101PD
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BAR inspector and repair licensing

California Automotive & Smog Check: California licensing, exams, and education

Separate the Smog Check inspector and repair-technician routes, including prerequisite experience, certified-school training, state examinations, and two-year updates.

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Catalog options
6
Course pages
6
Launch access
$0 / Free

California qualification roadmap

How to qualify for a California Smog Check license

Choose Inspector or Repair Technician first. The two licenses use different experience and training paths and separate state examinations; a person who wants both must qualify for both.

  1. 1

    Choose inspector or repair authority

    Select Inspector to test and certify vehicles or Repair Technician to diagnose and repair Smog Check failures. Add the second license separately if the job requires both functions.

  2. 2

    Document the prerequisite pathway

    For Inspector, establish ASE, education and experience, military equivalency, or Level 1 eligibility. For Repair Technician, document A6/A8/L1, qualifying education and experience, or the experience-plus-training route.

  3. 3

    Complete certified-school training

    Every Inspector completes 28-hour Level 2 within two years; candidates without an alternative complete 68-hour Level 1. The repair training route uses 72-hour Diagnostic and Repair Training within five years.

  4. 4

    Apply and pass the BAR exam

    Submit the individual application and $20 fee, answer any qualification request, and schedule the correct licensing examination after BAR approves eligibility.

  5. 5

    Issue the license and enroll biometrics

    Print the issued license. Inspectors complete biometric enrollment before performing BAR-OIS or BAR-SIS inspections; station and business licenses remain separate.

  6. 6

    Renew with the required update

    Every two years complete the four-hour BAR inspector update or 16-hour certified repair update, maintain any required certifications or diagnostic training, and pay the $20 renewal fee.

Official California requirements

What the licensing authority requires

Reviewed July 21, 2026

California separately licenses Smog Check inspectors, who inspect and certify emissions systems, and repair technicians, who diagnose and repair failures. General automotive mechanics do not need a BAR individual license merely to perform ordinary repair work.

Authority: California Bureau of Automotive Repair (BAR)

Smog Check inspector

  • Every inspector applicant completes at least 28 hours of BAR-certified Level 2 Smog Check training within the prior two years.
  • An applicant with minimal education or experience also completes at least 68 hours of certified Level 1 engine-and-emission-control training. BAR lists alternative pathways using ASE certifications, qualifying automotive education, experience, or comparable military preparation.
  • After BAR approves the $20 application, the applicant passes the inspector examination, receives the license, and completes biometric enrollment before performing inspections.

Smog Check repair technician

  • Applicants qualify through current ASE A6, A8, and L1 certifications; an automotive degree or certificate plus specified engine-performance experience; or two years of engine-performance repair experience plus BAR's 72-hour Diagnostic and Repair Training completed within five years.
  • After BAR approves the $20 application, the applicant passes the separate repair-technician examination. The repair license authorizes diagnosis and repair, not Smog Check inspection or certification.
  • A business performing compensated diagnosis or repair also needs Automotive Repair Dealer registration; a Smog Check station license and sometimes STAR certification apply to station operations.

Two-year renewal training

  • Inspectors complete BAR's four-hour online Inspector Update Training every two years and pay the current $20 renewal fee.
  • Repair technicians complete 16 hours of certified update training every two years, maintain current A6/A8/L1 certifications or qualifying Diagnostic and Repair Training, and pay the current $20 renewal fee.
  • After more than one year of expiration, the individual applies as a new applicant and retakes the examination.

How 101PD becomes a certified school

  • Level 1, Level 2, Diagnostic and Repair, and repair-technician update training must be offered through a BAR-certified school using authorized instructors and the current BAR curriculum.
  • Certification requires appropriate facilities, vehicles or equipment, hands-on competency work, attendance controls, records, and course-specific administration; an online reading course alone cannot substitute for required laboratory instruction.
  • The statutory remedial-training program that ended July 1, 2026 is not included in this catalog absent a current extension or replacement authority.
  • 101PD BAR training stays at $0 and non-credit until school, instructor, course, facility, and hands-on delivery approvals are all active; exam-prep products remain clearly separate.

Verify with the licensing authority

Agency rules control. Requirements can change and individual eligibility varies. 101PD identifies each course as training, application-pending, or approved; it does not treat exam preparation as statutory credit unless the named authority has approved that specific course and provider.

Choose your licensing stage

Everything for this profession, in one row.

BAR Level 1, Level 2, diagnostic-and-repair training, state exam preparation, and renewal updates. Colors identify the stage; they never imply approval.

