DMV Changing Emissions Notification Practice

The Department of Motor Vehicles is changing the way it notifies people that they are due for emissions testing.

Beginning Monday, the traditional letter will be replaced by a a post card, the DMV said.

The post cards are less-expensive and the move will save an estimated $400,000 each year in postage costs, the DMV said.

Notices are sent to approximately one million people each year whose emissions tests are due, the DMV said.

Emissions testing is required every two years on all vehicles except those that are four-model-years-old or newer and those vehicles that are 25-years-old or older.

The cost for a test has remained $20 for the past 27 years.

The testing process is easier for most vehicles manufactured after 1996 because they require only a computer hook-up to test the engine’s on-board diagnostics for emissions controls. Older vehicles and some others still require the traditional tailpipe test that measures the emissions gasses.

The post card mailing system is part of a new contract signed recently between the DMV and Applus Technologies, Inc. Applus’s testing network is comprised of 225 garages and auto dealerships statewide.

Customers can find the most updated test station list at www.ctemissions.com. The site also also allows a vehicle owners to look up their renewal date by entering a vehicle identification number.

Motorists who fail to comply with the state’s emissions testing law will be denied the opportunity to re-register their vehicle and also face late fees, the DMV said.