California governor Gavin Newsom signed a classic car emissions exemption bill into law Tuesday.
“Leno’s Law” is now official in the state of California. On Tuesday, Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 1392, bringing into force a policy that gives some classic car owners an exemption window from emissions checks for certain model years.
The law covers a small segment of collector vehicles in the state, phasing in a fairly narrow exemption for collector cars between the 1976 and 1985 model years. If those vehicles are driven less than 1,000 miles per year and insured as collector vehicles, then owners will eventually be able to secure a smog exemption. However, because this is a phased rollout, it will not take effect immediately, nor will all owners within that 10-year inclusive time frame immediately qualify.
SB 1392 will take effect on January 1, 2028. At that point, vehicles manufactured before 1981 (so 1976-1981 collector vehicles) will be exempt from regular smog checks. The legislation then bumps that exemption forward one model year annually. That will continue until 2033, when vehicles manufactured prior to Model Year 1986 will fall under the emissions test exemption.
Nevertheless, Leno himself and car enthusiasts wanting this exemption praised the bill finally becoming law, opening a window that avoids owners facing months of bureaucratic red tape and hundreds of dollars in fees in an effort to certify their vehicles’ emissions, so they can legally drive their vehicles in the state.
“The Governor stuck with this legislation through the last couple of years to preserve California’s classic car heritage, and that’s rare,” Leno said. “The car community has been waiting on this for a long time, and they notice. when someone follows through. Thank you, Governor.” Fittingly, Newsom signed the bill in Jay Leno’s own garage.
Newsom also signed Assembly Bill 2541 and Senate Bill 1069 into law at the same event. AB 2541 honors California’s lowrider heritage, establishing a specialized license plate process. SB 1069 establishes a system to expedite the review process for aftermarket part manufacturers to get approval to sell their parts in the state.
