Are emissions control tests mandatory where you live?

Yes, they are here - I live in Maricopa County - and it's a
county by county issue.
Emissions Testing has been a requirement since the (mid?) 1970's here
and even earlier, I think, in Califrornia.
Before a certain (elderly) age, vehicles are exempt.
Those cars are also the beneficiaries of a flat Registration fee.
The rest are charged based on God-only-knows-what-all requirements.
"New" costs WAAAY more than "middle-aged", etc.
Most cars are tested every year.
Depending on the year of the vehicle, some are tested every other year
(and I imagine as the car ages it will progress to every year.)
I don't know if it matters which manufacturer, but I also know that new
cars are exempt from Emmissions Testing for the first few years.
My 2002 Buick wasn't required to be tested until 3 years ago,
and it's required to be tested now every two years.
I expect that will change when it's ten years old. I don't know this, it
just seems logical to me . ANNOYING, [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] but logical.

Yes, they are mandatory here in PA. It's part of the annual inspection.

Tater Salad wrote:Yes, they are mandatory here in PA. It's part of the annual inspection.

What annual inspection?

Safety inspection; they check the thickness of your brake pads/shoes, tire tread, suspension wear and tear (Tie rod, steering control parts, etc), turn signals, headlights, brake lights,...

Tater Salad wrote:Safety inspection; they check the thickness of your brake pads/shoes, tire tread, suspension wear and tear (Tie rod, steering control parts, etc), turn signals, headlights, brake lights,...

Wow! Sounds like a little much, in my opinion.

It's not really that bad. It's basically a bare minimum to ensure that the cars on the road are at least somewhat safe to drive.