The newly signed state budget effectively eliminates the vehicle emissions inspection requirement in North Carolina, pending EPA approval.
Currently in North Carolina, emissions inspections are required in 19 counties, including Mecklenburg County, and annual safety inspections are also required statewide. Language in the 2023 state budget eliminated the requirement for an emissions inspection in 18 counties, with Mecklenburg County the only remaining county in the program, according to Shawn Taylor, public information officer for the Division of Air Quality Office of Environmental Education and Public Affairs, at the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ). The legislation also narrowed the types of vehicles that must adhere to the requirement in Mecklenburg County.
These changes, however, cannot take effect until the EPA approves North Carolina’s revised Air Quality plan submitted by NCDEQ in Oct 2024, according to Taylor. The plan would eliminate the federal requirement in all 19 counties that are currently subject to emissions inspections…