Prelicensing: 3 options. Required or standards-aligned education before the licensing exam. Approval status is always shown honestly.Exam prep: 2 options. Focused California exam outlines, practice questions, readiness checks, and progress tracking.Continuing education: 1 option. Renewal and professional-learning options for people who already hold the license.

Prelicensing

Practice/training material. Not approved for CE/MCLE/CPE credit. No credit hours are issued.

Available soon - join the waitlist

California BAR Smog Check Level 1 Training

California BAR Smog Check Level 1 Training with honest content status, California-specific scope, and server-controlled launch pricing.

$0 / Free

68 hours

View details

Prelicensing

Practice/training material. Not approved for CE/MCLE/CPE credit. No credit hours are issued.

Available soon - join the waitlist

California BAR Smog Check Level 2 Training

California BAR Smog Check Level 2 Training with honest content status, California-specific scope, and server-controlled launch pricing.

$0 / Free

Comparable market price: $775.00 California Smog & Automotive Institute — Smog Inspector Level 2 training (checked 7/21/2026)

28 hours

View details

Prelicensing

Practice/training material. Not approved for CE/MCLE/CPE credit. No credit hours are issued.

Available soon - join the waitlist

California BAR Diagnostic and Repair Training

California BAR Diagnostic and Repair Training with honest content status, California-specific scope, and server-controlled launch pricing.

$0 / Free

72 hours

View details

Exam prep

Practice/training material. Not approved for CE/MCLE/CPE credit. No credit hours are issued.

Available soon - join the waitlist

California Smog Check Inspector Exam Prep

California Smog Check Inspector Exam Prep with honest content status, California-specific scope, and server-controlled launch pricing.

$0 / Free

12 hours

View details

Exam prep

Practice/training material. Not approved for CE/MCLE/CPE credit. No credit hours are issued.

Available soon - join the waitlist

California Smog Check Repair Technician Exam Prep

California Smog Check Repair Technician Exam Prep with honest content status, California-specific scope, and server-controlled launch pricing.

$0 / Free

16 hours

View details

Continuing education

Practice/training material. Not approved for CE/MCLE/CPE credit. No credit hours are issued.

Available soon - join the waitlist

California Smog Check Repair Technician 16-Hour Update

California Smog Check Repair Technician 16-Hour Update with honest content status, California-specific scope, and server-controlled launch pricing.

$0 / Free

16 hours

View details

What the learning experience includes

The depth of a full training site, without the clutter.

California-specific roadmap

A plain-language path from education through exam readiness and renewal, separated by the stage of the license.

Detailed course outlines

Every course page exposes learning objectives, a section-level syllabus, sample material, assessment rules, and FAQs.

Practice and readiness checks

Quizzes support learning; server-graded finals, timers, retries, and recovery rules follow the applicable track configuration.

Progress that follows you

Resume reading and learning from the account portal, with state, deadlines, and completion evidence calculated by the server.

Honest status on every card

Drafting, training, application-pending, and approved states are never blended together or hidden behind a sales claim.

Completion evidence

Downloadable certificates, verification pages, and regulator instructions appear only in the form the course status permits.

Course-level detail

Open the syllabus before you join.

Prelicensing

California BAR Smog Check Licensure Training

Exam prep

California Smog Check Exam Preparation

Continuing education

California Smog Check License Update Training

How 101PD works

Know the path before creating an account.

  1. 1

    Choose the stage

    Start with prelicensing, exam preparation, or continuing education.

  2. 2

    Inspect the course

    Read its syllabus, sample, status, hours, assessment format, and package relationships.

  3. 3

    Enroll or waitlist

    Published content opens the appropriate free path. Drafting content accepts a deduplicated availability request.

  4. 4

    Learn and document

    Resume from the portal, complete the configured assessments, and receive the permitted completion evidence.

Common questions

Before you choose a track

Why does every option show $0 / Free?

101PD is in its free launch period. Future prices are stored, but public payment links remain disabled until every approval and payment gate passes.

What does Available soon mean?

The public outline is ready, but the full learning content is still in production. Join that page's waitlist; enrollment cannot open until its content status is Published.

Are prelicensing, exam prep, and continuing education the same?

No. They serve different stages of a license. This page keeps them together for comparison while every card states its own purpose and credit status.

What do I receive after completion?

Training completions receive an honest training certificate. Regulator-credit certificates are issued only when the specific course and provider approval permit them.

What is the comparable market fee?

When a defensible public comparison exists, the product card names the provider, comparable offer, checked date, and source price. It is context only: the 101PD launch price remains $0 and a comparison never creates approval or enrollment rights.

Why is there no active Stripe checkout yet?

Payment links stay server-disabled while a course is drafting, while a regulated provider or course approval is pending, or while the required reporting and certificate workflow has not passed end-to-end verification.