(A)(1) If the director of environmental protection determines that implementation of a motor vehicle inspection and maintenance program is necessary for the state to effectively comply with the federal Clean Air Act after June 30, 2025, the director may provide for the implementation of the program in those counties in this state in which such a program is federally mandated. Upon making such a determination, the director of environmental protection may request the director of administrative services to extend the terms of the contract that was entered into under the authority of H.B. 33 of the 135th general assembly. Upon receiving the request, the director of administrative services shall extend the contract, beginning on July 1, 2025, in accordance with this section. The contract shall be extended for a period of up to twenty-four months with the contractor who conducted the motor vehicle inspection and maintenance program under that contract.
(2) Prior to the expiration of the contract extension that was authorized by division (A)(1) of this section under the authority of H.B. 33 of the 135th general assembly, the director of environmental protection shall request the director of administrative services to enter into a contract with a vendor to operate a decentralized motor vehicle inspection and maintenance program in each county in this state in which such a program is federally mandated through June 30, 2027. The contract shall ensure that the decentralized motor vehicle inspection and maintenance program achieves an equivalent amount of emission reductions as achieved by the program operated under the authority of the contract that was extended under division (A)(1) of this section under the authority of H.B. 33 of the 135th general assembly. The director of administrative services shall select a vendor through a competitive selection process in compliance with Chapter 125. of the Revised Code.
(3) Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, the director of administrative services shall ensure that a competitive selection process regarding a contract to operate a decentralized motor vehicle inspection and maintenance program in this state incorporates the following, which shall be included in the contract:
(a) For purposes of expanding the number of testing locations for consumer convenience, a requirement that the vendor utilize established local businesses, auto repair facilities, or leased properties to operate state-approved inspection and maintenance testing facilities;
(b) A requirement that the vendor selected to operate the program provide notification of the program's requirements to each owner of a motor vehicle that is required to be inspected under the program. The contract shall require the notification to be provided not later than sixty days prior to the date by which the owner of the motor vehicle is required to have the motor vehicle inspected. The director of environmental protection and the vendor shall jointly agree on the content of the notice. However, the notice shall include at a minimum the locations of all inspection facilities within a specified distance of the address that is listed on the owner's motor vehicle registration.
(c) A requirement that the vendor comply with testing methodology and supply the required equipment approved by the director of environmental protection as specified in the competitive selection process in compliance with Chapter 125. of the Revised Code.
(4) A decentralized motor vehicle inspection and maintenance program operated under this section shall comply with division (B) of this section. The director of environmental protection shall administer the decentralized motor vehicle inspection and maintenance program operated under this section.
(B) The director shall establish a decentralized motor vehicle inspection and maintenance program as authorized by this section and, at a minimum, the director shall ensure that the program does all of the following:
(1) Complies with the federal Clean Air Act;
(2) Provides for the issuance of inspection certificates and alternative emissions certificates as specified in rules adopted under division (C)(2) of this section;
(3) Provides for a new car exemption for motor vehicles six years old or newer and provides that a new motor vehicle is exempt for six years regardless of whether legal title to the motor vehicle is transferred during that period;
(4) Provides for an exemption for battery electric motor vehicles;
(5) Provides for an exemption for hybrid motor vehicles seven years old or newer and provides that a hybrid motor vehicle is exempt for seven years regardless of whether legal title to the motor vehicle is transferred during that period.
(C)(1) The director of environmental protection shall adopt rules in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code that the director determines are necessary to implement this section. The director may continue to implement and enforce rules pertaining to the motor vehicle inspection and maintenance program previously implemented under former section3704.14of the Revised Code as that section existed prior to its repeal and reenactment by Am. Sub. H.B. 66 of the 126th general assembly, provided that the rules do not conflict with this section.
(2) The rules adopted under division (C)(1) of this section shall provide for the issuance of inspections certificates and alternative emissions certificates. Under the rules, an inspection certificate shall be issued to the owner or lessee of a motor vehicle when the motor vehicle passes an emissions inspection conducted in accordance with the motor vehicle inspection and maintenance program established under this section. In lieu of obtaining an inspection certificate, the rules shall establish a system by which the owner or lessee of a motor vehicle may request an alternative emissions certificate from the director.
(a) The rules providing for the issuance of alternative emissions certificates shall require an owner or lessee of a motor vehicle to do the following in order to receive the certificate:
(i) Complete and submit an attestation form created by the director that includes a statement that reads substantially as follows:
"I, _______, attest that, to the best of my knowledge, the motor vehicle concerning which I am the owner or lessee complies with all laws of Ohio and the United States governing motor vehicle emissions. I, ______, am aware that a false statement on this form is not permitted."
(ii) Sign and date the form either manually or electronically;
(iii) Submit the form to the director either by regular mail, certified mail, or electronically.
(b) The rules shall require the director to include both of the following additional information on the attestation form:
(i) A provision that allows the owner or lessee of a motor vehicle to specify one of the following methods by which the owner or lessee may request delivery of the alternative emissions certificate: certified mail, noncertified mail, or electronically;
(ii) A provision that allows the owner or lessee of a motor vehicle to specify the vehicle identification number, make, model, and year of the relevant motor vehicle and the date the attestation form is submitted to the director.
