--- title: Smog check near ZIP 89512 (University and North Reno) url: https://xpresssmogcenter.com/zip/89512/ 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/) - [Service areas](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/service-areas/) - [By ZIP code](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/zip/) - ZIP 89512 # Smog check near ZIP 89512 (University and North Reno) ZIP 89512 is inside the Washoe County testing area, so a gasoline car registered here usually needs a smog check every year. Reno Northwest on Mae Anne Ave is about 10 minutes away and Reno South on Longley Ln about 13, and both take drive-ins. 4.6 stars from 210 Google reviews of this Xpress Oil & Lube Center 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](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/faq/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. ### Sources - [dmv.nv.gov/emission.htm](https://dmv.nv.gov/emission.htm) (Nevada DMV Emission Control Program: Washoe testing area, vehicles tested; read 10/19/26) - [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: out-of-state students and work-study students not required to register; read 10/19/26) - [dmv.nv.gov/emission_obd.htm](https://dmv.nv.gov/emission_obd.htm) (Nevada DMV OBD page: not ready rejection, OBD port devices; read 10/19/26) - [api.census.gov/data/2024/acs/acs5](https://api.census.gov/data/2024/acs/acs5) (U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 5-year, ZCTA5 89512; retrieved 10/15/26) - [router.project-osrm.org](https://router.project-osrm.org) (OpenStreetMap routing, drive minutes from ZIP 89512 to both Reno locations; retrieved 10/15/26) ### Closer location: Reno Northwest - Call [(775) 787-1000](tel:+17757871000) Mon-Fri 8 am-5 pm, Sat 8 am-4 pm, Sun closed - Address [6100 Mae Anne Ave, Reno, NV 89523](https://www.google.com/maps/dir/?api=1&destination=6100+Mae+Anne+Ave%2C+Reno%2C+NV+89523&destination_place_id=ChIJ3dFA7yBEmYARYg1CtQTi_Bk) [Located inside Xpress Oil & Lube Center](https://xpressoilandlube.com/) [Directions](https://www.google.com/maps/dir/?api=1&destination=6100+Mae+Anne+Ave%2C+Reno%2C+NV+89523&destination_place_id=ChIJ3dFA7yBEmYARYg1CtQTi_Bk) ### The drive About 10 minutes (4.8 miles) to the Reno Northwest smog check location by car in light traffic (about 13 minutes to Reno South), OpenStreetMap routing (OSRM), retrieved 10/15/26. Not a promise of your drive time. ### What a customer said Reno Northwest Nice people. I only needed the smog test. [All smog check reviews](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/reviews/reno-mae-anne/) ### Related - [Smog check near University and North Reno](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/smog-check-university-north-reno/) - [Smog check by ZIP code](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/zip/) - [Reno Northwest smog check](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/locations/reno-mae-anne/) - [Military members and students](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/faq/military-and-students/) - [Rejected: not ready to test](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/smog-check/not-ready-rejected/) ## ZIP 89512 at a glance - **People:** 28,030 B01003 - **Households:** 11,442 B11001 - **Vehicles available to households:** 17,159 B25046 - **Vehicles per household:** 1.5 B25046 / B25044 - **Households with 2 or more vehicles:** 42.8% B08201 - **Mean commute:** 20.0 min B08013 / B08303 U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates, api.census.gov, retrieved 2026-10-15, ZIP Code Tabulation Area 89512. A ZCTA is larger than a neighborhood; these are area figures. ## Smog check help for ZIP 89512 drivers [### 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/)[### New to Nevada: your first smog check Moving to Reno or Sparks with a car registered in another state. Learn more](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/smog-check/new-to-nevada/)[### Failed a smog check What the failed report means and the steps that follow. Learn more](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/smog-check/failed-smog-check/)[### Check engine light and your smog check Why a lit check engine light decides the test. Learn more](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/smog-check/check-engine-light/) ## Other ZIP codes near Reno Northwest [ZIP 89523 Northwest Reno Learn more](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/zip/89523/)[ZIP 89503 Old Northwest Reno and Rancho San Rafael Learn more](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/zip/89503/)[ZIP 89439 Verdi Learn more](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/zip/89439/) ## Questions from ZIP 89512 Still have a question? Call either Reno location or just drive in; there is no appointment to make. ### I am an out-of-state student. Do I need a Nevada smog check? Not while the car keeps its home-state registration: the DMV lists out-of-state students among those not required to register in Nevada. If you register it here, the yearly test applies. ### Which location is closer to the university? Reno Northwest on Mae Anne Avenue at about 10 minutes, with Reno South on Longley Lane about 13 minutes away. ### My car says not ready after a new battery. What now? That is a rejection, not a failure. The DMV says to drive normally for up to a week, city and highway, and test again. ### Can I renew my registration at the same stop? Ask about renewing your registration in the same visit.