8.9.3

emissions requirements

Effective Date: July 30, 2026

Review Due: July 30, 2028

Summary of Changes

No changes needed per the two year review.

Purpose

To provide guidelines on emissions requirements, fees and to identify motor vehicles that are subject to emissions requirements.

Authority

Two Year Review, A.R.S. §§ 28-2355, 28-2416, 49-542, 49-541, 49-542.05, 49-543, 49-546, 49-551, 49-557, 18 US Code § 1151, A.A.C. R17-4-304, R18-2-1003, R18-2-1007, R18-2-1008, R18-2-1018, and R18-2-1023.

Policy

1. The Division assists the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) in enforcing the emissions inspection program. The Division requires a vehicular emissions test at the time of an initial registration, registration renewal, and transfer of ownership (when applicable) for all motor vehicles not exempted by statute.

2. All model year 1967 and newer motor vehicles that are registered in or used to commute to the metro Phoenix (Area A) or metro Tucson (Area B) are subject to emissions testing. All subject vehicles must pass the emissions inspection or receive a waiver before they may be registered in Area A or Area B.

3. Emissions inspections are valid for one (annual) or two (biennial) years depending on the type of emissions test performed and inspection area (Area A or Area B). Exception: Due to the motor vehicle manufacturer’s design, ADEQ will require certain motor vehicles that ordinarily would receive a two year inspection to undergo an annual emissions test.

4. To assist in determining whether a motor vehicle is required to submit to an emissions inspection, the Division requires the specific address where the motor vehicle is domiciled.

• The customer is not required to provide documentation authenticating the vehicle address.

5. A motor vehicle that is owned by the United States (U.S.) government, state, or political subdivision and that is domiciled in this state for more than 90 consecutive days shall comply with emissions inspection requirements. ADEQ shall issue a government entity compliance sticker to a qualifying motor vehicle.

Emissions Exemptions

6. The Division assists ADEQ in identifying motor vehicles that are domiciled outside of Areas A or B that are exempt from the emissions compliance program.

1. When a motor vehicle is domiciled outside of the Maricopa or Pima County non-attainment areas, the owner may be granted an emissions exemption provided the commuter clause is not applicable.
2. ADEQ provides an exemption to out-of-county residents when the motor vehicle is leased from a lessor that is located within a non-attainment area and the motor vehicle is not used to commute to or operated in the non-attainment area.

7. Emissions inspection requirements are determined by the township, range, and section numbers of the property. To assist the processor in determining which areas/addresses are exempt from the emissions inspection, the Division utilizes the Geographical Information System to identify areas as:

1. Full emissions, the motor vehicle must meet emissions requirements.
2. Exempt, the motor vehicle is exempt from emissions requirements.
3. Partial exempt, certain areas within that particular zip code are exempt from emissions requirements.

• The processor may verify the address provided by the customer using the VEC Address Locator on www.myazcar.com.

8. Additionally, the following are exempt from emissions inspection requirements:

1. Motor vehicles manufactured in or before the 1966 model year.
2. Motorcycles, all-terrain cycles and All-Terrain Vehicles (ATV).
3. Electric, Solar, and Hydrogen powered vehicles.
4. IRP/Apportioned vehicles.
5. Golf carts.
6. Collectible vehicles.
7. Mopeds.
8. “Title-only” motor vehicles.
9. Motor vehicles transferred or sold between motor vehicle dealers.
10. Motor vehicles prior to the sixth registration year after purchase or lease of a new vehicle.
11. Original Equipment Manufactured (OEM) Alternative Fuel Vehicle (AFV), prior to the sixth registration year after purchase or lease of a new vehicle.

 

Note:The vehicle owner may choose to have the vehicle inspected and pay the appropriate inspection fee. Once the owner chooses to have the vehicle undergo the emissions inspection, the motor vehicle must pass the emissions inspection or receive a waiver before a registration will be issued in Area A or Area B.

Emissions Fees

9. Information regarding fees that are collected by ADEQ at the time of an emissions inspection is available online at the ADEQ website at www.myazcar.com.

Alternative Fuel Vehicle

10. Alternative Fuel Vehicles that are subject to emissions must undergo an emissions inspection in the sixth registration year and in subsequent years.

11. The owner of a new OEM alternative fuel powered motor vehicle may choose to have an emissions inspection on the fourth and fifth registration year because of vehicle emissions performance warranty limitations on emissions components of the vehicle.

Note:When the documentation submitted by the customer does not clearly indicate that the vehicle is an OEM AFV, the customer will be directed to contact ADEQ.

Air Quality Compliance Fee

12. An Air Quality Compliance Fee (AQCF) of $0.25 per registration cycle shall be collected at the time of application for an initial registration or registration renewal for motor vehicles that are registered in or used to commute to the metro Phoenix (Area A) or metro Tucson (Area B).

Air Quality Fee

13. The owner of a motor vehicle shall pay an annual Air Quality Fee (AQF) of $1.50 per each year of registration at the time of application for an initial or renewal registration for all motor vehicles except electrically powered golf cart or an electrically powered vehicle.

14. Pursuant to A.R.S. § 49-551, the owner of a diesel-powered motor vehicle with a Declared Gross Weight (DGW) of more than 8500 lb. that is subject to A.R.S. § 28-2153 or apportioned registration under Title 28, Chapter 7, Articles 7 and 8 (IRP, Allocated) shall pay an additional or apportioned air quality diesel fee of $10 per each year of registration.

