30+ Years of Dealership & Manufacturer Expertise - Approved Academy
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8.2 Smog Certificate Duration
8.2 Smog Certificate Duration
A smog certificate is valid for 90 days from the date the vehicle passed the smog inspection. This is established under Health and Safety Code Section 44015. If you obtain a smog certificate for a vehicle in your inventory and the vehicle doesn’t sell within 90 days, the certificate expires and you’ll need to get a new smog check before you can complete a retail sale.
Think about this from an inventory management perspective. If you have vehicles that have been sitting on your lot for more than 90 days, their smog certificates may have expired. Before you can deliver those vehicles to retail buyers, you’ll need fresh smog checks. This is an additional cost of carrying slow-moving inventory — yet another reason to manage your inventory turnover carefully.
Here’s a practical tip: don’t get smog checks too early. If you acquire a vehicle and immediately get it smogged, but it takes you three months to sell it, the smog certificate has expired by the time you close the deal. Some dealers wait until they have a buyer before smogging the vehicle, which reduces the risk of expiration. The downside is that this can delay delivery if the vehicle doesn’t pass the smog check. The right approach depends on your business model and inventory turnover rate.
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❌ Common Mistake A dealer smogs an entire lot of 40 vehicles when they first come in. Two months later, only 25 have sold. The remaining 15 vehicles have smog certificates that will expire in 30 days. If the dealer doesn’t track expiration dates, vehicles could be sold with expired smog certificates — a violation. Implement a tracking system that alerts you when smog certificates are approaching expiration. |