--- title: The Nevada Smog Check, Explained | Xpress Smog Check Center url: https://xpresssmogcenter.com/guides/nevada-smog-check-explained/ 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/) - [Guides](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/guides/) - The Nevada smog check, explained # The Nevada smog check, explained Nevada's smog check is a yearly emissions inspection that most gasoline vehicles registered in urban Washoe and Clark counties must pass before the registration renews. The station tests the car, sends the result to the DMV electronically, and a pass stays valid for 90 days. 4.7 stars from 550 Google reviews of the two Reno Xpress Oil & Lube Centers The program has a handful of moving parts: where it applies, which vehicles it covers, what kind of test a vehicle gets, and what happens after the result. Here is the whole thing in one place, built from the Nevada DMV's own pages, with links to the deeper pages on this site for each piece. ## At a glance - Required only in the urban parts of Washoe and Clark counties (Nevada DMV). - 1968 and newer gasoline vehicles at any weight, and diesels up to 14,000 lb GVWR. - 1996 and newer light-duty vehicles get the plug-in OBD II test; older and heavy-duty vehicles get a tailpipe test. - A pass is valid 90 days (180 days on a Nevada dealer sale) and is sent to the DMV in real time. ## Where Nevada tests The requirement is not statewide. It follows where a vehicle is based: the urban areas of Washoe County and Clark County. In Washoe that is Reno, Sparks, Washoe Valley, most of the area west of Washoe Valley and everything in the county south of the 40th parallel. Incline Village, Crystal Bay, Sutcliffe, Nixon and Wadsworth are named as exempt. In Clark County it is the Las Vegas Valley and a five-mile buffer around it. Vehicles based in every other Nevada county are exempt. Our [testing area guide](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/guides/washoe-testing-area-map/) goes place by place for the Reno side. ## Which vehicles are covered Inside a testing area, the rule covers gasoline vehicles of any weight and diesels with a manufacturer's gross vehicle weight rating of 14,000 pounds or less, model year 1968 and newer. The test is due every year at registration renewal. The exempt list is specific. New vehicles skip their first three registrations. Hybrids skip their first five model years. Electric vehicles, vehicles running only on propane, CNG, methane or butane, motorcycles and mopeds, 1967 and older vehicles, diesels over 14,000 pounds, replica vehicles and qualifying classic plates under 5,000 miles a year are all exempt, along with a few kinds of ownership transfer. ## The three kinds of test The model year and the fuel decide how a vehicle is tested. - OBD II plug-in test: 1996 and newer light-duty vehicles. The technician scans the VIN, plugs the analyzer into the diagnostic port under the dash and reads the car's own computer. The DMV says most of these take five minutes or less. See [how the OBD test works](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/smog-check/obd-test/). - Two-speed tailpipe test: vehicles built in 1995 or earlier and all heavy-duty vehicles. See [the tailpipe test page](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/smog-check/older-vehicles-tailpipe-test/). - Light-duty diesel test: a dynamometer test, an opacity test of the exhaust and a visual inspection of the emission components. See [diesel rules](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/smog-check/diesel-smog-check/). ## Pass, fail or not ready A pass goes to the DMV electronically right away, so you can renew online through MyDMV, at a DMV Now kiosk, or at a station that offers renewal. It stays valid for 90 days. A fail comes with a report that says why. On a 1996 or newer car, a lit check engine light is an automatic fail. The vehicle has to be repaired and pass a retest before it can be registered, and if it still fails after qualifying repairs, it may be eligible for a waiver. Our [failed smog check page](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/smog-check/failed-smog-check/) lays out the order of steps. A rejected result, often shown as not ready, is different from a fail. It means the car's computer has not finished its self-checks, usually after a battery was disconnected or codes were cleared. The DMV's advice is to drive for up to a week in mixed city and highway driving and come back; no repair is needed. ## Timing your test You can renew about 35 days before the registration expires, and a pass lasts 90 days, so testing a few weeks ahead is the comfortable window. The DMV's own tip is to test early: if something turns up, there is time to fix it before the deadline. Nevada has no grace period on an expired registration, though a short movement permit is available while repairs are underway. ## What it costs The DMV sets a yearly maximum fee for each county from a survey of labor rates, and every station sets its own price at or under that cap. Stations must post their fees. For the current figures, see our [price and fees page](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/faq/price-and-fees/), or call either location for today's price. ### Sources - [dmv.nv.gov/emission.htm](https://dmv.nv.gov/emission.htm) (Nevada DMV Emission Control Program: areas, vehicles, exemptions, validity, fees; read 10/19/26) - [dmv.nv.gov/emission_obd.htm](https://dmv.nv.gov/emission_obd.htm) (Nevada DMV OBD page: test steps, pass, fail and not-ready results; read 10/19/26) - [dmv.nv.gov/emission_diesel.htm](https://dmv.nv.gov/emission_diesel.htm) (Nevada DMV diesel testing; read 10/19/26) - [dmv.nv.gov/regrenewal.htm](https://dmv.nv.gov/regrenewal.htm) (Nevada DMV registration renewal timing; read 10/19/26) ### 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) 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/) ### Keep reading - [Do I need a smog check?](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/do-i-need-a-smog-check/) - [Renewing a Washoe registration, step by step](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/guides/renewal-step-by-step/) - [How to give your car its best chance to pass](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/guides/pass-your-smog-check/) - [Smog check for your registration renewal](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/smog-check/registration-renewal/) - [Smog check glossary](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/glossary/) ## Questions people ask Still have a question? Call either Reno location or just drive in; there is no appointment to make. ### Is the smog check the same as a safety inspection? No. Nevada's program checks emissions only. The OBD test reads the engine computer; the tailpipe and diesel tests measure exhaust. ### Do I get a paper certificate? The result is sent to the DMV electronically in real time, which is what the DMV uses to let you renew. Keep the report the station gives you for your records. ### Can I test anywhere in Nevada? Any emission station in the DMV's online station search can test; the DMV lists them by area. Our two Reno locations take drive-ins with no appointment.