04/30/2026
======= Happy E-Day Arizona =========
AZ History was made 18 years ago today when Collectable Vehicles 15 years and older became exempt from Emission Testing on 4-30-2007.
Following its passage, so many people claimed to be the Father of the Repeal that you'd hate to be the Mother, lol.
So, here is an exact reprint of the article *(adapted to fit Facebook) that I wrote way back then to set the record straight, and in a 2-minute read tell the whole history of...............
"The Who, What, When, Where & How on the New Exemptions to Az's Emission-Testing Program Beginning April 2007"
In the fall of 2001, 5 Phoenix area car collectors began meeting to exempt "Collectable Vehicles" from emission-testing in Arizona.
For the record, the 5 hobbyists are the Mustang Clubs Jim Griffin, the Triumph Clubs John Horton, Billie Jo & Rick Dahmer of the Az Outlaw's Racing Club and me, Bill Gilmore, a longtime vehicle appraiser with Automotive Research Services in Phoenix who is active with the Society of Automotive Historians and several other clubs.
We were all also affiliated then with the original "Arizona Automobile Hobbyist Council" or AAHC. *(A completely different organization back then from today's meek and weak in-name-only AAHC.)
We began by meeting to discuss the issue with 1966 Mustang GT Convertible owner Dean Cooley, who also happened to be an Arizona State Representative (R-Mesa), and the rest as they say is history.
Over the next 5½ years, we have worked with the Az State Legislature, AzDEQ, AzMVD, the US-EPA, insurance co’s, car clubs, motorcycle clubs, various lobbyists and countless hobbyists to make this emission-test exemption a reality.
Early in 2002, an in-depth air-quality study was proposed by Rep. Cooley in House Bill 2501. The study was performed by AzDEQ, and, by the end of 2004, found "Collectable Vehicle" emissions to be "insignificant" to air-quality in the Phoenix and Tucson e-testing areas.
The AzDEQ study also found that motorcycle emissions, while insignificant in the Tucson area, were still significant enough in the Phoenix area to continue e-testing.
In 2005, an e-test exemption bill was proposed by Rep. Ray Barnes (R-7 Phoenix). HB2357 was based on Rep. Cooley’s HB2496 & HB2501 and the findings from the AzDEQ’s study.
The bill was then unanimously passed through the whole state legislative process without any no-votes. All 90 of Arizona's State Legislators voted for and approved of HB2357, an extremely rare occurrence in these mud-slinging days of Red verses Blue politics.
These unanimously approved Arizona exemptions were then meticulously reviewed on the Federal level by the US-EPA, and, after a number of public hearings and comment periods, were officially approved by the EPA in Dec. of 2006.
So, backed-up now by both state and federal reviews with official approvals, and duly noted in the Federal Register on 3-30-07, "E-Day", or exemption day will officially become Az law on 4-30-07.
Now, all vehicles 15 years or older on back to 1967 that have collector car insurance coverage will become exempt from emission testing. (1966 & older are already exempted.)
If you want to use your older vehicle as an unrestricted daily driver, and keep it insured as one, you will still have to test. Also beginning in April 2007, all motorcycles in the Tucson e-testing area will become exempt while Phoenix area motorcycles will still test.
Beginning with April 2007 renewals, "Collectable Vehicle" owners may need to show a copy of the cover page, or declaration page of their collector car insurance policy down at the AzMVD to get their 1st exemption. Eventually, insurance companies will send these codes electronically to MVD.
Once those policy codes are in the MVD database, the annual renewal card mailed to the owner should state "No Emission Test Required" and you'll just have to mail in your renewal fee.
Also be aware that if for any reason that insurance expires, the MVD computer (updated monthly) will catch it and you’ll then have to test or re-register for the exemption, or, if you sold the vehicle, the new owner will need to show proof of collector car insurance to claim the exemption.
In conclusion, 15 years or older with collector car insurance and your exempt. This historic change in the law is quite logical and fair; your choice of insurance coverage (a legal contract) proves how you intend to use your vehicle.
As either a limited-use limited-mileage secondary vehicle, or, for unrestricted primary usage (also called a daily-driver).
Since the DEQ/EPA studies proved that "limited-use limited-mileage collector cars are not part of our air-quality problems", they should not be part of our air-quality solutions.
Which is annual emission testing for older daily-drivers with unrestricted mileage and usage.
The purpose of all our exemption efforts was to relieve collectors from their long-standing unnecessary burden (and expense) of annual emission-testing of limited-use limited-mileage vehicles.
After 5½ years promoting this difference, we were finally able to achieve our goal. Happy E-Day Arizona.
– Bill Gilmore, Automotive Research Services, [email protected]
