--- title: New to Nevada: Your First Smog Check in Reno | Xpress Smog url: https://xpresssmogcenter.com/smog-check/new-to-nevada/ 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/) - [Smog checks](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/smog-check/) - New to Nevada: your first smog check # New to Nevada: your first smog check New Nevada residents have 30 days to get a Nevada driver license and register their vehicles, and a car based in Reno or Sparks usually needs a Nevada emissions inspection report to register. Get the smog check first at either Reno location, no appointment, then take the rest of your paperwork to the DMV. 4.7 stars from 550 Google reviews of the two Reno Xpress Oil & Lube Centers - Switch your insurance The DMV requires liability insurance from a Nevada-licensed carrier, in the exact names that will be on the registration and title. - Get the smog check Drive into either Reno location. The result goes to the DMV electronically and stays valid for 90 days. - Get the VIN inspection A vehicle that has never been registered or titled in Nevada needs the Vehicle Inspection Certificate, form VP 015. - Gather the title or registration The DMV lists your out-of-state title or registration among the documents it needs. - Note the odometer Have the current reading; the DMV asks for it. - Register In person, or through the DMV's Rapid Registration if you qualify; new residents who have not swapped their out-of-state license yet register in person. Moving to Reno comes with a list, and the car is on it. Nevada's registration rules and its emissions rules meet at the first registration: the DMV lists the Nevada Emissions Vehicle Inspection Report among the documents for registering a vehicle, when the vehicle needs one. Here is how the pieces fit together for someone arriving from another state. ## At a glance - New residents get a Nevada driver license and registration within 30 days (Nevada DMV). - A vehicle based in the Washoe County testing area needs a Nevada smog check report to register, unless it is exempt. - Out-of-state insurance is not accepted: you need a Nevada-licensed insurer before you register. - A vehicle never titled in Nevada also needs a Vehicle Inspection Certificate (form VP 015). ## The 30-day clock The DMV's residency rules say new residents must obtain a Nevada driver license and vehicle registration within 30 days. Nevada counts you as a resident when your legal residence is here, when you live here and work here, or when you claim residency to get a privilege nonresidents do not get. Some people who live here part of the time still have to register: the DMV says a vehicle operated in Nevada for more than 30 days in a calendar year, or a household that enrolls children in a Nevada public school, triggers registration. Active-duty military members and out-of-state students are among the exceptions. ## Does your car need the test? If the car will be based in Reno, Sparks, Washoe Valley or anywhere else in the Washoe testing area, and it is a gasoline vehicle from 1968 on or a diesel up to 14,000 pounds GVWR, plan on a test. The usual exemptions apply: a new vehicle in its first three registrations, a hybrid in its first five model years, electric vehicles, motorcycles and 1967 and older vehicles. A car that passed a smog check in another state still needs a Nevada test. The result has to be in the Nevada DMV's system. ## Why test first The DMV lists the emissions report with the other registration documents, so having the pass on file before your DMV visit saves a second trip. Because Nevada stations send results to the DMV in real time, there is nothing to carry for the smog part; the DMV already has it. If the car does not pass, you learn it before you stand in line, and you have time to repair and retest while the 30-day window is still open. ## Cars from states without testing Many cars arrive from places that never tested them. That is fine: the Nevada test looks at the car as it is today. On a 1996 or newer vehicle the OBD test reads the engine computer, and the most common surprise is a check engine light that has been on for a while. A lit light is an automatic fail in Nevada, so if yours is on, read our [check engine light page](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/smog-check/check-engine-light/) before you come in. ### Sources - [dmv.nv.gov/pdfforms/Do-I-have-to-register-my-vehicle-in-Nevada.pdf](https://dmv.nv.gov/pdfforms/Do-I-have-to-register-my-vehicle-in-Nevada.pdf) (Nevada DMV: 30-day rule, residency, nonresident triggers and exemptions) - [dmv.nv.gov/registervehicle.htm](https://dmv.nv.gov/registervehicle.htm) (Nevada DMV Register a Vehicle: emissions report, VP 015, Nevada insurance; read 10/19/26) - [dmv.nv.gov/emission.htm](https://dmv.nv.gov/emission.htm) (Nevada DMV Emission Control Program: vehicles tested and exemptions; 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) ### What a customer said Reno South This is the only place I take my 2000 4Runner to for oil changes and smog testing. They’re friendly and respectful and always take the time to answer my questions. Thank you! [All smog check reviews](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/reviews/) ### Related - [Moving to Reno or Sparks](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/faq/moving-to-reno/) - [New Nevada resident: registration and the smog check](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/guides/new-resident-registration/) - [What to bring to your smog check](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/smog-check/what-to-bring/) - [Do I need a smog check?](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/do-i-need-a-smog-check/) - [Smog check near Reno](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/smog-check-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/) ## Related situations [### Smog check for your registration renewal The yearly test before you renew a Washoe County registration. Learn more](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/smog-check/registration-renewal/)[### Buying or selling a used car Who owes the test on a private sale and a dealer sale. Learn more](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/smog-check/buying-or-selling-a-car/)[### Vehicle out of state at renewal time Away at school, on a job or on the road when the notice comes. Learn more](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/smog-check/out-of-state-vehicle/)[### Smog checks for business fleets Work trucks, vans and company cars registered in Washoe County. Learn more](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/smog-check/fleet-vehicles/) ## New to Nevada: your first smog check: questions Still have a question? Call either Reno location or just drive in; there is no appointment to make. ### My car passed a smog check in California. Does that count? No. Nevada needs its own test result in the DMV system for a vehicle based in a testing area. ### I live in Reno part of the year. Do I have to register here? The DMV says a vehicle operated in Nevada more than 30 days in a calendar year must be registered here, among other triggers. If your Reno-based vehicle is away when the renewal comes up, the EC-008 exemption form may apply. ### Can I do the smog check before I have Nevada insurance? Yes, the test does not require Nevada insurance. Registration does. ### Which location should a new resident use? Whichever is closer: Reno South on Longley Lane near the airport, or Reno Northwest on Mae Anne Avenue. Neither needs an appointment. ## Two Reno locations, inside Xpress Oil & Lube Center [Reno Northwest smog check](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/locations/reno-mae-anne/)[Reno South smog check](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/locations/reno-longley/)