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Indiana emissions test (Clean Air Car Check): the official wording
Everything in quotation marks here is from 4 sources and was matched to them on November 11, 2026. The quotes are the sources’ words; ours only label them.
On this page: where · how often · fee · new and older vehicles · diesel, electric, hybrid · check a vehicle · sources
What does the text call it?
For more information about the Clean Air Car Check vehicle emissions testing program, call 888-240-1684 or visit the Clean Air Car Check website
The page we point to: Clean Air Car Check, About Emissions Testing.
Which counties does the text name?
The quoted text names 2 counties:
- Lake County
- Porter County
Indiana's vehicle emissions testing requirements apply in Lake and Porter counties.
How often is the test?
Vehicles registered in Lake and Porter counties are required to undergo emissions tests and tampering inspections every two years if they were manufactured after 1975 and have a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of 9,000 pounds or less.
Vehicles manufactured in odd-numbered years are tested during odd-numbered years and vehicles manufactured in even-numbered years are tested during even-numbered years.
What does the test cost?
We found no fee on the pages we could read for Indiana. That is a gap in what we could quote, not a statement about the rule.
What does the text say about new and older vehicles?
Exemptions include vehicles manufactured during the four latest model years and antique vehicles (as defined by 326 IAC 13-1.1-1 - see Section 1 on page 2).
Shown with it, so that neither is read alone:
There is an exemption for the four newest model years.
An Antique Exemption is available to vehicles that are at least 25 years old as long as either of the following criteria is also met: (A) The vehicle is insured under a collectible vehicle or classic automobile insurance policy; or (B) The vehicle is inspected by a technician at a Clean Air Car Check vehicle emission test site during its normal emissions test cycle and that inspection confirms that all federally required pollution control equipment for that make and model year vehicle is in place.
Vehicles registered in Lake and Porter counties are required to undergo emissions tests and tampering inspections every two years if they were manufactured after 1975 and have a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of 9,000 pounds or less.
What about diesel, electric and hybrid vehicles?
Every current line we hold for Indiana that uses the word diesel, electric or hybrid. Some are about one place or one kind of test; each speaks for itself.
Fuel sources covered under this exemption include: diesel, propane, natural gas, CNG or electricity.
If a vehicle is a gasoline hybrid, it will need to undergo an emissions test.
Fully electric vehicles are exempt from emissions testing in Indiana.
What about heavier vehicles?
Vehicles registered in Lake and Porter counties are required to undergo emissions tests and tampering inspections every two years if they were manufactured after 1975 and have a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of 9,000 pounds or less.
What else does the text say?
Gasoline-powered passenger vehicles and light duty trucks with a Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) of 9,000 pounds or less that are being registered in Lake or Porter County, Indiana are required to pass an emissions test every other year.
Alternative fuel vehicles will need to present at a Clean Air Car Check station during their model-year based emissions testing cycle to receive an exemption.
Motorists can apply for an Out of State Extension if their vehicle is located more than 300 miles from an Indiana Clean Air Car Check emissions testing station.
Vehicles can be tested as early as October of the year before they are due.
Check a vehicle against these quotes
Enter a model year, a fuel and a weight rating, and choose the county. The checker repeats the quotes above and, where a figure can be compared, says where your entry falls against it. It does not decide anything about your vehicle.
Where do these quotes come from?
- IDEM, Air Quality in Indiana: Vehicle Emissions Testing Program (in.gov; state agency page; read November 11, 2026)
- Indiana BMV, Vehicle Emissions Testing Program (in.gov; state agency page; read November 11, 2026)
- Clean Air Car Check, About Emissions Testing (cleanaircarcheck.com; program site we treat as contractor-run, linked from IDEM, Air Quality in Indiana: Vehicle Emissions Testing Program; read November 11, 2026)
- Clean Air Car Check, Extensions, Exemptions & Waivers (cleanaircarcheck.com; program site we treat as contractor-run, linked from IDEM, Air Quality in Indiana: Vehicle Emissions Testing Program; read November 11, 2026)
Spotted a quote that has changed at its source? Tell us. See also the comparison table for the other states.