Skip to main content

Health & Saf. Code, § 44251 · Chapter 8. Smog Index Numbers

Health & Saf. Code, § 44251

Verbatim from the official edition

Text — As published in the Legislative Counsel's database, tables dated October 18, 2026 (pubinfo_2025.zip)

(a) The state board shall specify smog index numbers for new light-duty passenger vehicles and light-duty trucks with a gross vehicle weight up to 6,000 pounds to be sold in California. That smog index shall be based on certification data quantifying tailpipe and evaporative emissions of ozone precursor chemicals for classes of vehicles.

(b) For diesel fuel vehicles, the smog index shall be based on certification data quantifying tailpipe emissions of ozone precursor chemicals and particulate matter. Particulate emissions from diesel fuel vehicles certified to model year standards that did not include a particulate limit may be assumed to be equal to particulate emissions for model year 1985 diesel fuel vehicles.

(c) The state board shall specify the relative weight of emissions of ozone precursor chemicals and particulates in the smog index values for diesel vehicles. This weighting shall be based on the relative importance of each category of emissions to air quality problems in California.

(d) Smog index number 1.0 shall be assigned to a hypothetical light-duty passenger vehicle, a hypothetical light-duty truck with a gross vehicle weight of 3,750 pounds or less, and a hypothetical light-duty truck with a gross vehicle weight of greater than 3,750 pounds up to 6,000 pounds, emitting the maximum amount of pollution allowed for that class of vehicle certified for sale in this state as of the January 1 immediately preceding the operative date of this section. The state board shall determine the existing class or classes of vehicles to which the smog index shall be applied.

Notes and commentary — not statutory text

History

Amended (as added by Stats. 1994, Ch. 1192) by Stats. 1996, Ch. 1154, Sec. 28. Effective September 30, 1996. Operative on date prescribed by Sec. 32 of Ch. 1192. Inoperative five years after operative date. Repealed on January 1 after inoperative date, pursuant to Section 44257.

Source of truth

Edition
As published in the Legislative Counsel's database, tables dated October 18, 2026 (pubinfo_2025.zip)
Official file
https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=HSC&sectionNum=44251.
Text hash
sha256 75795d42a58e6ace1d4474b7080a7444b8596ed0614cceed1873d76fffc9f7e6
Composed by
compose_ca.py 2026-10-22: the Legislative Counsel's CAML content files read by a tokenizer (caml_readers.reader_a); an independent xml.etree reading (caml_readers.reader_b) agrees on every section

Cited by 1 provision

Provisions in this library whose text cites Health & Saf. Code, § 44251. Each shows the citation as that text prints it.

Procedural information only. Not legal advice and not a substitute for the advice of an attorney. Confirm the current text with the official publisher before relying on it.