Title Transfer and Smog Check

No, you don’t need to have an inspection or emissions testing when you transfer titles. Title transfer is basically getting a piece of paper signed over to you in the presence of a notary. However:

• Before you register the car, you will need to have a safety inspection and possibly a smog test. North Carolina has two types of inspections: a safety inspection and a smog test. The safety inspection is required in all parts of the state.
• Only cars 35 years or older may skip the safety inspection.

The state calls the smog check the On-Board Diagnostic (OBD) Emissions Inspection. The smog check is required in 48 counties of North Carolina and performed at state-approved service stations.

• If you pass the smog check, the service station reports it automatically to the NC DMV.

• Only diesel-fueled cars are exempt from smog checks in these 48 counties.

Counties Requiring a Smog Check

If you live in one of these counties, you will need to get a smog check before you complete vehicle registration:

Alamance, Brunswick, Buncombe, Burke, Cabarrus, Caldwell, Carteret, Catawba, Chatham, Cleveland, Craven, Cumberland, Davidson, Durham, Edgecombe, Forsyth, Franklin, Gaston, Granville, Guilford, Harnett, Haywood, Henderson, Iredell, Johnston, Lee, Lenoir, Lincoln, Mecklenburg, Moore, Nash, New Hanover, Onslow, Orange, Pitt, Randolph, Robeson, Rockingham, Rowan, Rutherford, Stanly, Stokes, Surry, Wake, Wayne, Wilkes, Wilson and Union.

Purchasing a Car from Out of State

• If you bought a car from an individual (not a dealer) out of state, you may get a license plate and register the vehicle without inspections for the first year only. By renewal time, you are required to get the necessary inspections.