Smog check in Sparks

The Nevada DMV names Sparks right next to Reno as a place where the yearly emissions test applies. For a Sparks driver the trip runs west into Reno, and the numbers are short: about 10 minutes (5.4 miles) to Reno South inside Xpress Oil & Lube Center on Longley Lane, near the airport and I-580, and about 13 minutes to Reno Northwest on Mae Anne Avenue, by OpenStreetMap routing in light traffic. For most of Sparks the Longley Lane location is the natural stop, and it sits close to the airport if you are heading that way anyway.

At a glance

• Sparks is part of the Washoe County testing area named by the Nevada DMV.
• About 10 minutes to Reno South (4993 Longley Ln) and 13 minutes to Reno Northwest (6100 Mae Anne Ave).
• Drive in, no appointment, Monday to Saturday; closed Sunday.
• A passing result goes to the DMV electronically and is valid for 90 days.

Why Sparks households test every year

The DMV requires a test for gasoline vehicles based in the urban part of Washoe County when they are model year 1968 or newer and past their first three registrations. Sparks falls inside that urban area, so the yearly smog check is part of the registration routine here, exactly as it is across the city line in Reno.

Hybrids get five model years before their first test, and electric vehicles, motorcycles and 1967 and older vehicles are exempt. If you are unsure which group your vehicle belongs to, the smog check helper sorts it out in a few questions.

Sparks in Census numbers

The Census Bureau counts 110,024 people and 42,414 households in the city of Sparks, with 84,517 vehicles available to those households. That works out to 1.99 vehicles per household, and 65 percent of Sparks households have two or more. Where two cars are normal, two renewal dates arrive each year.

The mean commute for Sparks workers is 24 minutes, and about 71 percent drive alone. A drive that long means many people spend a good part of the day in the car, so lining up the test with a trip you already make is the easy way to do it.

Fitting the stop into a Sparks day

Because there is no appointment, the test does not need a day set aside. The DMV says most OBD tests are completed in five minutes or less, and the result is sent to the DMV in real time. Bring your renewal notice and ask about renewing your registration in the same visit.

If the oil is due, both locations are Xpress Oil & Lube Centers, so an oil change can be handled in the same stop. Reno South keeps Saturday hours until 3 pm; Reno Northwest stays open until 4 pm on Saturday.

• Reno South: 4993 Longley Ln, Reno, NV 89502, (775) 828-6996, Monday to Friday 8 am to 5 pm, Saturday 8 am to 3 pm.
• Reno Northwest: 6100 Mae Anne Ave, Reno, NV 89523, (775) 787-1000, Monday to Friday 8 am to 5 pm, Saturday 8 am to 4 pm.

Before you leave the driveway

Unplug any insurance tracker or monitoring device from the OBD port, which is usually under the dashboard, because technicians are required to fail a vehicle with a device plugged in. If the check engine light is on, the vehicle will fail the test, and the DMV still suggests testing so you have the report that starts the repair and retest process.

If a battery was just replaced or codes were just cleared, the computer may report it is not ready. That is a rejection rather than a failure, and the DMV says to drive normally for up to a week and come back.