Update: Efforts to remove eighteen counties from the I/M Program

The removal of eighteen counties from the Inspection and Maintenance program was enacted in Section 12.7 of Session Law (S.L.) 2023-134 (House Bill 259) of the 2023 session of the North Carolina General Assembly, passed into law October 3, 2023. The changes are not effective until approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and finalized by DEQ and the N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV). 

The counties to be removed from the program are Alamance, Buncombe, Cabarrus, Cumberland, Davidson, Durham, Forsyth, Franklin, Gaston, Guilford, Iredell, Johnston, Lincoln, New Hanover, Randolph, Rowan, Union, and Wake counties. 

Note: All counties will still require the annual safety inspection.

Mecklenburg County will remain subject to the I&M program and for this county, S.L. 2023-134 changed the definition of a vehicle subject to an emissions inspection to a vehicle with a model year within 20 years of the current year and earlier than the 2017 model year.

Next Steps

On Oct. 1, 2024, DEQ's Division of Air Quality submitted to EPA a revised I&M State Implementation Plan (SIP) and Clean Air Act (CAA) Section 110(l) noninterference demonstration to remove the eighteen counties from the I&M program. Before the changes in the program can go into effect: 

• EPA has up to 18 months to review the I&M SIP and CAA Section 110(l) noninterference demonstration and complete the final action.
• EPA will publish a notice in the Federal Register proposing actions related the revised I&M SIP and CAA Section 110(l) noninterference demonstration to remove the remaining counties from the I&M program and will take public comments on the proposal for 30 days after publication in the Federal Register.
• EPA will publish its final action in the Federal Register addressing any public comments received.
• If EPA approves the submittal, the DEQ Secretary will submit a certification letter of the SIP approval by EPA to the Revisor of Statutes after the final EPA approval is published in the Federal Register.
• The DMV must implement the program changes on the first day of a month that is 60 days after the DEQ Secretary certifies to the Revisor of Statutes that EPA has approved the amendment to the SIP.