Smog check rules for motorcycles and mopeds

Riders new to Washoe County often ask whether their bike needs the same inspection as their car. The DMV answers in one line of its exempt list. What follows is that line, what it leaves in place, and how it fits with the other vehicles in your driveway.

At a glance

• The DMV exempt list names motorcycles and mopeds.
• The exemption covers the emission test only; yearly registration still applies.
• A car or truck based at the same Washoe address is tested on its own rules.
• New residents register within 30 days, bike included.

The line on the exempt list

The Nevada DMV's Emission Control Program page sets out who is tested: gasoline vehicles 1968 and newer and diesels up to 14,000 pounds GVWR, based in the urban areas of Washoe and Clark county. The same page then lists the vehicles that are exempt, and motorcycles and mopeds are on that list by name, next to electric vehicles, 1967 and older vehicles and new vehicles on their first three registrations.

The exemption does not depend on the engine size, the model year or where in the Washoe testing area you live. It is a vehicle-type rule.

What the exemption leaves in place

Being exempt from the emission test is not the same as being exempt from the DMV. A motorcycle still registers every year, still needs Nevada evidence of insurance, and still has to be renewed on time whether or not a notice arrives in the mail. The DMV says you are responsible for renewing on time even if no notice comes.

Your renewal notice is the document to check. It says Smog Check Required when the DMV expects a test. If a notice for a motorcycle ever says that, contact the DMV before you renew, because the exempt list and the notice should agree. The registration renewal page walks through online, kiosk and in-person renewal.

One rider, two vehicles

Most riders in Washoe County also own a car, and Census figures show the average county household has close to two vehicles. The bike's exemption does nothing for the car. If the car is gasoline, 1968 or newer, past its third registration and based at a Reno or Sparks address, it tests every year at renewal.

That test is a drive-in at either Reno location, inside an Xpress Oil & Lube Center, with no appointment. Reno Northwest on Mae Anne Ave and Reno South on Longley Ln are both open Monday to Friday 8 am to 5 pm, and on Saturday until 4 pm and 3 pm. The result goes to the DMV electronically.

Moving to Reno with a motorcycle

The DMV gives new residents 30 days to get a Nevada driver license and register their vehicles. For a bike, the registration visit needs Nevada insurance evidence and the odometer reading, plus the Vehicle Inspection Certificate (VP 015) if it has never been registered or titled in Nevada. An emissions inspection report is only needed for vehicles that test, so the motorcycle skips that step. The new to Nevada page covers the car side of the move.

Other exempt vehicles

Classic plates, replica registrations and 1967 and older vehicles have their own lines on the same list, each with its own conditions. The classic and exempt vehicles page lays them out.