North Carolina moves to end vehicle emissions testing in every county but one
The state is moving to eliminate vehicle emissions testing in Wake, Durham, Johnston and 15 other counties, but first it needs approval from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The change would mean that only residents of Mecklenburg County, which includes Charlotte, the state’s largest city, would still be required to have annual emissions inspections for their cars and trucks. The state’s proposal would reduce the number of vehicles tested each year in Mecklenburg until the program is eventually phased out in about 2037.
Cars and trucks in all 100 counties would still be required to get annual safety inspections when their registration is renewed with the Division of Motor Vehicles. The fee for a standard safety inspection is $13.60. The combined safety and emissions inspection costs $30.
The N.C. Division of Air Quality says emissions inspections are no longer needed to help the state comply with federal air quality standards.
Cars and the fuels they burn have become much cleaner, the agency says, producing far less pollution. Newer models also have onboard diagnostics that tell drivers if their emissions systems need repairs, which is the function of inspections.
North Carolina’s emissions inspections program began in 1982 and was eventually expanded to 48 of the state’s 100 counties. The goal was to identify vehicles with unusually high emissions of pollutants such as nitrogen oxides that cause ozone, the main ingredient of smog.
In recent years, the effort has been scaled back as air quality has improved. The EPA allowed the state to end inspections in 26 counties in 2019, and three more — Lee, Onslow and Rockingham — in 2022.
Last fall, the General Assembly authorized the state to eliminate inspections in 18 of the remaining 19 counties through the state budget. The state expects to submit its proposal to the EPA this fall and is seeking public feedback through Sept. 4.
The EPA would have up to 18 months to review the state’s proposal. Only when and if it approves will the inspection requirement be dropped.
In the meantime, emissions inspections remain in place in the 18 counties: Alamance, Buncombe, Cabarrus, Cumberland, Davidson, Durham, Forsyth, Franklin, Gaston, Guilford, Iredell, Johnston, Lincoln, New Hanover, Randolph, Rowan, Union and Wake. Vehicles that are more than 20 years old are exempt, as are ones less than three years old, as long as they have less than 70,000 miles on the odometer.
Under the state’s proposal, inspections would still be required in Mecklenburg County for vehicles that are less than 20 years old but earlier than the 2017 model year. That window would grow smaller every year until it closes in about 2037.
This story was originally published August 1, 2024 at 4:50 PM with the headline "North Carolina moves to end vehicle emissions testing in every county but one."
