Smog check rules for propane and natural gas vehicles

Alternative-fuel vehicles are uncommon in Washoe County, which is exactly why owners and fleet managers are unsure of the rule. The DMV puts these fuels on the same exempt list as electric vehicles, with one qualifying word.

At a glance

• Exempt: vehicles running permanently on propane, CNG, methane or butane (Nevada DMV).
• Electric vehicles share the same line on the exempt list.
• Hybrids follow a different rule: exempt five model years, tested in the sixth.
• Registration still renews every year.

What the DMV list says

The Nevada DMV's Emission Control Program page names, among its exemptions, electric vehicles and vehicles running permanently on propane, CNG, methane or butane. A vehicle that fits that description is outside the yearly test even when it is based in Reno, Sparks or the rest of the Washoe testing area, whatever its model year or weight.

Dedicated fuel or dual fuel

The DMV wrote permanently into the rule, and that is where the questions start. A dedicated propane or CNG vehicle with no gasoline system is the plain case the words describe. A conversion that keeps the gasoline tank and lets the driver switch between fuels is harder to call from the page alone.

If your vehicle can still run on gasoline, ask the DMV or the Reno emissions lab how it is classed before your renewal comes due. The emissions lab guide says where it is and when it is open. Your renewal notice is the practical check: it says Smog Check Required when the DMV expects a test.

Not the same rule as hybrids

Gas-electric hybrids are not on the alternative-fuel line. The DMV exempts new hybrids for their first five model years and tests them from the sixth, and a plug-in hybrid that burns gasoline is still a gasoline vehicle for that rule. Fully electric vehicles are exempt outright. The hybrid and electric vehicles page covers both.

The other exempt categories

Propane and natural gas sit on a list that also includes motorcycles, 1967 and older vehicles, qualifying classic plates, replica registrations and heavy diesels. Each one has its own conditions, collected on the classic and exempt vehicles page.

What an exempt owner still does each year

The exemption removes the emission test, not the registration. You still renew every year, still need Nevada evidence of insurance, and are still responsible for renewing on time even if no notice arrives. The renewal page explains online, kiosk and in-person renewal.

Mixed fleets

A business running a few CNG or propane trucks next to gasoline vans has two sets of rules in one yard. The alternative-fuel trucks are exempt under the DMV line; the gasoline vans test every year at renewal. Those vans can drive into either Reno location with no appointment. Reno Northwest on Mae Anne Ave, (775) 787-1000, is open weekdays 8 am to 5 pm and Saturday 8 am to 4 pm. Reno South on Longley Ln, (775) 828-6996, is open weekdays 8 am to 5 pm and Saturday 8 am to 3 pm. Both are inside an Xpress Oil & Lube Center.