A push to establish a pilot program for remote vehicle inspections has passed the Arizona legislature and now awaits consideration by Gov. Doug Ducey. HB 2452 was voted out of the Senate Monday, April 22 on a 30-0 vote with no amendments to the House version of the bill.

“Given the broad support and my own conversation with the governor’s staff, my expectation is that the governor will likely sign the bill,” Stuart Goodman, CAWA’s Arizona legislative advocate, said.

The legislation would require the director of the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) to establish a pilot program to provide for remote vehicle emissions inspections in the Phonix and Tucson areas. As-is, Arizona uses 18 centralized testing stations rather than local mechanics.

If approved, the pilot program would run for at least three consecutive years before July 1, 2025. Results would then be evaluated for efficiency and cost savings over the existing process before a full-scale program would be implemented.

To become registered, vehicles in the pilot areas must pass emissions and tampering inspections. The bill allows for earlier inspections (beyond 90 days before expiration) and also proposes to extend the duration of emissions inspection agreements with independent contractors from five to seven years to no more than seven years.

Rep. Gail Griffin is the bill’s main sponsor.