As many of you now know, legislation to exempt all vehicles manufactured in the 1974 model year and earlier from the state's mandatory biennial emissions inspection program was signed into law by Arizona Governor Jan Brewer. Under previous law, only vehicles manufactured in 1966 and earlier and "collectibles" were exempt. Many of you are asking when the new exemption will go into effect. Under Federal law, Arizona must first submit a plan to the U.S. EPA detailing how they will address the state's air quality issues. Changes to the state's inspection and maintenance program must be approved by the EPA as part of the state's plan. The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality estimates that it will take between 12-18 months to develop and submit a proposal to incorporate the exemption changes into the plan for submission to the EPA. The EPA will then have another 18 months to approve or reject the alteration.
In the meantime, the current exemptions for pre-1967 vehicles and "collectibles" remain in effect, and will continue to be available even after the implementation of the new exemption. To qualify for the "collectible" exemption, the vehicle must be maintained primarily for use in club activities, exhibitions, parades or other functions of public interest and have a collectible vehicle or classic automobile insurance policy that restricts the collectible vehicle's mileage and/or use. The owner must also own a secondary vehicle for general transportation.
Please contact us at san@sema.org if you have any additional questions. Again, thank you and congratulations to all who participated in supporting this bill!