--- title: Nevada Smog Waiver Questions for Washoe County | Xpress Smog url: https://xpresssmogcenter.com/faq/waiver-questions/ business: Xpress Smog Check Center (Located inside Xpress Oil & Lube Center) locations: Reno Northwest: 6100 Mae Anne Ave, Reno, NV 89523, (775) 787-1000, Mon-Fri 8 am-5 pm, Sat 8 am-4 pm, Sun closed; Reno South: 4993 Longley Ln, Reno, NV 89502, (775) 828-6996, Mon-Fri 8 am-5 pm, Sat 8 am-3 pm, Sun closed type: Nevada smog check (vehicle emissions inspection), drive in, no appointment --- Located inside Xpress Oil & Lube Center - Smog check at two Reno locations - Oil change in the same visit - No appointment needed [Xpress Oil & Lube](https://xpressoilandlube.com/) - [Home](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/) - [Questions and answers](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/faq/) - Smog waiver questions # Smog waiver questions A waiver may be available in Washoe County when a vehicle still fails after real repair spending, with at least $200 on related repairs. You take both failed certificates and the receipts to the DMV Emission Lab, and there is no charge for the waiver. 4.7 stars from 550 Google reviews of the two Reno Xpress Oil & Lube Centers A waiver is the DMV's route for a vehicle that cannot be brought into compliance within a set repair spend. The rules below are the DMV's, for Washoe County. ### Who can qualify for a waiver? A vehicle that failed for carbon monoxide or hydrocarbons over the standard (1968 to 1995 light duty and all heavy duty) or for a lit check engine lamp (1996 and newer light duty), and still fails after repairs. ### Who cannot? The DMV says no waiver for vehicles eligible for warranty coverage, smoking vehicles, or vehicles with tampered emission devices, which must be repaired with no limit on cost. ### How much must I spend in Washoe? Repairs by a 2G licensed authorized station need receipts showing at least $200 on parts and labor (not testing) for repairs directly related to the failure on the initial test. Repairs by the registered owner need receipts showing at least $200 on parts related to an area of failure on the initial test, bought within 14 days after the initial test. ### Is Clark County the same? No. The DMV sets the Clark County figure at $450 at a 2G station. Washoe is $200 under the DMV rules, which is the figure for our area. ### Does earlier spending count? No. Money spent before the first failed test does not count toward a waiver. ### Where do I take the paperwork? To the DMV Emission Lab in Reno, 9155 Double Diamond Pkwy, Reno, NV 89521, phone (775) 684-3580. Bring the vehicle, both failed certificates and all repair receipts. ### When does the lab inspect waivers? 8 am to 4:30 pm Monday through Friday, except state holidays. ### What does it cost? The DMV says there is no charge for the waiver. ### How long does a waiver last? One year. Plan the repair before the next registration year. ### What if my registration is about to expire? The DMV offers a ten-day movement permit for $1, online or at a DMV office. ### Who can answer a case-specific question? The Reno DMV Emissions Lab at (775) 684-3580. See also our [Washoe waiver math guide](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/guides/waiver-math-washoe/) and the [smog waiver page](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/smog-check/smog-waiver/). ### Can I do the repair myself? In Washoe the DMV accepts repairs by the registered owner as well as by a 2G licensed authorized station. The owner route has the 14 day purchase window and counts parts only. ## Keep the paper trail The waiver is decided on documents: two failed certificates and receipts that name the parts and labor connected to the original failure. Keep them together in one envelope, and note the date of the first failed test, since the owner repair window is 14 days from it. Before you head to the lab, read your failed certificate. The waiver depends on the reason for failure printed there, so the repairs you document should connect to it. The lab can tell you whether your receipts meet the Washoe threshold. A waiver is not available for every failed vehicle, and it does not remove the next year's test. Next registration year you start again with a new smog check, and the waiver you hold covers only the year it was issued. ### Sources - [dmv.nv.gov/emission.htm](https://dmv.nv.gov/emission.htm) (Nevada DMV Emission Control Program; read 10/19/26) - [dmv.nv.gov/regrenewal.htm](https://dmv.nv.gov/regrenewal.htm) (Nevada DMV Registration Renewal; read 10/19/26) - [dmv.nv.gov/emission_obd.htm](https://dmv.nv.gov/emission_obd.htm) (Nevada DMV On-Board Diagnostics page; read 10/19/26) - [dmv.nv.gov/emission_diesel.htm](https://dmv.nv.gov/emission_diesel.htm) (Nevada DMV Diesel Testing and Enforcement, Reno emission lab address; read 10/19/26) ## More questions by topic [Who needs a smog check