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Is an inspection still required?

Inspection rules changed sharply between 2020 and 2025. Texas dropped its safety inspection, Washington closed its emissions program, and several other states quietly stopped testing. These pages say what is still required in each state, and in which counties.

California Smog Check every two years Every two years Texas No safety inspection since January 1, 2025 Selected counties only Florida No inspection of any kind Nothing required New York Annual safety and emissions, together Every year Washington No routine inspection Nothing required

The pattern: fewer states test every year

Between 2020 and 2025 the map changed more than it had in twenty years. Washington shut down a program that had run for 38 years. Texas, one of the largest inspection states, ended safety inspections for private cars at the start of 2025 and kept only county-level emissions testing. Several smaller states followed.

What is left is a patchwork: a handful of states inspect annually, some every two years, some only in the largest metro counties, and a growing group that tests nothing at all. Almost every guide you will find online still describes the pre-2020 map.

Emissions and safety are two different tests

A state can require one without the other, and several now do. Texas is emissions-only in 17 counties and nothing anywhere else. California's Smog Check is an emissions test by name, but it also checks that the car is not visibly unsafe. New York runs both at the same visit.

If you are moving, this matters more than the sticker price: an out-of-state car often has to be inspected before it can be titled, regardless of what your previous state required.

Rules checked November 2026.