What should a technician do when a vehicle with out-of-state license plates arrives for a Smog inspection?

• A. Complete the inspection and issue a standard report.
• B. Notify the owner to transfer plates.
• C. Return the vehicle to the owner for registration.
• D. Send the vehicle to the State Referee for initial registration.

Answer: (D)

When a vehicle arrives with out-of-state plates, it isn’t registered in California yet, so you can’t proceed with a standard smog inspection. The proper course is to send it to the State Referee for initial registration. This step ensures the vehicle’s ownership, VIN, and registration status are correctly established under California rules with the DMV, and it determines whether the vehicle will require emissions testing under CA requirements. Only after the vehicle is properly registered would a smog test be performed if needed. Routing it to the State Referee avoids testing an unregistered vehicle and aligns with the administrative process for initiating CA registration.