Smog check near ZIP 89512 (University and North Reno)

The 89512 ZIP code area runs from the University of Nevada, Reno campus out along North Virginia Street and the I-580 corridor, with neighborhoods on both sides of North McCarran Boulevard. It is a student ZIP as much as a family one, and that raises a question other ZIP codes do not ask as often: whose car has to be registered here at all. This page starts there, then covers the drive and the visit.

At a glance

• About 10 minutes to Reno Northwest (6100 Mae Anne Ave) and 13 to Reno South (4993 Longley Ln).
• Median age 32.8 and 1.5 vehicles per household, among the lowest in Washoe (ACS 2020-2024).
• Out-of-state students are not required to register in Nevada (DMV).
• A Nevada-registered car based here tests every year.

Students, residents and the registration question

The smog test follows the registration. The DMV lists out-of-state students among the people who are not required to register a vehicle in Nevada, so a student who keeps a home-state registration does not need a Nevada test. Some work-study students are on the same list.

Once a vehicle is registered in Nevada and based in the Washoe testing area, the yearly test applies like it does anywhere in Reno. That covers students who have switched their registration, faculty and staff, and the long-time residents of North Reno. A non-resident who works here must register too, under the DMV's rules. If you are unsure which side you are on, the military and students questions page lays it out.

The ZIP by Census count

ACS 2020-2024 estimates count 28,030 people in 11,442 households across the 89512 ZIP code area. The median age is 32.8 and vehicles per household come to 1.5, well under the county's 1.96. Only 42.8 percent of households have two or more vehicles, so for most homes the smog check is a once-a-year errand for a single car.

The mean commute is 20.0 minutes and 68.9 percent of workers drive alone (ACS 2020-2024). Short trips around campus become a smog issue mainly after a battery change; the DMV says a car that reports not ready needs up to a week of normal city and highway driving before a retest.

Getting there from campus

To Reno Northwest, head west on McCarran Boulevard or take I-80 west, about 10 minutes in light traffic by OpenStreetMap routing. To Reno South near the Reno-Tahoe airport, I-580 south gets you to Longley Lane in about 13 minutes. The two are close enough that the choice can follow your class or work schedule.

• Reno Northwest: 6100 Mae Anne Ave, (775) 787-1000, Monday to Friday 8 am to 5 pm, Saturday 8 am to 4 pm.
• Reno South: 4993 Longley Ln, (775) 828-6996, Monday to Friday 8 am to 5 pm, Saturday 8 am to 3 pm.
• Both are closed Sunday and need no appointment.

Bring these

Bring the renewal notice if it came, and know the odometer reading. Unplug any insurance tracker from the OBD port, because technicians are required to fail a vehicle with a device plugged in (DMV). Ask about renewing your registration in the same visit.