Every other time you renew your vehicle registration you must obtain a “smog certificate”―a printout of your vehicle’s emissions test results. You must register your car within 90 days of your emissions inspection.

The government provides financial assistance for repair work (or to retire high polluting vehicles) to consumers who qualify. Depending on the availability of funds and the approval of your application, you could be eligible to collect $500 from the state for emissions-related diagnostic and repair services.

For more information (or to check on the status of an existing application) call (866) 272-9642 or visit the Bureau of Automotive Repair site for details and applications.

On that site you will also find a handy program fact sheet, FAQs, and a reference guide in Spanish.