How should a technician handle a vehicle that passed a Smog Check for biennial registration but is now being inspected for transfer of ownership?

• A. Inspect the vehicle as is and issue a certification if it passes the smog test.
• B. Re-test the vehicle.
• C. Deny certification due to transfer.
• D. Hold the vehicle until the new owner provides license.

Answer: (A)

Smog certifications move with the vehicle, not with the owner, and a passing result remains valid for transfer as long as the certificate is still current. When a vehicle has just passed a Smog Check for its biennial registration and is now being transferred to a new owner, you should inspect the vehicle as usual and, if it still meets the standards, issue the certification based on that existing pass. There’s no automatic need to re-test solely because of a transfer, and denying certification or delaying to obtain additional documents isn’t appropriate as long as the current certificate is valid. The key point is that a valid, passing smog certificate can be used for the transfer; you’re not required to re-test or withhold certification.