Selling a car in Riverside County? How the smog certificate works

The certificate is the seller's job, and it lasts 90 days

California puts the smog paperwork on the person selling. BAR says it in one line: "If you're selling your vehicle, a Smog Check is required before you sell it." The DMV agrees: "If you are selling your car, you need to give the new owner a valid smog certification when you sell the car."

When the car passes, the station sends the certificate to the DMV electronically, and BAR gives it a 90-day life. A private-sale buyer needs a pass from the last 90 days, so a car that sits unsold in a Menifee driveway for four months needs a second check. Give the buyer a copy of the vehicle inspection report.

One shortcut exists. If the car passed for its registration renewal and the transfer reaches the DMV within 90 days of that certificate, no new check is needed, but you owe the buyer the DMV's REG 139 statement. Both of you sign it, the buyer keeps the original, and it never goes to the DMV. The DMV's ownership page also lists a REG 256 for this smog exemption. If the buyer's own test fails, the seller pays for the test and the repairs before the deal closes.

Source: BAR: Smog Check, when you need one; DMV: Smog inspections; DMV: REG 139, Vehicle Emission System Statement; DMV: How to change vehicle ownership.

Cars and transfers that skip the sale check

Newer cars. Gasoline, hybrid and alternative-fuel cars four model years old or newer need no check for a change of ownership. BAR's reference guide gives the arithmetic: add four to the model year to find the first year a sale needs a check. Example: a 2022 gasoline sedan sold in 2026 needs one (2022 + 4 = 2026); a 2023 model sold that year does not. Diesels get no model-year break.

Vehicles outside the program.

• Gasoline vehicles from model year 1975 or earlier, and diesels from 1997 or earlier.
• Diesels rated above 14,000 pounds gross vehicle weight, and CNG, LNG or LPG vehicles rated 14,001 pounds or more.
• Electric-only vehicles, motorcycles, engines with two cylinders or fewer, and two-stroke engines other than rotaries.

Transfers that are exempt.

• Family: BAR's guide names a spouse, child, grandchild, parent, grandparent or sibling, and the DMV adds a domestic partner. The DMV requires a REG 256 for the exemption, and a renewal coming due may still need a check. A car a relative bought for you without first titling it in their own name still needs one.
• A sole proprietorship's car passing to the proprietor, adding a person to the title, and some lease transfers where the driver does not change.
• Dismantling. The DMV's registration manual says "vehicles transferred for the purpose of being wrecked or dismantled (junk) are exempt from the smog inspection requirement."

The DMV says military members and veterans get no exemption.

Source: BAR: Smog Check, when you need one; BAR: Smog Check Reference Guide (11/21/2025); DMV: Smog inspections; DMV: How to change vehicle ownership; DMV manual: Junking a vehicle, individual.

Every Riverside County address needs the sale check

No part of the county sits outside the sale rule. BAR's reference guide splits California into three program areas by air quality, then states: "Smog Check certification is required in all program areas when an affected vehicle changes ownership, with the exception of gasoline vehicles four or less model-years old."

Where you live inside the county changes the renewal rule, not the sale rule. BAR's guide notes that some counties have pieces in two or three program areas. CARB's February 2023 staff report lists the Coachella Valley among the ozone nonattainment areas under the Smog Check requirement, models it with the Salton Sea part of Riverside County, and notes that some ZIP codes in those areas that are not urbanized fall outside the Enhanced program. For a renewal, your DMV notice says whether a check is due. For a sale, the answer is the same in Corona, Temecula, Palm Desert and Blythe.

One trap: Riverside County is missing from the DMV's FAQ list of counties needing a check at renewal. That is not a sale exemption; the same page tells sellers to hand over a valid certification.

Source: BAR: Smog Check Reference Guide (11/21/2025); CARB: Smog Check performance standard staff report (February 10, 2023); DMV: Smog inspections.

Who pays: the station, the $8.25 certificate and the $8 DMV fee

• The inspection. The seller brings the car in. BAR does not regulate inspection prices, so they vary by station, and the station must give you an estimate to approve first. Every station must charge the $8.25 certificate fee, as of November 8, 2026.
• The smog transfer fee. When a car is new enough to skip the sale check, the DMV collects a smog transfer fee from the new owner instead: $8 under Vehicle Code 4000.1 on the DMV fee table, as of November 8, 2026.
• The rest of the DMV bill. The DMV says all the transfer fees are the buyer's responsibility; the transfer fee itself is $15 on the same table, as of November 8, 2026. Use tax: see selling options.

Example from those published numbers: you sell a 2024 gasoline SUV in Murrieta in 2026. You owe no inspection, and the buyer pays the $8 smog transfer fee and the $15 transfer fee. Sell a 2018 model instead and you pay a station for the check, $8.25 certificate included, before you hand over the keys.

Source: BAR: Smog Check, when you need one; DMV: Smog inspections; DMV: Registration fees; DMV: How to change vehicle ownership.

Finding a station near you, and when it must be STAR

BAR's Auto Shop Locator searches by location and filters by service type, including Smog Check Inspection, STAR Inspection and CAP Repair. Test-only stations inspect but make no emissions repairs; test-and-repair stations do both; STAR stations meet higher performance standards and can inspect all vehicles, high polluters included.

BAR says your DMV renewal notice tells you whether you need STAR. Its reference guide adds that a car identified as a gross polluter can be certified only at a STAR station or, where it applies, a Referee facility.

Before you go, fix a lit check engine light, because BAR says a car will not pass with it on. If a station cannot test the car after a recent move, the DMV may not have your new address yet, or a car last registered in an enhanced area may need its registration ZIP code updated. BAR points you to the DCA Consumer Information Center at (800) 952-5210 for both.

Source: BAR: Auto Shop Locator; BAR: Smog Check, when you need one; BAR: Smog Check Reference Guide (11/21/2025); BAR: ZIP code update.

When the car fails: repair, retire or sell it another way

Read the vehicle inspection report for the reasons, repair, and retest.

• Repair with BAR's help. CAP repair assistance pays up to $1,450 for model year 1996 or newer cars and up to $1,100 for 1976 to 1995 models, at a STAR test-and-repair station, with a co-payment. It requires a failed biennial check, household income at or below 225% of the federal poverty level, and a car not undergoing a transfer of ownership. Get the eligibility letter before any repair and before you sell.
• Retire it. BAR's retirement option pays $1,350, $1,500 or $2,000, as of November 8, 2026, depending on income and the smog result. The car must be drivable and not in the middle of a sale. Compare the two on retirement versus selling.
• Sell it for dismantling. BAR lists selling directly to a local dismantler as an alternative, and the DMV exempts a transfer for wrecking or dismantling from the smog requirement. See junk cars in Riverside County.
• A dealer. The exemption lists from BAR and the DMV do not name a sale to a dealer. Ask the dealer in writing who supplies the certificate before you sign.
• Ask Sell My Car Riverside County. Send a request on the request page that gives the failed result from the vehicle inspection report, whether the car still runs, and the name printed on the title, or phone (951) 404-1640. Someone from the business will ring you back to go over the failed test.

Source: BAR: Smog Check, when you need one; BAR: CAP repair assistance; BAR: CAP vehicle retirement; BAR: Consumer Assistance Program options; BAR: Smog Check Reference Guide (11/21/2025); DMV manual: Junking a vehicle, individual.

Your next move after the smog question

Car passed? Finish the rest of the seller's side on the paperwork page. Car failed but still drives? Weigh BAR retirement against a sale. To talk to Sell My Car Riverside County about a car with a fresh pass or a failed report, call (951) 404-1640.