year

A chart showing OIS initial test failure rate by vehicle model year 2000 to 2019. The chart is a visual display of the OIS Initial Tests by Vehicle Model Year table.

Note: Please see tabular data in the OIS Initial Tests by Vehicle Model Year table for OIS tests conducted on other vehicle model years not shown in chart.

Certification

Certification Volume

Test Type Certificates Issued Total Certificates Issued Percent No Certificates Issued No Certificates Issued Percent
Initial Test 804,574 90.27% 86,676 9.73%
All Tests 871,722 89.76% 99,421 10.24%

Certification Volume by Station Type1

Station Type Certificates Issued on Initial Test Total Certificates Issued Percent No Certificates Issued on Initial Test Total No Certificates Issued Percent
STAR Test-Only 442,717 90.10% 48,627 9.90%
Non-STAR Test-Only 21,064 92.49% 1,710 7.51%
STAR Test-and-Repair 212,740 90.03% 23,561 9.97%
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 113,304 93.12% 8,372 6.88%
All Stations 789,825 90.57% 82,270 9.43%

1 Note: Excludes Basic area dealer, Fleets and Referee stations

Inspection and Repair Costs

Inspection Costs by Station and Test Type1

Station Type BAR-97 Initial Test Count Average BAR-97 Inspection Cost OIS Initial Test Count Average OIS Inspection Cost Total Initial Test Count Overall Average Inspection Cost
STAR Test-and-Repair 25,479 $66.33 203,847 $54.46 229,326 $55.78
STAR Test-Only 51,295 $57.08 422,669 $53.17 473,964 $53.59
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 7,117 $64.72 108,937 $65.00 116,054 $64.98
Non-STAR Test-Only 1,731 $50.73 20,430 $47.71 22,161 $47.94
Test-and-Repair/Dealer 41 $69.17 1,875 $69.94 1,916 $69.92
Total 85,663 $60.34 757,758 $55.11 843,421 $55.64

1 Note: Smog Check Inspectors are asked to enter their inspection costs once per month. These costs may or may not include any discounts and may not reflect the actual inspection cost. Additionally, inspection costs entries in excess of $99 cannot be entered into the BAR-97 software.

Inspection Costs by Station and Equipment Type1

Station Type BAR-97 Equipment Only OIS Equipment Only Both Equipment (BAR-97 and OIS)
BAR-97 Initial Test Count Average BAR-97 Inspection Cost OIS Initial Test Count Average OIS Inspection Cost BAR-97 Inspection Count Average BAR-97 Inspection Cost OIS Initial Test Count Average OIS Inspection Cost
STAR Test-and-Repair 2 $74.95 10,117 $61.07 25,477 $66.33 193,730 $54.11
STAR Test-Only 8 $65.00 15,144 $45.82 51,287 $57.08 407,525 $53.44
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 0 $0.00 72,580 $71.85 7,117 $64.72 36,357 $51.33
Non-STAR Test-Only 6 $29.00 8,637 $48.91 1,725 $50.81 11,793 $46.83
Test-and-Repair/Dealer 0 $0.00 1,670 $69.12 41 $69.17 205 $76.56
Total 16 $52.74 108,148 $65.32 85,647 $60.34 649,610 $53.41

1 Note: Smog Check Inspectors are asked to enter their inspection costs once per month. These costs may or may not include any discounts and may not reflect the actual inspection cost. Additionally, inspection costs entries in excess of $99 cannot be entered into the BAR-97 software.

Repair Costs

Repair Station Type Cost Ranges Vehicles Repaired Average Cost Vehicles Repaired (All Cost Ranges) Average Cost (All Cost Ranges)
STAR Repairs (Test-and-Repair, Non-CAP) $1-100 273 $58.71 1,880 $687.15
$101-250 397 $173.09
$251-500 384 $370.19
$501-650 161 $573.73
Over $650 665 $1,462.52
Non-STAR Repairs (Test-and-Repair) $1-100 74 $50.96 585 $730.22
$101-250 167 $178.16
$251-500 135 $356.87
$501-650 32 $568.91
Over $650 177 $1,848.99
Repair-Only $1-100 0 $0.00 0 $0.00
$101-250 0 $0.00
$251-500 0 $0.00
$501-650 0 $0.00
Over $650 0 $0.00
CAP Repairs $1-100 0 $0.00 443 $1,223.37
$101-250 38 $202.67
$251-500 44 $402.74
$501-650 34 $580.79
Over $650 327 $1,519.22
Total Repairs $1-100 347 $57.05 2,908 $777.50
$101-250 602 $176.37
$251-500 563 $369.54
$501-650 227 $574.11
Over $650 1169 $1,536.90

Note: Non-CAP repair costs are based solely on Smog Check Inspector entries. The majority of non-CAP repairs are not entered into the repair database and therefore not included in this summary.

