Will I pass my emissions test?
Smog check, emissions test, E-Check, Air Care, state inspection: every state calls it something different, and some don't have one at all. For cars from 1996 on it's usually the same test: the station plugs into your car and asks it. Athena OBD asks the same questions, so you'll know before you go.
What the test looks for
The check engine light
It must work (it lights up when you turn the key) and be off with the engine running. On means a fail.
Stored codes
A fault that turns the light on fails the test, even if the light happens to be off right now.
The car's self-tests
Your car checks its own emissions parts as you drive. Too many unfinished (often after a battery change or clearing codes) and you're asked to come back.
Just cleared the codes or changed the battery?
The self-tests start over, and it takes a few days of normal driving (in town and on the highway) for them to finish. Athena OBD shows which are done, so you don't waste a trip to the station.
What each state calls it
| State | Its emissions test |
|---|---|
| Alabama | None |
| Alaska | None |
| Arizona | ADEQ Vehicle Emissions Some areas |
| Arkansas | None |
| California | Smog Check Statewide |
| Colorado | Air Care Colorado Some areas |
| Connecticut | CT Emissions Program Statewide |
| Delaware | DMV emissions inspection Statewide |
| District of Columbia | DC DMV emissions inspection Statewide |
| Florida | None |
| Georgia | Georgia's Clean Air Force Some areas |
| Hawaii | None |
| Idaho | None |
| Illinois | Illinois Air Team Some areas |
| Indiana | Clean Air Car Check Some areas |
| Iowa | None |
| Kansas | None |
| Kentucky | None |
| Louisiana | LDEQ emissions inspection Some areas |
| Maine | Cumberland County enhanced inspection Some areas |
| Maryland | VEIP Some areas |
| Massachusetts | Massachusetts Vehicle Check Statewide |
| Michigan | None |
| Minnesota | None |
| Mississippi | None |
| Missouri | Gateway Vehicle Inspection Program Some areas |
| Montana | None |
| Nebraska | None |
| Nevada | Nevada DMV emissions Some areas |
| New Hampshire | None |
| New Jersey | NJ MVC inspection Statewide |
| New Mexico | Air Care Some areas |
| New York | NYVIP3 Statewide |
| North Carolina | NC DEQ / DMV emissions inspection Some areas |
| North Dakota | None |
| Ohio | E-Check Some areas |
| Oklahoma | None |
| Oregon | Oregon DEQ Vehicle Inspection Some areas |
| Pennsylvania | Drive Clean PA Some areas |
| Rhode Island | RI DMV emissions inspection Statewide |
| South Carolina | None |
| South Dakota | None |
| Tennessee | None |
| Texas | Texas emissions inspection Some areas |
| Utah | county emissions inspection programs Some areas |
| Vermont | Vermont annual inspection Statewide |
| Virginia | Virginia emissions inspection Some areas |
| Washington | None |
| West Virginia | None |
| Wisconsin | Wisconsin Vehicle Inspection Program Some areas |
| Wyoming | None |
Each state's rules as its own program publishes them, checked October 2026. Rules change: your state's program has the final word.
Drive a BMW?
Athena OBD reads the engine codes every car shares. Our sister app, AutoLingo for BMW, goes much further on a BMW: the airbags, ABS, instrument cluster and body modules too, plus service resets, even on older E-chassis cars.
See AutoLingo for BMW