Safety Testing

As of December 1, 1999, you are no longer required to have your vehicle’s emissions tested.

The Twin Cities metro area vehicle inspection program ended November 30, 1999. Motorists whose cars have registration renewal dates in December 1999 and after are no longer required to have their vehicle emissions checked in order to obtain new license plate tabs. The nine emissions testing stations closed December 1, 1999.

The vehicle inspection program was established in 1991 when the Twin Cities area failed to meet federal air quality standards for carbon monoxide, an invisible, poison gas emitted by motor vehicles. The annual emissions test detected cars that emit too much carbon monoxide.

Because we were successful in reducing carbon monoxide, the MPCA asked the federal government to reclassify the Twin Cities as an area that meets carbon monoxide standards. The reclassification was announced in late October, 1999, paving the way to end the vehicle inspection program and save metro-area residents both time and money.

By having vehicle emissions checked annually and making necessary repairs, metro residents prevented 500,000 tons of carbon monoxide from entering our air; another 38,000 tons of hydrocarbons or poorly-burned fuel was also kept out of our air. With the help and cooperation of citizens like you, we are now breathing healthier air. Congratulations!

Now that we have successfuly dealt with the carbon monoxide threat, the MPCA has turned its attention to other air pollution problems caused by cars, problems that could not be addressed by a simple emissions test.

There is increasing concern about other air pollutants emitted by motor vehicles (cars, trucks, off-road vehicles) and other gasoline-powered engines (lawnmowers, snowblowers, etc.) These engines emit more than half of some air pollutants in Minnesota, including those that cause smog, or “ground-level ozone”. Smog can damage the lungs of both sick and healthy people, especially children and those who exercise outdoors.

Engines also put out toxic air pollutants that can increase our risk of developing cancer. These toxic air pollutants were recently found to be a potential health threat across most of the U.S., particularly in urban areas with large numbers of cars.

Americans drive an increasing number of miles every year as urban sprawl increases and families live farther from work, shopping and recreation. Minnesotans drive more than 123 million miles every day (the distance to the sun and halfway back again!) and the number of miles is increasing every year. As the number of miles we drive increases, so does the amount of air pollution from vehicles.

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