Smog check in Stead and the North Valleys

Stead and the North Valleys form a large residential area north of the city, home to 47,046 people in ZIP 89506 by Census count. The Reno-Stead Airport and US 395 are the landmarks most people know. Both smog check locations are a real drive away, about 24 minutes (15.2 miles) to Longley Lane and 25 minutes to Mae Anne Avenue in light traffic, so it helps to treat the test as one of the errands in a trip to town.

At a glance

• About 24 minutes (15.2 miles) to Reno South and 25 minutes to Reno Northwest.
• ZIP 89506 has 47,046 residents and 2.18 vehicles per household (Census).
• Washoe County south of the 40th parallel is inside the testing area (Nevada DMV).
• Drive in, no appointment, so the stop can be added to a trip.

A drive that deserves a plan

A 25-minute trip each way is the kind that gets postponed, so the test is better paired with something else. A morning drive to a downtown appointment, a shopping run or a commute toward the airport side of Reno all pass near one of the two locations.

Pick by route. If you are heading toward the airport or the freeway south, Reno South on Longley Lane is on the way. If you are heading west or into the northwest neighborhoods, Reno Northwest on Mae Anne Avenue is. Both are open Monday to Friday 8 am to 5 pm.

The North Valleys by the numbers

The Census Bureau's ZIP 89506 counts 16,141 households with 35,135 vehicles available to them, about 2.18 vehicles per household, higher than the Washoe average of 1.96. Roughly 72 percent of households have two or more vehicles, and the median age is 35.7.

The mean commute is 24.8 minutes and about 70 percent of workers drive alone. Those are ZIP-level numbers for the whole of 89506, not only for a single subdivision.

Testing two or three vehicles

Households with more than two vehicles often have more than one test due close together. Because a passing test is valid for 90 days, you can bring them together in one trip and still be inside the window for each renewal. Check each renewal notice for the date and bring them with you.

The DMV allows an emission station to offer registration renewal for up to a modest added fee, so ask while you are there about renewing in the same visit.

Before you drive across

With a longer drive, avoid a wasted trip. Remove any insurance tracker from the OBD port, and do not clear codes or disconnect the battery right before the test, since the computer needs time to finish its self-checks. The DMV says to drive up to a week under varied conditions before a retest.

For a diesel, a motorhome or a large truck, call the service center first. Reno South is at (775) 828-6996 and Reno Northwest at (775) 787-1000.