Stations and Technicians

Licensed Stations by Type/Privilege and Program Area

Station Type Basic Change-of-Ownership Enhanced Partial Total
STAR Test-and-Repair 103 32 1,692 78 1,905
STAR Test-Only 20 2 1,632 32 1,686
STAR Sub-Total 123 34 3,324 110 3,591
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 461 61 1,939 204 2,665
Non-STAR Test-Only 29 9 277 42 357
Non-STAR Sub-Total 490 70 2,216 246 3,022
Basic Area Dealer 51 0 0 0 51
Business Fleet 0 0 3 0 3
Permanent Fleet Registered 3 2 49 4 58
Referee 5 0 30 0 35
Government Fleet 44 5 298 13 360
Repair Only 1 0 34 1 36
Unknown Type 3 3 120 2 128
Other Station Sub-Total 107 10 534 20 671
All Stations 720 114 6,074 376 7,284

Stations Conducting Test by Equipment Type

Station Type Equipment Type
BAR-97 Only OIS Only BAR-97 and OIS
STAR Test-and-Repair 1 223 1,594
STAR Test-Only 1 96 1,531
STAR Sub-Total 2 319 3,125
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 0 1,577 306
Non-STAR Test-Only 1 118 78
Non-STAR Sub-Total 1 1,695 384
Permanent Fleet Registered 0 5 0
Business Fleet 0 2 0
Basic Area Dealer 0 42 5
Unknown Type 0 26 83
Government Fleet 7 136 27
Referee 0 6 27
Other Station Sub-Total 7 217 142
All Stations 10 2,231 3,651

Referee Inspections

Inspection Type Total Completed
CAT BAR Label 533
Law Enforcement Citations 530
Smog Inspection/Repair Disputes 441
BAR Referrals 263
Repair Cost Waiver + Parts Locator Service 133
Engine Change/Replacement 77
Clean Gas 74
Specially Constructed Vehicle/Kit Car 21
Grey Market 20
OBD Monitor Issues 2
All Inspections 2,094

Referee Certificates Issued

Certificate Type OIS BAR-97
Certificate of Compliance 192 65
Certificate of Non Compliance 0 0
Repair Cost Waiver 33 3
Limited Parts Exemption 7 0
Exempt Vehicle 2 5
Exempted by Directive 15 1
Permanently Exempt Vehicle 0 0
Temporarily Exempt Vehicle 0 0
All Certificates Issued 249 74

Technicians

License Type Licenses
EO (Inspect Only) 4,284
EO + EI (Inspect and Repair) 4,229
All License Types 8,513

Smog Check Requirements by Vehicle Type

Fuel Type Model-Year GVWR1 OBD II Equipped? Smog Check Required
All2 Four model-years and newer3 All All None
Fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth model-years4 All All None
1975 and earlier All All None
Gasoline and Flex Fuel
(Methanol or Ethanol)
1976-1999 All All BAR-97
2000 and newer 14,000 and less Yes5 OIS
No BAR-97
Over 14,000 All BAR-97
Hybrid 2000 and newer 14,000 and less All OIS
Dedicated Propane and Natural Gas
(CNG, LNG, or LPG)
1976-1999 14,000 and less All BAR-97
Over 14,000 All None
2000 and newer 14,000 and less Yes OIS
No BAR-97
Over 14,000 All None
Diesel 1976-1997 All All None
1998 and newer 14,000 and less All OIS
Over 14,000 All None6
Full Electric Powered All All All None
Motorcycle All All All None
Other Vehicles: Two Cylinder Engine,
Two-stroke Engine,
Off-highway Registered
All All All None

1 Gross vehicle weight rating
2 Includes gasoline, flex fuel, hybrid, dedicated propane, and natural gas vehicles. A Smog Check is required for all out-of-state 1976 model-year and newer vehicles registering in California for the first time and other initial registration events determined by the Department of Motor Vehicles.
3 Vehicles four model-years and newer are not subject to biennial (every other year) or change-of-ownership Smog Checks. Add four to the model-year of a vehicle to determine the first year a vehicle will be subject to a change-of-ownership Smog Check. For example, a 2010 model-year vehicle will be first subject a change-of-ownership Smog Check in 2014 (2010+4=2014).
4 Fifth through eighth model-year vehicles are not subject to biennial Smog Checks. However, a change-of-ownership Smog Check is required. Add eight to the model-year of a vehicle to determine the first year a vehicle will be subject to a biennial Smog Check. For example, a 2010 model-year vehicle will be first subject to a biennial Smog Check in 2018 (2010+8=2018).
5 In the future, BAR may identify some vehicles that have GVWR of 14,000 and less or that have problematic OBD II systems that may require the BAR-97 test.
6 Fleet vehicles are subject to the ARB Periodic Smoke Inspection Program (PSIP).

  • Back to Top
  • Conditions of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Accessibility
  • Web Accessibility Certification
  • Careers
  • Register to Vote
Copyright © State of California