SEMA.org

Leno’s Law passes! A BIG WIN for the California Collector Car Community!

California’s Senate Bill 1392, officially called Jay Leno’s Law, creates a limited exemption from California’s mandatory emissions—or “smog check”—program for certain collector vehicles.

How it benefits owners:
• Qualifying vehicles won’t require smog certification for initial California registration, biennial registration renewal or transfer to a new owner.
• This eliminates inspection costs and the difficulty of locating discontinued emissions components for rarely driven classics.
• It may make eligible vehicles easier and less expensive to preserve, restore, register and sell.
However, it doesn’t cover every old car. The vehicle must:
– Be at least 35 model years old.
– Be used primarily for shows, parades, exhibitions, preservation and similar collector purposes—not as the owner’s main transportation.
– Have collector-car insurance, or, beginning in 2030, be verified as traveling fewer than 1,000 miles per year.
– Meet the administrative rules that California’s Bureau of Automotive Repair will establish.
Pre-1976 vehicles were already smog-check exempt, so the meaningful new benefit is primarily for qualifying 1976–1985 collector vehicles. It also applies only in California.

Key Details of SB 1392:

The Exemption: Gradually phases in smog-check exemptions for qualifying collector motor vehicles built between the 1976 and 1985 model years (vehicles prior to 1976 are already exempt).

Rollout Schedule: Starting January 1, 2028, a rolling exemption begins for vehicles manufactured before the 1981 model year, expanding by one model year annually until reaching vehicles built before 1986 by January 1, 2033.

Qualifications: To qualify, vehicles must be at least 35 years old and meet specific collector-use criteria (such as not being the owner’s primary mode of transportation and meeting upcoming Bureau of Automotive Repair regulations regarding mileage or special insurance).

Support: Backed heavily by car enthusiast Jay Leno and sponsored by SEMA, the bipartisan bill recognizes that rarely driven historic vehicles contribute minimally to statewide emissions.

– Tommy Scalera, 2026