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What Is a Brake And Lamp Inspection In California?

April 30, 2024

Unlike many states on the east coast, California currently does not require an annual Car State Inspection. However, as of June 2024, a new vehicle safety inspection program will begin rolling out in California. This program replaces brake and lamp inspections. This blog post will go through in detail what elements of the vehicle will be inspected during the new California Vehicle Safety Inspection. This post will help you know what is involved with a brake and lamp inspection, so you can fix the issue prior to the inspection.

The purpose of the new annual safety inspection in California currently only affects vehicles if:

  1. A vehicle is being retitled
  2. A vehicle has a salvage title and is being newly registered
  3. In some cases if your vehicle has been in an accident, or reported stolen and recovered.

Like all Car State Inspections, Calfornia's new vehicle safety inspection program's goal is to ensure that the vehicle is safe to drive which benefits everyone in the state. Many people fail an inspection because items included on the inspection that are subject to wear, are worn past acceptable toleraance. Before we go into a full list, here are some important toleracnes for disposables on your vehicle.

  • Tires

    Tire tread depth greatly affects the ability of your vehicle to maintain traction. Your vehicle will fail if your tread depth is less than 2/32 of an inch. A simple way to check is to place a penny with Lincoln's head facing down. If the top of Lincoln's head is covered by the tread of your tire you tread is still above 2/32 of an inch.

  • Brakes

    Unfortunately there is not an easy way to check for brake wear. But there are indicators of wear that don't require that you remove the wheel of your vehicle. If your brakes are significantly worn you may begin to hear a scratching or wooshing sound. Most brake pads have small metal tabs towards the bottom of the pad which will make contact with the rotor if you have drum brakes or the disc in the case of disc brakes. It is important to have your brakes serviced if you suspect you are hearing this noise both for safety reasons, but also because the metal tabs will over time affect the surface of the brake drum or disc which will require that they are repaired in addition to installing new brake pads. The tolerance for brake wear is the same as tire 2/32 of an inch in California.

  • Warning Lights

    If any dashboard warning light is on, this is a good indicator that some other issue may exist which would cause your vehicle to fail. Sometimes a light may not require much expense to actually fix. For example, the Check Engine light can point to an emissions systems failure. A common cause of emissions failure is a bad gas cap, as the fuel system has to remain pressurized to work properly. So a simple replacement of the gas cap can cause the Check Engine light to turn off. In general, you should take your vehicle in to repair the vehicle so that the warning light is extinguished prior to a safety inspection.

  • Electric, Mirrors, Wiper Blades & Windshield

    If any of your headlights, turn signals, brake lights, or mirrors are broken you will fail the safety inspection. In addition, any cracks, scratched or broken glass on your windshield or other windows will cause your vehicle to fail. In particular, your left from window must be operable. Any lettering or shading of the windshield cannot extend further than 3 inches or the AS-1 line. In addition, if your windshield wiper blades are too worn or inoperable, you will also fail inspection.

The safety inspection does look very closely at other areas of your vehicle such as the suspension and frame. Older vehciles are more likely to fail due to issues with these areas.

Complete List of Inspected Areas

  1. Brakes
  2. Parking Brake
  3. Brake
  4. Headlights
  5. Other Lights
  6. Signal Device
  7. Steering & Suspension
  8. Tire, Wheels, & Rims
  9. Mirrors
  10. Horn
  11. Windshield & Other Glass
  12. Windshield Wiper & Defroster
  13. Exhaust System
  14. Rear License Plate
  15. Hood & Area Under Hood
  16. Pollution Control Devices
  17. Driver's Seat
  18. Seat Belts
  19. Air Bag & Airbag Readiness Light
  20. Doors
  21. Fuel System
  22. Floor Plan

If you need an emissions test commonly called a Smog Check in California, how do you actually get one? There are many independently run smog check locations in California. The website check-smog.com is a great resource for finding a smog test only location check-smog.com It is important to check your DMV notice to see if you have been directed to a STAR test location. STAR smog check locations have a specific license that allows them to test "directed" vehicles.