Emissions Inspections and Validity Periods

15. An emissions certificate:

1. Depending on the emissions test performed, may be valid up to two registration periods provided the inspection was completed no earlier than 90 days prior to the motor vehicle registration expiration date.

2. May be accepted:

1. Upon transfer of ownership provided the emissions inspection is valid on the date of transfer.

Note: Except for On-Board Diagnostic (OBD) tests, an emissions certificate issued in Area B is not acceptable for meeting the inspection requirements in Area A. OBD tests are acceptable in Area A or Area B regardless of the test location.

16. A vehicle registered in Area A or B that has been removed from this state or moved to a non-emissions required area in this state and subsequently returned to the original Area A or B location, will not be required to undergo emissions testing as long as the emissions expiration date on the vehicle record is on or after the vehicle’s registration expiration date. An emissions certificate is valid until its expiration date.

Motor Vehicle Dealer Emissions Inspection

17. A licensed motor vehicle dealer whose place of business is located in a non-attainment area (Area A or B) shall not deliver any motor vehicle to the retail purchaser, regardless of whether the purchaser lives in a non-attainment or attainment area, until the motor vehicle complies with the minimum emissions standards, unless exempt. When a dealer in an attainment area sells a motor vehicle to a customer in a non-attainment area, the customer is required to obtain the emissions test documents.

18. An emissions inspection must be completed by the dealer in a non-attainment area that is selling the vehicle to a retail purchaser, but is not required when the vehicle is sold between licensed dealers. During the dealer reassignment process, emissions inspections completed by any dealer prior to the last dealer selling the vehicle to the retail purchaser will not be accepted. The sale date on the Certificate of Title will be reviewed to determine if the emissions inspection is from the last selling dealer (or a subsidiary if a Certificate of Inspection (COI) is used) to the retail purchaser.

19. The vehicle emissions certificate is valid for the registration cycle of the vehicle sold.

20. A motor vehicle dealer may take a vehicle to an ADEQ inspection station to have the vehicle tested or a motor vehicle dealer may be permitted by ADEQ to perform fleet inspections which may replace the ADEQ emissions form with a Certificate of Inspection.

21. The Certificate of Inspection (Dealer/Fleet) is valid for an annual registration cycle only and may be used for the transfer of title as long as the transfer takes place prior to the Certificate expiration date. A COI is transferable between the dealer who obtained the  COI and its subsidiaries.

22. A Public Consignment Auction Dealer (PCAD) is exempt from the dealer emissions requirements. A purchaser who obtains a vehicle from a PCAD is responsible for any emissions requirements.

Vehicles Temporarily Out-of-State

23. When a motor vehicle is out-of-state at the time of registration expiration, the customer may obtain an Out-of-State Exemption from ADEQ, for more information visit www.myazcar.com.

Military Personnel Exemption.

24. ADEQ may grant Arizona residents on Active Military Duty, with a current set of orders for temporary deployment, an exemption from emissions testing requirements.

25. The Military Exemption Application may be obtained online at the ADEQ website at www.myazcar.com.

26. ADEQ will issue the Military Out-of-State Exemption and the certificate may be valid for one or two years of registration.

Tribal Member Emissions Exemption

27. ADEQ grants tribal members who reside on a reservation that is located within a non-attainment area an exemption from emissions testing requirements.

28. The tribal member must be an owner of the vehicle and provide either a Tribal ID or a letter from their Tribal Community.

Emissions Waiver

29. ADEQ may issue a Waiver Grant to provide owners of certain repairable motor vehicles additional time to obtain parts that will enable their motor vehicle to comply with minimum emissions standards. A motor vehicle receiving a waiver may be registered even though the motor vehicle did not pass an emission inspection. The waiver is valid for the current registration cycle of the vehicle. Customers with questions about the waiver process may be referred to the ADEQ website at www.myazcar.com.

30. The ADEQ Waiver lane staff will determine eligibility for the one-time waiver, by testing the motor vehicle and reviewing repairs performed.

31. A waiver is valid for the current registration cycle of the vehicle.

1. In some cases for example, a vehicle part is on backorder, ADEQ may issue a Temporary 90-Day Certificate of Waiver to allow for a 90-Day Resident Registration to be issued.

   • The Division will only issue a 90-Day Resident Registration to an individual who is not the current owner on record but intends to transfer ownership into their name (proof of ownership is required) and the vehicle record shows the emissions as expired, view Policy 8.11.1 Restricted Use 3-Day Permit/ 30-Day General Use Permit/ 90-day Resident Registration.

Air Quality Compliance Sticker

32. When a person uses a motor vehicle to commute to their principle place of employment inside either Areas A or B, the commute motor vehicle is subject to emissions requirements (proof is required).

33. An Air Quality Compliance Sticker is issued to students paying non-resident tuition fees, or to some military personnel that has an out-of-state registered motor vehicle, to indicate that the motor vehicle met the minimum emissions standards. The Air Quality Compliance Sticker is:

1. Valid for a period of one year (from date of issuance).
2. Affixed to the rear bumper of the motor vehicle (close to the license plate).
3. The fee for the Air Quality Compliance Sticker is $0.25.