in Nevada](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/faq/who-needs-a-smog-check/)[Where in Washoe County a test is required](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/faq/smog-check-areas-washoe/)[The renewal notice and the smog line on it](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/faq/renewal-notice/)[Your result and the DMV link](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/faq/certificate-and-dmv-link/)[How long a passing test is good for](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/faq/90-day-rule/)[Renewing your registration with the smog check](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/faq/renewing-at-the-station/)[What a smog check costs](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/faq/price-and-fees/)[Driving in without an appointment](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/faq/drive-in-no-appointment/)[Hours and the quiet times to come in](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/faq/hours-and-busy-times/)[Which service center to use](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/faq/which-service-center/)[An oil change in the same visit](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/faq/oil-change-same-visit/)[Check engine light questions](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/faq/check-engine-light-questions/)[After a failed test](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/faq/failed-test-questions/)[Smog waiver questions](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/faq/waiver-questions/)[Not ready and rejected results](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/faq/not-ready-questions/)[After a battery change or a repair](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/faq/battery-and-recent-repairs/)[Gas caps and small fixes before a test](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/faq/gas-cap-and-quick-fixes/)[Insurance trackers and OBD port devices](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/faq/obd-port-devices/)[New vehicles and the first three registrations](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/faq/new-vehicles/)[Hybrid and electric vehicle questions](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/faq/hybrids-and-evs/)[Diesel truck questions](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/faq/diesel-trucks/)[Motorhomes and heavier gas trucks](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/faq/motorhomes-and-heavy-trucks/)[Classic car and Old Timer plate questions](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/faq/classic-cars/)[Motorcycles and other exempt vehicles](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/faq/motorcycles-and-exempt/)[Moving to Reno or Sparks](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/faq/moving-to-reno/)[Leaving Nevada or living away part of the year](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/faq/leaving-nevada/)[Military members and students](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/faq/military-and-students/)[Private party sales](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/faq/private-party-sales/)[Buying from a Nevada dealer](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/faq/dealer-sales/)[Smoking vehicles and visible exhaust](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/faq/smoking-vehicles/)[Engine swaps and modified vehicles](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/faq/engine-swaps-and-modifications/)[Registered outside the Washoe testing area](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/faq/registered-outside-the-testing-area/) ### Your location: Reno South - Call [(775) 828-6996](tel:+17758286996) Mon-Fri 8 am-5 pm, Sat 8 am-3 pm, Sun closed - Address 4993 Longley Ln, Reno, NV 89502 [Directions](https://www.google.com/maps/dir/?api=1&destination=4993+Longley+Ln%2C+Reno%2C+NV+89502&destination_place_id=ChIJc5xNCcI_mYARXjHn3y79iJw) ### Related - [Smog waiver in Washoe County](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/smog-check/smog-waiver/) - [The Washoe waiver: what counts toward the minimum](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/guides/waiver-math-washoe/) - [After a failed test](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/faq/failed-test-questions/) - [The movement permit when registration has expired](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/guides/movement-permit/) - [The DMV emissions lab in Reno: when to go there](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/guides/dmv-emissions-lab-reno/) Located inside Xpress Oil & Lube Center Both smog check locations sit inside an Xpress Oil & Lube Center, the locally owned Reno drive-in that has served this town since 1983. Drive in, no appointment; get your oil changed in the same visit. [About us](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/about/)