Owning a classic car in California is about to get a whole lot sweeter.
Two SEMA-sponsored bills have been signed by California Governor Gavin Newsom, both alleviating some stress surrounding the state’s strict emissions regulations. Leno’s Law, or Senate Bill 1392, and Senate Bill 1069 will go into effect January 1st, 2027. After a regulatory process, Leno’s Law will be in place by January 1st, 2028, and SB 1069 will follow on July 1st, 2028.
While it may sound state-specific at first, this is actually a big step for car enthusiasts everywhere. If something can pass in California, it can pass anywhere, SEMA CEO Mike Spagnola told me.
What’s the deal with Leno’s Law?
Leno’s Law allows classic cars manufactured between 1976 and 1985 to be exempt from smog checks. Leading up to this, classic car owners often struggled to find smog checks that were compatible with their older technology.
Sometimes they’d even have to drive significant distances to find these smog check stations, even though the vehicles are viewed as prized possessions that weren’t meant to put on tons of mileage outside of some Cars & Coffee events, according to Spagnola.
It’s an issue that SEMA has been hearing about for decades, and it has gotten even worse since Arnold Schwarzenegger pushed for more climate change policies. Responding bills never really got off the ground. Even a previous version of Leno’s Law didn’t pass.
But the new one, authored by Senators Dave Cortese and Shannon Grove, included mileage stipulations. Classic car owners have two options: drive their vehicle less than 1,000 miles per year or prove it’s covered by classic or collector car insurance.
“These cars are used sparingly,” Spagnola told AutoNotion. “You want to treat them like the prized possession that they are.”
Given how little they were driven, it seemed a bit ridiculous for these classic cars to need smog tests and the whole works. But it’s been tough to get California to budge on this due to the state’s very strict emissions regulations.
Despite California’s historic and impactful car culture, there have been ongoing challenges with all these cars on the road. California had clean air laws in place even before the federal government passed the Clean Air Act. Before the EPA even existed, Spagnola said.
“California has federal air quality standards it must meet. They have ot periodically submit a plan to the EPA about how they will address those issues,” he explained. “Mobile source emissions, like cars and trucks, and how they regulate those are a key component to those plans with the EPA.
“For this bill, the vehicles we’re talking about are sparingly used. They are taken to Cars and Coffee or local car shows or a 4th of July parade. They realistically are not having a significant impact on the vehicle emissions the state sees. We’re thrilled that lawmakers in California agreed with us on that, including Newsom.”
And what about that other bill?
I’ll admit, I’m a bit of a newbie when it comes to bills, regulations, politics… I had definitely heard of Leno’s Law, but I wasn’t as familiar with SB 1069. However, it’s one that SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association) has been mulling over for quite some time.
SEMA is focused on the automotive aftermarket, the things you do to make your car fun and more exciting. But the industry is more than just a hobby, said Spagnola. There are 7,000 member companies nationwide, including 1,500 right in California. And mostof them are small businesses with fewer than 100 employees.
As you probably know, many aftermarket parts can cause vehicles to fail California’s smog test. But even those that did had to go through a six-month period before they could get the parts approved and start selling them. SB 1069 will allow these manufacturers to submit complete CARB Executive Order applications, allowing them to start selling these car parts while the review process is still underway.
“This law will help innovative products reach consumers sooner, give small businesses greater certainty to invest and grow, and help American companies remain competitive,” Spagnola said in a press release after it passed on September 16th.
Even bigger, California is at the “forefront of motor vehicle laws, especially emissions,” he told me. “If you can sell the product in California, you can sell it nationwide.”
With both of these laws passed, SEMA sees this as a huge win for the car community as a whole. I did wonder, however, if these laws really have a huge impact on everyday car collectors. I mean, not all of us have to get a smog test for over 100 cars.
Said Spagnola: “The great thing about this is you don’t need a huge car collection like Jay Leno to be impacted by this bill. We always talk about car folks and what’s considered a collector car. It’s often in the eye of the beholder.
“I’m a relatively young person, I like to think. When I think of the cars that have significance to me, I look to movies like Back to the Future, the DeLorean. The Supra in Fast and Furious. This bill ensures that later generations – younger generations – who have different views on what constitutes a collector and a historically significant car can continue to have those prized possessions appreciated.
“Even if you have only one vehicle, it is just as important to you as it is to Jay’s collection. incredibly personal culture. This bill treats those new classics the way they should be treated.”
Right now, Leno’s Law only impacts vehicles from 1976 to 1981. However, it will add a year annually, going up to 1985. At that point, they have to touch base and have the bill re-authorized if it seems to be positively impacting the car community while not impacting California’s emissions.
