Safety Testing

The State of Alaska has a potential for wintertime health problems with Carbon Monoxide (CO) in the Anchorage and Fairbanks areas.

The health threat from exposure to CO is most serious for children, the elderly, pregnant women, and those who suffer from cardiovascular disease, but at higher levels of exposure, healthy individuals are also affected. Visual impairment, reduced work capacity, reduced manual dexterity, poor learning ability, and difficulty in performing complex tasks are all associated with exposure to elevated CO levels.

Automobiles and trucks are the source of most of the carbon monoxide emissions in Alaska. For this reason nearly all vehicles that are operated in the Municipality of Anchorage or in the Fairbanks North Star Borough are required to pass a vehicle emissions test every two years. Exceptions to this requirement include brand new and very old vehicles, diesel engine vehicles, vehicles that are very large (with an unladen weight of 12,000 pounds or more), and motorcycles, snow machines, etc.

Vehicles used to regularly visit or to commute into the Municipality of Anchorage or the Fairbanks North Star Borough for work or school are also required to pass an emissions test every two years.

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