A California legislative panel has rejected a proposal to waive smog-check requirements for classic cars, ending hopes – for now – of looser rules for vintage vehicle owners. The Assembly Appropriations Committee quietly killed the measure, nicknamed “Leno’s Law” after its celebrity supporter, during an end-of-session hearing in late August. The bill, formally known as Senate Bill 712, sought to give owners of older cars a pass on California’s rigorous emissions testing program, but it was held due to fiscal and environmental objections. As a result, existing smog regulations remain in force statewide, including for enthusiasts in Modoc, Lassen, Plumas Counties and other rural regions.
State Sen. Shannon Grove authored SB 712 in an effort to ease requirements on classic car owners. The proposal would have exempted cars manufactured before 1981 from needing to pass California’s biennial smog check and from undergoing emissions testing upon change of ownership. To prevent abuse, the exemption was narrowly tailored: it only applied to true collector vehicles – those registered with special “historical vehicle” license plates and insured as “collector motor vehicles”. (Under current law, gasoline-powered cars built in 1975 or earlier are already exempt from smog checks, but the cutoff has been fixed for decades, leaving late-1970s models subject to testing.) Grove and supporters argued that expanding the exemption up through 1980 would simply reflect the cars’ antique status and alleviate burdens on hobbyists without significantly harming air quality.
The push gained high-profile attention after former “Tonight Show” host Jay Leno – an avid collector of nearly 200 classic cars – spoke in favor of the bill at the Capitol this spring. Leno and other enthusiasts testified that smog-checking vintage cars is far more challenging than testing modern vehicles. With a modern car, it’s “plug in, get your money – boom – get out,” Leno told lawmakers in April, noting that older models can take much more time and often cost four, five, even six times more to smog than a newer car. He pointed out that many shops no longer have the equipment or expertise to test carbureted engines and other outdated systems – a problem especially acute in rural areas, where specialized smog stations are scarce. (In far Northern California, a classic car club leader likewise noted that mechanics and smog-check locations increasingly lack the tools for older vehicles, making it difficult for owners to get their 1970s-era cars tested.) By waiving the testing requirement for seldom-driven collectibles, supporters said, the law would preserve “rolling pieces of history” and encourage new generations to take part in California’s classic car culture.
The bill enjoyed broad initial support. It sailed through the state Senate earlier in the year – with 19 Republicans and 4 Democrats signed on as co-authors – and cleared an Assembly transportation committee as well. A coalition of car clubs and the California Automotive Wholesalers’ Association backed the measure. Proponents stressed that the impact on emissions would be negligible, given the small number of qualifying vehicles. Indeed, cars eligible for the exemption would represent roughly 1% of vehicles on California roads, and many are driven only occasionally to shows, parades or Sunday outings. “These older cars are a tiny fraction of the fleet, but a beloved part of our heritage,” Sen. Grove said. “We should make it easier to keep them on the road as living history.” Grove and others also argued the bill would reduce costs for hobbyists – from expensive tune-ups to frequent test fees – and perhaps inspire younger enthusiasts to restore vintage cars, knowing they wouldn’t be stymied by smog regulations.
However, opposition from environmental groups and air quality officials was strong. Clean-air organizations, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, and the California Air Pollution Control Officers Association all lobbied against “Leno’s Law,” warning that older cars produce far more pollution than modern vehicles. (Tailpipe emissions have dropped over 95% since the 1970s thanks to advances like catalytic converters, so a single 1970s car can emit as much smog-forming pollution as dozens of new cars.) Critics feared that granting any additional exemption could worsen air quality — especially if it encouraged more old vehicles onto the road — and set a precedent of rolling back emissions standards. The state’s own regulators also raised budgetary red flags: an analysis indicated SB 712 could cost the Bureau of Automotive Repair and DMV hundreds of thousands of dollars annually in lost testing fees and administrative expenses. The California Air Resources Board estimated it would need about $1.2 million for new staff and updates to air quality plans if the law passed. Given California’s tight budget this year, those fiscal concerns carried weight. “We have an enormous amount of budget constraints still,” Assemblymember Buffy Wicks (D-Oakland), who chairs the Appropriations Committee, said generally as the committee weighed bills on its docket. Wicks had hinted that any proposal with significant costs faced tough odds.
When the Appropriations Committee met on August 29, SB 712 was placed in its suspense file – a process that allows lawmakers to hold bills with a fiscal impact until the end of session. In a rapid-fire hearing that day, the committee summarily announced that SB 712 would not advance, without debate or detailed explanation. It was one of dozens of bills quietly disposed of in that hearing, a common fate for measures deemed too costly or politically fraught. Asked afterward about the classic car bill’s demise, Chairwoman Wicks did not cite a specific reason, saying she’d “have to go back and look”. In a statement, Sen. Grove expressed frustration at the outcome. “I’m deeply disappointed that once again the Legislature did not prioritize California’s classic car culture and the enthusiasts who were relying on this measure,” Grove said, adding that “today California said ‘no’ to helping preserve these rolling pieces of history” and had “let down classic car clubs across the state”.
For classic car owners, including those in Modoc County, the bill’s failure means the status quo continues. All 1976–1980 model-year cars in California must still comply with smog-check rules, just as newer vehicles do. In practice, that works a bit differently in urban vs. rural areas: In metropolitan counties (and most of the state), cars are required to pass a smog inspection every two years for registration renewal. In contrast, rural counties like Modoc have more limited testing requirements – typically, a smog check is only mandated when an applicable vehicle is sold or initially registered in the area. (Thanks to cleaner air and fewer cars, these regions are designated “change-of-ownership areas” in the smog program.) But even in Modoc County, any post-1975 gasoline vehicle still needs a smog certificate at the point of sale or when bringing it in from out-of-state. That means a local owner of a 1978 pickup or classic muscle car will continue to need a smog test when transferring the title – and if the vehicle is kept in a county with biennial testing, it must pass those periodic checks as well.
Local enthusiasts say that keeping such cars compliant can be a real challenge. Older models often require tuning to meet emissions standards, and as Leno noted, finding a shop with the right equipment is difficult in many areas. Some Modoc County residents have to drive long distances or pay extra to get their collector cars tested at specialized stations. With SB 712 off the table, those hurdles remain. Classic car hobbyists will need to maintain their vehicles’ smog systems or use “referee” stations for any necessary inspections, just as before.While disappointed, supporters of the idea aren’t giving up. They argue the proposal was modest and misunderstood. The exemption would only apply to carefully insured collector cars – “not your daily driver clunkers,” as one enthusiast put it – and would barely dent state smog revenues or emissions. Advocates may refine the bill and try again in the next legislative session. For now, however, California’s strict smog-check regimen stays in place for all post-1975 vehicles. In Modoc County and beyond, classic car owners must keep heeding the current rules, ensuring that even antique autos meet the state’s emission standards before they can cruise the open road.
