Colorado emissions test — who has to go, what it costs, and how to pass.
If your car's registration mailing address is in the Denver metro or North Front Range, it needs an emissions test to renew once it's past its new-vehicle exemption: every two years for a 1982 or newer car, every year for anything older. Air Care Colorado runs 18 stations with no appointments, the fee rose from $25 to $35 on March 2, 2026, and roadside RapidScreen units can excuse a clean car from the trip altogether. There's no safety inspection. Here is who's covered, which test your car gets by age, what happens if it fails, and the rule that catches out private sellers.
Buying a Used Car in Colorado?
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Quick Answer
- Do I need an emissions test in Colorado?
- Yes, if the vehicle's registered mailing address is in Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas, Jefferson, Larimer or Weld County and it runs on gasoline. A new car gets an exemption sticker valid for 7 years; Air Care says most vehicles don't need a test until they're eight years old. Cars registered outside the area but driven into it at least 90 days a year for work or school must test too. Diesels go through a separate state program.
- How much is an emissions test in Colorado?
- $35 for a 1982 or newer vehicle and $20 for 1981 and older, at Air Care Colorado stations. The fee rose from $25 to $35 on March 2, 2026. Stations take cash, checks and Visa, MasterCard or Discover, with a 2% fee on cards. A VIN verification costs $25.
- How often do you need an emissions test in Colorado?
- Most 1982 and newer vehicles every two years, and most 1981 and older vehicles every year. The registration renewal postcard tells you when a test is due; the test is due by the end of the month the registration expires, with an extra month of grace.
Four steps to a Colorado emissions test
Start with the renewal postcard: it says whether a test is due, or whether RapidScreen already passed the car.
- 1Read the postcardIt says whether an inspection is due, or "Passed Roadside Emission".
- 2Drive to a stationAny of 18 Air Care stations. First come, first served; no paperwork needed.
- 3Take the testOBD, IM240 or idle test by age, plus the gas cap. Most visits take under 20 minutes.
- 4Register with the reportKeep the original Vehicle Inspection Report. Some county offices won't take copies.
How Colorado's Emissions Program Works
Colorado runs the test because federal law makes it: Regulation Number 11 says the state "is required to operate and maintain a gasoline-powered vehicle inspection and maintenance program within the Denver Metro/North Front Range Severe Ozone Non-Attainment Area." The test is a condition of registration. Non-diesel vehicles registered in the program area are subject to an inspection "as a prerequisite to initial or renewal of the vehicle registration," and a vehicle in the program "may not be registered or sold without a valid Certification of Emissions Control."
The program area is the nine counties named on Air Care's FAQ: Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas, Jefferson, Larimer, Weld. The Estes Park Area, west of Range 71 West in Larimer County, is excluded from the enhanced program. And it is an emissions test only. Air Care's own words: "In Colorado, state regulation does not require safety inspections (tire pressure, headlights, etc.)."
Which Test Your Car Gets
By vehicle age, from Air Care Colorado's pages and Regulation 11, read on 22 October 2026.
| Vehicle | Test | How often |
|---|---|---|
| New vehicle (registered on a manufacturer's certificate) | Exempt: a windshield sticker valid 7 years, obtained by the selling dealer | None until the exemption ends |
| 8 to 11 model years old | On-Board Diagnostics (OBD) plug-in test | Every 2 years |
| 12th model year back to 1982 | IM240: a four-minute simulated drive on a dynamometer | Every 2 years |
| 1981 and older | Two-speed idle test | Every year |
| 1975 and newer, at any test | Gas cap pressure test | With the inspection |
| Every tested vehicle | Visual check of emissions equipment, warning lights and visible smoke | With the inspection |
Front- and all-wheel-drive cars on 17-inch or larger low-profile rims, or wheels over 34 inches, need the special dynamometers at the Sheridan, Boulder, Ken Caryl or Fort Collins stations.