(c) Subject to division (C)(2)(d) of this section, the rules shall require the director to deliver an alternative emission certificate to the owner or lessee of a motor vehicle who complies with rules adopted under division (C)(2)(a) of this section. The director shall deliver the certificate within thirty business days after the director's receipt of the attestation form or, if the owner or lessee submits the form electronically, within five business days after receipt of the form. The director shall confirm the receipt of the attestation form if the director receives it by electronic means.
(d) The rules shall require the director to reject an attestation form for any of the following reasons:
(i) The motor vehicle that is the subject of the attestation form was in an accident or collision within the two years prior to the date of submission of the form, and the accident or collision caused substantial damage to the internal structure of the motor vehicle.
(ii) The owner or lessee of the motor vehicle that is the subject of the attestation form has received a ticket, citation, or summons with regard to that motor vehicle within the two years prior to the date of submission of the form for a violation of section4513.22of the Revised Code or substantially equivalent municipal ordinance.
(iii) The information in the attestation form is determined by the director to be false.
If the director rejects an attestation form under division (C)(2)(d)(iii) of this section, the director shall provide notice to the owner or lessee that the attestation form was determined to be false. The notice shall inform the owner or lessee that the owner or lessee may submit a corrected form to the director within thirty days of the receipt of the notice. If the owner or lessee submits a corrected attestation form that complies with rules adopted under division (C)(2) of this section within that thirty-day period, the director shall issue an alternative emissions certificate to the owner or lessee. If the owner or lessee fails to correct the attestation form, the director shall require the owner or lessee to complete an emissions inspection and obtain an inspection certificate in accordance with rules adopted under this section.
If the director rejects an attestation form under division (C)(2)(d)(i) or (ii) of this section, the director shall require the owner or lessee to complete an emissions inspection and obtain an inspection certificate in accordance with rules adopted under this section.
(e) In adopting rules under division (C)(2) of this section, the director shall ensure that the owner or lessee of a motor vehicle who falsifies an attestation form receives a notice that includes a statement that reads substantially as follows: "You have falsified an attestation form for your vehicle under the E-Check/motor vehicle emissions testing program. Your vehicle is registered in one of [insert the number of counties] counties in this state that has federal emission mandates imposed on it that the State of Ohio is required, under threat of penalty, to enforce. This letter serves as Ohio's only penalty for falsification of an attestation form. You have thirty days from the date of this notice to amend your attestation form and submit the amended form to the Environmental Protection Agency. However, if you choose not to submit an amended attestation form, you must have a motor vehicle emissions inspection conducted for your vehicle in accordance with section3704.14of the Revised Code and rules adopted under it."
(f) No penalties apply to a person who the director has determined to have falsified an attestation form, other than the issuance of the notice required under division (C)(2)(e) of this section.
(D) There is hereby created in the state treasury the auto emissions test fund, which shall consist of money received by the director from any cash transfers, state and local grants, and other contributions that are received for the purpose of funding the program established under this section. The director of environmental protection shall use money in the fund solely for the implementation, supervision, administration, operation, and enforcement of the motor vehicle inspection and maintenance program established under this section. Money in the fund shall not be used for either of the following:
(1) To pay for the inspection costs incurred by a motor vehicle dealer so that the dealer may provide inspection certificates to an individual purchasing a motor vehicle from the dealer when that individual resides in a county that is subject to the motor vehicle inspection and maintenance program;
(2) To provide payment for more than one free passing emissions inspection or a total of three emissions inspections for a motor vehicle in any three-hundred-sixty-five-day period. The owner or lessee of a motor vehicle is responsible for inspection fees that are related to emissions inspections beyond one free passing emissions inspection or three total emissions inspections in any three-hundred-sixty-five-day period. Inspection fees that are charged by a contractor conducting emissions inspections under a motor vehicle inspection and maintenance program shall be approved by the director of environmental protection.
(E) The motor vehicle inspection and maintenance program established under this section expires upon the termination of all contracts entered into under this section and shall not be implemented beyond the final date on which termination occurs.
(F) As used in this section "battery electric motor vehicle" and "hybrid motor vehicle" have the same meanings as in section4501.01of the Revised Code.
(G) On June 30, 2025, the director shall immediately begin procedures to submit to the United States environmental protection agency the alternative emissions certification program for approval as part of the Ohio state implementation plan. If the United States environmental protection agency approves the modification of the decentralized motor vehicle inspection and maintenance program as providing sufficient air pollution reductions to meet the federal Clean Air Act requirements for a vehicle inspection and maintenance program and modifies the Ohio state implementation plan, the director shall immediately begin to modify the Ohio environmental protection agency rules to implement the alternative emissions certification program. Nothing in this division requires the Ohio environmental protection agency to take action to implement the alternative emissions certification program until the United States environmental protection agency approves the alternative program as part of the Ohio state implementation plan.
(H) If the United States environmental protection agency determines that the motor vehicle inspection and maintenance program implemented in accordance with this section is not necessary for the state or any area of the state to comply with the federal Clean Air Act, the director shall immediately discontinue the program and take any actions necessary to effectuate the termination of the program.
Last updated August 13, 2025 at 11:20 AM