do you have to get your car inspected in the county that it's registered in?

10/22/2007 11:04:15 PM

[no]

10/22/2007 11:04:55 PM

^for real. I thought that was a definite.

10/22/2007 11:40:32 PM

You can get it inspected anywhere. The only problem you might have is if your car is registered in a county that requires the emissions part of the inspection (wake for example) and you go to a county that doesn't have that equipment (the more rural counties) because they don't require the emissions portion.

[Edited on October 22, 2007 at 11:44 PM. Reason : .]

10/22/2007 11:43:27 PM

^ that is no problem at all

10/23/2007 12:35:00 AM

^^there is no difference. all counties require emissions testing for vehicles 1996 and newer. no counties require emissions testing for vehicles older than 1996.

there is no issue with inspecting, titling, or registering vehicles in counties other than the one you live in.

[Edited on October 23, 2007 at 12:43 AM. Reason : .]

10/23/2007 12:42:13 AM

i'm pretty sure emissions testing is still done on a county-by-county basis

[Edited on October 23, 2007 at 1:45 AM. Reason : yep http://daq.state.nc.us/news/pr/2000/files/iandmphasein.pdf]

10/23/2007 1:42:58 AM

i guess i didn't word that well at all, sorry.

no counties that currently require emissions testing are going to have a problem inspecting a car from anywhere, because all stations are licensed for obd and safety.

no counties that don't require emissions testing are going to be able to accomodate an emissions inspection, because the stations are registered for safety only.

this only applys to vehicles 1996 or newer. anything older is safety only. anything 35 years or older is exempt from everything.

NOW to muddy things even further. technically, a saftey inspection (all counties) also includes an emissions equipment inspection. all equipment has to be in place and in working order. however, there is no physical tailpipe test or obd scan.

so, as you can see there are several different variables. as usual, the state has to make things as complicated as possible. i'm just glad they're not doing tailpipe emissions AND obdII tests anymore.

if she can just give us the year of her vehicle, county its registered, and the county she's trying to inspect in we can give a definite answer.

10/23/2007 3:36:43 AM

i know that orange county has a sniffer test for pre odb cars

but if you get that car inspected in a county that doesnt require that, you are ok

10/23/2007 10:39:16 AM

it's a 1999 jeep, registered in yadkin county and i was going to try to get it inspected here in wake county

10/23/2007 10:51:59 AM

that's no problem (as long as you pass )

10/23/2007 11:04:55 AM

^^^not anymore they don't. all of the sniffer/tailpipe emissions has been phased out.

^^yep, you'll be fine. it'll just need safety only.

10/23/2007 11:51:20 AM

I have a car registered in Mecklenburg county and attempted to get it inspected in New Hanover county last year and they didnt have the equipment for the emissions testing.

10/23/2007 1:12:53 PM

That won't be a problem for her in Wake County.

10/23/2007 2:11:17 PM

Quote :

"yep, you'll be fine. it'll just need safety only."

ummm...99 is obd

10/23/2007 11:20:07 PM

depends on the county still I believe.

10/23/2007 11:26:01 PM

^^ but it's registered in Yadkin county.

Quote :

"not anymore they don't. all of the sniffer/tailpipe emissions has been phased out."

sweet! does the emissions test (in an emissions county) now just consist of checking to make sure the CEL isn't on in an OBDII vehicle? if so, that's pretty easy to circumvent.

I'll still maintain my FL residence as long as practicable due to the lack of state income tax, but if I have to change it back to NC and end up living in an emissions county, at least maybe I can beat the system (as that's the other reason I keep my FL residence--no vehicle inspections).

10/24/2007 2:27:24 AM

Quote :

"does the emissions test (in an emissions county) now just consist of checking to make sure the CEL isn't on in an OBDII vehicle?"

don't we all wish... no, it consists of a scan. also, the cel has to be operational (verified by it coming on the run position and just after starting). there also can't be any stored codes, and all systems have to be "ready". i.e., you can't just reset the computer right before entering the bay to clear any codes. there has to be X amount of ignition cycles, miles driven, etc., etc. before a car is ready to pass the scan.

10/24/2007 3:51:37 AM

Cost for an Emissions Inspection

Quote :

"If your vehicle is registered in one of the 48 emission control counties, the total cost for a passed emission inspection $30.00: $23.50 for the safety/emissions inspection and $6.50 for the sticker fee. A safety-only inspection in a non-emission county (or for a vehicle older than a 1996 model year in an emission county) is $9.10: $8.25 for the safety inspection and $.85 for the sticker fee."

http://www.ncdot.org/dmv/vehicle_services/emissioninspection/fees.html

Recently did this--they're different colored stickers, too. The safety-only sticker is yellowish; the emission-control sticker is red, white, and blue. FYI.

10/24/2007 4:27:19 AM