Depending on where you live in the United States, emissions testing of old cars may or may not even be a thing. There are 28 states where at least some (though not necessarily all) are required to submit their old cars for smog testing. Most have an age cut-off, requiring only that vehicles from the past 20 or 30 years (at most) be tested. And then, of course, there’s California.
California requires any car built since emissions became a thing (1976) to be tested every two years—period. This puts a ton of pressure on the owners of cars from the 1970s-1990s to keep their emissions systems compliant, often at a price that can exceed the value of the car itself. Automakers are only required to produce replacement emissions equipment for the first decade after a car is produced. From then on, it’s up to the aftermarket to fill in the blanks. And if you’re an enthusiast with a niche car that was produced decades ago in limited numbers, this process can prove unreasonably fraught.
Leno’s Law was going to change all that by eliminating smog checks for anything more than 35 years old. As you might have guessed from the name, the bill was heavily promoted by Jay Leno, but this common-sense proposal to revise emissions testing for “classic” cars in California also had the backing of SEMA and other lobbying groups. Now, it’s dead. Introduced during the 2025 California State Senate session, the bill ended up stalling in committee. Supporters soured on it after concessions to opponents ended up stacking burdens back on car owners, and ultimately, it didn’t have the support to make it back to the floor for a final vote. The last time it was brought up in committee was in August.
So, where do we go from here? The short answer: data.
Most arguments in favor of the bill suggested—but failed do demonstrate—that the actual real-world impact on emissions would be negligible. Enthusiasts claim that they don’t daily drive their old cars, limiting their impact on net real-world smog. But anecdotes weren’t enough to convince lawmakers the first time around. The current regulatory climate is probably the most favorable to a step-down in collector car emissions than any in recent history, but that won’t get you as far in California as it might in Wyoming or the deep South.
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