'Leno's Law' Signed In CA – Here's How The State's Classic Car Rules Will Change

California governor Gavin Newsom officially signed Senate Bill 1392 into law on Sept. 16, effectively making an exception to one of the state's long-standing vehicle pollution rules. Known as "Jay Leno's Law" in reference to the former late night host's enthusiasm for classic cars, the new law trades important emissions safeguards for the preservation of automotive history. More specifically, Leno's Law adds a phased-in exemption from California's smog-check requirements for qualifying collector vehicles with model years ranging from 1976 to 1985.

To be clear, the new law doesn't give every eligible vehicle permission to start skipping smog checks. The first expansion doesn't take effect until January 1, 2028, at which point qualifying collector vehicles manufactured before the 1981 model year will become exempt. The exemption then expands by one model year at a time, not reaching the 1986 model year until 2033. Until a model year reaches its applicable exemption date, it still has to pass the existing smog-check requirements. The law also changes nothing for classic car emissions testing throughout the rest of the country.

The final law is much narrower than the earlier proposal Leno advocated for. A previous effort, SB 712, included a broader rolling exemption for collector vehicles that were at least 35 years old. That proposal never came close to law, though. SB 1392 instead limits the covered vehicles by model year and adds requirements for vehicles to either have collector insurance or travel less than 1,000 miles annually. The governor's office insists the law is specifically written for collector cars that are preserved and driven sparingly; the argument being the potential for these vehicles to pollute would be much smaller compared to cars being used for daily commuting.

In addition to what the bill does for classic cars and emissions testing, the new law also introduces a special series of license plates honoring the state of California's role in the history of lowriders. Gov. Newsom passed an earlier law protecting lowriding back in 2023, so tacking this special license plate program onto SB 1392 shows a continued interest in recognizing the cultural significance of the movement.