Cache County Council votes 5-2 to implement vehicle emissions inspection

FILE PHOTO: David Etheridge II, a vehicle inspector at DEQ, is shown during a tailpipe emission Thursday, June 22, 2006, in Hillsboro, Ore.  (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)  

Cache County Council members approved a vehicle emissions inspection and maintenance program by a 5-2 margin at Tuesday night’s Council meeting. Councilmembers Cory Yeates and Craig W. Buttars voted against approval of the regulation.

Bear River Health Department’s Executive Director Lloyd Berentzen went over the details of the program. He explained that vehicles manufactured in 1996 or newer will pay $15 for the test while vehicles manufactured before 1996 will pay $20. Vehicles manufactured in 1968 and older will be exempt from the test.

If a vehicle fails the emissions test, at least $200 worth of repairs must be made and the vehicle is free to drive for two more years. If the same vehicle fails to pass again, all necessary repairs must be made or the car cannot be driven. 

Berentzen expressed that while counties like Utah, Davis, Weber, and Salt Lake were questioned about their own regulations, the program is still very much a Cache County ordinance.

“As we go forward with this we’ll be less on the side of bringing in the big hammer and more on the side of educating people,” Berentzen said.

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