Cali Laws....

[808*MP5]

Okay so here is the deal...
I'll be moving to Sac in September from Hawaii...
Can you guys give a breakdown of the Cali laws concerning such things as emissions, mods, tint, etc.....
I don't want any problems with my P5 when i pull it off the barge.

thanks...

 

[acts]

Ohh man..
It sucks here.. header has to have carb eo sticker, as does intake, your supposed to have the catalytic converter as there are idiot here that do take them off for extra horsepower.. here in the monterey /santa cruz area they will give you a ticket for having a huge ass and or loud exhaust... and now make you pop your hood to scope and see if you have nos installed or anything else that is deemed unsafe and illegal...
that is here though, I dont know how it may be in other areas.

 

[uclap5]

emissions are checked after 5 years on a new car (you may have to have it checked to register it in cali, im not sure) then every 2 years after. there is a visual and emmissions check, so you need both cats.

every header is illegal right now in cali, none are legal. period. intakes need carb sticker (so far i believe injen is the only one)

no red or blue lighting on the front of the car.

front license plate required.

thats about all you really need to know.

tint i believe is none in the front, 35 in the back, but im not sure.

 

[Notorious]

any tampering with exhaust system is illegal. So if your missing cats you may want to rethink that option. Need a front plate, but I don't have one, this one is more like how the cop is feeling the day you get busted.

 

[RYuReady]

emissions are checked after 5 years on a new car (you may have to have it checked to register it in cali, im not sure) then every 2 years after. there is a visual and emmissions check, so you need both cats.

every header is illegal right now in cali, none are legal. period. intakes need carb sticker (so far i believe injen is the only one)

no red or blue lighting on the front of the car.

front license plate required.

thats about all you really need to know.

tint i believe is none in the front, 35 in the back, but im not sure.

I just got an Injen intake for my b-day, and wasn't sure if it was CARB legal. Now I know it is, but where is this "carb sticker" that you speak of. Thanks.

 

[uclap5]

im not sure on the msp if it has the sticker yet or if its "awaiting approval"

on mine it is right near the injen sticker.

 

[A.V.MSP]

Your intake should be good, the license plate is pretty much like you said about how the cop is feeling.Exhaust wise dont drive like an idiot and do stupid stuff all the time and the cops shouldnt mess with you. Tint I think you can go as dark as you want in the back but the front cant be touched. As long as you dont mind swapping in cats every few years you should be fine w/ out them until you have to pass smog again

 

[808*MP5]

Damn...
I guess i'll have to take off my intake before i ship my car.....but how about like Cat-Back systems, springs, rims, hoods, etc...

Thanks to all for the fast responses.

 

[A.V.MSP]

being lowered is no big deal, if you have you cats w/ a catback you should still pass smog, freinds honda does w/ APEX catback. Hoods and such like that there definately shouldnt be any problems unless the cop is a total ass!

 

[gimpo2]

i think the law on lowering is you can't have any part of the rim tucked under the fender. that might just be local in Oceanside though. i think you can tint the fronts up to 75% or soemthing which is nothing, and visor tint can't be longer than 5 or 6 inches from the top of the windshield. not sure of the exact number.

 

[turboge]

any tampering with exhaust system is illegal.

That's a myth. Theres nothing illegal about modifying the exhaust as long as it is within certain decibal levels and has retained the emissions devices (cat, EGR, etc.). Your local laws may vary, but statewide via CHP standards that's pretty much the law. You can read up on it at the CHP website.

 

[Notorious]

I served a 30 day impound for this one. You can't even have a high flow cat. You could mess with your catback as long as it doesnt break noise level. But any modification pre-cat and cat is illegal.

That's a myth. Theres nothing illegal about modifying the exhaust as long as it is within certain decibal levels and has retained the emissions devices (cat, EGR, etc.). Your local laws may vary, but statewide via CHP standards that's pretty much the law. You can read up on it at the CHP website.

 

[turboge]

"There was a rock that caused a puncture in the downpipe, I had to replace it because I was suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning." "My cat was hit by a rock and punctured, when I went to the muffler shop to have it fixed they replaced it with an OEM style converter that was said to meet all 50 state certifications" blah blah...so many ways around it, and SO many legal catalytic converters out there.

 

[mypfizzle]

springs are no big deal..
tint on the front is illegal.
hood they wont really mess with you
as far as your header and such? i dont kno thats why i havent done any of those mods..
any idea where in sac youll be moving?
who know u might be lucky an live close to me so u can attend drink beer and b**** about how slow ur car is day.. YaY*
also.. if your military. i dont think anything will apply to u
John

 

[Notorious]

The judge didn't buy it. I dunno about state, but the local law is that you need to have an oem cat or if you have an aftermarket cat you need to get it recertified.

"There was a rock that caused a puncture in the downpipe, I had to replace it because I was suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning." "My cat was hit by a rock and punctured, when I went to the muffler shop to have it fixed they replaced it with an OEM style converter that was said to meet all 50 state certifications" blah blah...so many ways around it, and SO many legal catalytic converters out there.

 

[MinnowGT]

aftermarket cats need to be approved for california. there are a few cat companies that do specify they are california legal. There is also a mileage limit after which it
is legal to replace the cat. I think it's like 100k.

Headers are OK if they have passed CARB and have the certification sticker.

I have headers and a aftermarket cat on my jeep and don't have any problems getting
smogged as both are CARB legal.

There's actually a list maintained on the CARB webpage which lists different aftermarket vendors and what products they carry that are CARB certified. It doesn't get updated very fast but its a good general list to see what mods are legal emissions wise.

 

[mountjonas]

as far as lowering, i recall something about having the middle of the headlight being at least 22 (or so) inches off the ground.

 

[2K3 MSP]

as far as lowering, i recall something about having the middle of the headlight being at least 22 (or so) inches off the ground.

Yeah, it's 22 or 23 inches from the center to the ground. Also, no part of your car can hang down lower than the lip on the bottom of your rim(if that makes sense). Me and Pfizzle ran into aguy that had his car shipped from Hawaii to CA(Sacramento to be exact) and he didn't have to do ANY emissions testing. It was completely exempt. Not sure if it matters, but he was in the military.

EDIT: Like Pfizzle said...Do you know where in Sac you will be moving to yet??

 

[808*MP5]

Actually i'll be working at an Army Reserve center south of Sac and living on Travis AFB....i was told its something like an hour drive.

So let me see if i got this.....

things that need to be carb approved
intake
headers
cat

exhaust is by db

tint
windshield a few inches from the top
rest of car 35%

drop
nothing below lower lip of rim
headlight 20somthing inches above ground

plates
front required

body
hood & kit no problems

has anyone recently moved to cali? if so, how was the inspection process.

thanks

 

[jrodhotrod]

California Tint Laws:

No limit on the rear
Front 70% (virtually nothing) Or it can be darker with a dr. note