Colorado Emissions Rules at a Glance
The area, the fee, the exemption and the deadlines, on one card.
From Air Care Colorado's pages and Regulation 11, read on the date shown.
Fees and Deadlines
From Air Care Colorado's home page, fee notice and how-it-works page, and Regulation 11, read on 22 October 2026.
| Item | Amount or deadline | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Inspection, 1982 and newer | $35 | Was $25 until March 2, 2026 |
| Inspection, 1981 and older | $20 | Annual test |
| VIN verification | $25 | For a vehicle not titled in Colorado |
| Credit card fee | 2% | Cash and checks have none |
| Free retest after a fail | Within 10 calendar days | At any Air Care station |
| Late test | 30-day grace after the tags expire | Later than that can bring a $50 ticket |
| Repair-cost waiver | At least $715 spent on emissions repairs | $75 for model year 1967 and earlier |
SB25-321 (signed June 3, 2025) lets the Air Quality Control Commission set the fee, up to $50 for 1982 and newer and $30 for 1981 and older.
RapidScreen: Passing Without Going to a Station
Air Care has 18 RapidScreen units rotating among roadside sites. As a car drives past, "a camera captures an image of the vehicle and license plate, and a process using infrared and ultraviolet light beams collects and measures the vehicle's emissions output." A car that records 2 clean readings within the last 14 months before its renewal can qualify, and its renewal postcard then says it has "Passed Roadside Emission." That car can skip the next station visit and renew by mail; Air Care says nearly one in three qualified motorists can.
Two limits from Regulation 11: Clean Screen doesn't apply to new vehicles or to vehicles involved in a change of ownership. A car you've just bought needs a station test, whatever its roadside readings were.
RapidScreen in short
- Readings: 2 clean ones, within 14 months.
- Notice: "Passed Roadside Emission" on the postcard.
- Result: skip the next station visit.
- Not for: new cars or a change of ownership.
Buying a Car With a Fresh Emissions Report?
Colorado makes the seller test the car. Before you pay, enter the VIN for a free preview of the title brands and junk and salvage records on file.
If Your Car Fails
From Regulation 11 and Air Care Colorado's FAQ and repair pages.
Why cars fail
Emissions over the limit, a warning light that stays on, missing or faulty emissions equipment or gas cap, or visible smoke.
One free retest in 10 days
A failed car gets one free reinspection within 10 calendar days, at any Air Care station.
6 free technical centers
The state's Emissions Technical Centers diagnose cars that fail more than once, by appointment. They don't repair.
The $715 repair waiver
Fail, spend at least $715 on documented repairs, fail the retest, then apply to the Department of Revenue.
Hardship waiver
For owners on a recognized public-assistance program, once per vehicle, for no more than one inspection cycle.
No waiver for these
Tampered or missing equipment, visible smoke, or a faulty or missing gas cap. Smoke repairs don't count toward the spend.
Buying or Selling a Used Car in Colorado
Colorado puts the test on the seller. Air Care: "By law, any used vehicle offered for sale is required to have another emissions inspection even if the current inspection report has not yet expired." The exception is a car with at least one year (365 days) left on its original seven-model-year exemption. The seller hands the paperwork to the buyer, and the buyer has 365 days to register with it.
Buying from a dealer, you can refuse a free test voucher and insist on a current test. If the car fails, you have 5 business days, Monday to Saturday from the day after you take it, to bring it back, and the dealer must repair it, pay someone to, or buy it back. That window grew from 3 to 5 days on August 10, 2022. And since January 1, 2024, it's been illegal to sell or drive a car whose emission controls have been tampered with.
The sale rules
- Seller: gets a fresh test before the sale.
- Buyer: registers within 365 days.
- Dealer voucher: you can refuse it.
- Dealer fail window: 5 business days.
New Residents and Special Cases
Situations Air Care Colorado and Regulation 11 cover directly.
