Smog check near ZIP 89704 (Washoe Valley)

ZIP 89704 covers Washoe Valley south of Reno: New Washoe City, the homes around Washoe Lake and the larger properties on the valley floor, all strung along I-580. It is rural, but it is not outside the testing area. The DMV lists Washoe Valley by name. Households here keep more vehicles than in any other ZIP on this site, and the residents skew older, which brings classic and older vehicles into the picture.

At a glance

• About 23 minutes north on I-580 to Reno South (4993 Longley Ln); about 36 to Reno Northwest.
• Washoe Valley is named in the DMV's Washoe testing area.
• 2.87 vehicles per household, the highest on this list (ACS 2020-2024).
• Median age 56.6 (ACS 2020-2024); the older-vehicle and classic-plate rules are below.

Named in the rule

Some rural parts of Washoe County are exempt. Washoe Valley is not. The DMV's description of the Washoe testing area lists Reno, Sparks, Washoe Valley, most of the area west of Washoe Valley and all of the county south of the 40th parallel. A vehicle based at an 89704 address tests every year if it is gasoline powered, 1968 or newer and past its first three registrations.

If a vehicle is kept and used mostly outside Nevada for a stretch, the DMV's EC-008 exemption application covers renewing without a test, filed before the registration expires. Nevada has no grace period.

Up I-580 to Longley Lane

The drive is simple: I-580 north over the hill into Reno, then off near the Reno-Tahoe airport to Longley Lane, about 23 minutes in light traffic by OpenStreetMap routing. Reno Northwest on Mae Anne Avenue adds the run through town on I-80 west, about 36 minutes. Pair the test with a shopping or appointment day in Reno.

Many vehicles, some of them old

Census ACS 2020-2024 estimates for the 89704 ZIP code area count about 4,800 people in about 1,800 households, with 2.87 vehicles per household and 87.4 percent of homes owning two or more. The median age is 56.6 and the mean commute 26 minutes. Margins on a ZIP this size are wide, so treat the figures as rounded.

With that many vehicles per home, an older one is often in the mix. The DMV rules: 1967 and older are exempt; 1968 to 1995 get the two-speed tailpipe test; Classic Rod, Classic Vehicle and Old Timer plates can be exempt if driven 5,000 miles or less a year with the yearly odometer certification, though those plates renew in person. Motorcycles are exempt. For a large truck or motorhome, call the service center before you bring it. See classic and exempt vehicles.

Hours

• Reno South, 4993 Longley Ln, (775) 828-6996: Monday to Friday 8 am to 5 pm, Saturday 8 am to 3 pm, closed Sunday.
• Bring the renewal notice and odometer reading; unplug any tracker from the OBD port.
• Ask about renewing your registration in the same visit.