Moving to Colorado
Bringing a car into the program area? It must pass before you register it in the new county, within 90 days of becoming a resident.
A young car moving in
A vehicle that hasn't reached its seventh model year can be registered without a test. It tests from the eighth.
VIN verification, $25
A vehicle never titled in Colorado may need one before registration. Ask inside any Air Care station office.
Out of state at renewal
Apply to the Department of Revenue for a temporary exemption, then comply within 15 days of returning.
Commuters
Registered outside the area but driving in at least 90 days a year for work or school? An inspection is required.
Collector and diesel vehicles
Collector vehicles, typically built before 1976, may be excused, but only if the state grants it. Diesels have their own program.
What SB25-321 Changes
The 2025 law behind the 2026 fee rise, and what it brings next.
Now
- $35 for 1982 and newer, $20 for 1981 and older.
- New cars exempt for 7 years.
- Clean Screen can excuse a clean car.
- Cars registered outside the area test only if they commute in.
Under SB25-321
- Fee caps of $50 and $30, set by the Air Quality Control Commission.
- An emissions assistance fund for test fees and repairs, from fiscal year 2025-26.
- Rules for high-emitting cars flagged by Clean Screen, even inside the exemption.
- Cars that fail and re-register outside the area must still comply, from April 1, 2027.
The high-emitter rules depend on the Commission adopting them. Check Air Care Colorado for what applies to your car.
Related Checks and Guides
Other state inspection guides, Colorado's VIN inspection rules, and the checks worth running before you buy.
Where These Facts Come From
From Air Care Colorado's pages, the Air Quality Control Commission's Regulation Number 11 (Cornell LII copy, current to its March 17, 2025 amendment) and the Colorado General Assembly's bill pages, read on 22 October 2026.
CarCheckerVIN is not affiliated with Air Care Colorado, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment or the Division of Motor Vehicles, and does not perform emissions tests. This page is general information; Air Care Colorado is the authority on your vehicle.
Colorado Emissions Test — Frequently Asked Questions
What Colorado drivers ask most.
Does Colorado require a safety inspection?+
No. Air Care Colorado says state regulation does not require safety inspections, such as tire pressure or headlights. The program is an emissions test, with a brief check that the car is safe to test.
What do I need to bring to an emissions test in Colorado?+
Just the vehicle. Air Care says no paperwork is required at the inspection. Keep the original Vehicle Inspection Report it gives you: you need it to register, and some motor vehicle offices won't accept copies.
Do new cars need an emissions test in Colorado?+
Not at first. A new vehicle is issued an exemption windshield sticker at the time of sale, valid for 7 years, and the selling dealer is responsible for it. After the seventh year the car moves to the two-year cycle.
How long does a Colorado emissions test take?+
Air Care says most inspections are completed in less than 20 minutes from arrival. Stations are first come, first served: weekdays 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Saturdays 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., closed Sundays and state holidays.
I'm selling my car privately. Do I need a new emissions test?+
Yes, in most cases. A used vehicle offered for sale needs another inspection even if the current report hasn't expired, unless at least 365 days remain on its original seven-model-year exemption. You give the paperwork to the buyer.
What happens if my Colorado emissions test is late?+
Air Care describes a 30-day grace period after your tags expire. More than 30 days past expiration could result in a $50 ticket; longer extensions go through your county motor vehicle office.
Check the VIN Before You Buy in Colorado
Enter any 17-character VIN for a free preview. The full report lists title brands, NMVTIS junk and salvage records, insurance total-loss records, odometer readings, and auction records with the damage the auction recorded and its photos.
CarCheckerVIN is an independent vehicle-history service and is not affiliated with Air Care Colorado or the State of Colorado. This guide summarizes Air Care Colorado's published pages, Regulation Number 11 and Colorado legislation and is not legal advice. Records in our reports reflect what was reported to our data providers. Our reports do not include police or repair-shop accident entries.
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