If a car has a full PA inspection performed including emissions and is driven less than 5000 miles in the following year it is exempt from emission inspection the following year and given an “exempt” tag, correct? If it is then driven less than 5000 miles in the following year is it still exempt? Even if it has been driven say 4000 miles in the first year and 4000 miles the second year (8000 miles over 2 years)?
Does change of ownership affect being exempt from emissions due to the low mileage?
You have to own it for a year first. It’s after your second year the exemption comes into play… If you buy the car and inspect it a month later you will need exemption, one year (next inspection) and less than 5000 miles later you’ll be exempt…
well, if your under 5k miles since date on the sticker, your good to go.
however, if the car has changed hands, and is titled to a new person, it should be emissioned. however, the shop will not know that, so just say it is under 5k miles, and they will be like ok and slap a sticker on it.
Make sure it is >365 days since the last emissions exemption. I had taken mine in a few weeks before the 365 day mark and they couldn’t do an exemption.
Mine is exempt, but the exactly 365 days thing is correct. I intentionally take it a week after it was due just so there is no question.
Thanks for the info, I thought that was pretty much how it worked but it’s been a while since I’ve dealt with anything that was exempt.
365 deal is not the rule, per se. last time i had the car inspected in july, stickers were due in april or something like that. so car was inspected in july but april stickers were put on it. when the next year came to inspect the car, i had little mileage, but didnt make the 365 day period.
i contacted penndot and ask for clearifaction on the matter. told them my mileage, and if you took the mileage put on the car per the months i had it inspected (say 8 months w/ 3k miles= 375 per month), then tacked on the few months i was off from being a full 12 months (say 375 x4= 1500), it still would not have equaled 5k miles (only 4500). they said i was still ok to get it emission exempt because of this. i printed out the e-mail and took it in when i got inspected. shop did it as exempt-- had no problems.
Good to know that, thanks! Do you happen to still have the email?
I’ve never exempted a car unless it’s been a full year since the previous inspection. Too risky IMO. since we mostly work on cars 96 and newer it’s nothing to put it on the machine to be safe
Unless the person with the exempt car hoping to stay exempt does not have the factory ob2 ecu hooked up.
that leads me to next point…
if the car is getting emissions, and the obd2 port will not read, it can still get passed.
there are loop holes. your a lawyer, you should know all about them 
Always good to have more than one to rely on 
I know I love that, more reason for me to believe emissions is just money making bullshit.
I’m not to sure about the same car coming in 2 years in a row with the OBD II port inop. Does that raise any flags?
yeah, they are idiots some time, i had a fight with an inspection place that wouldnt put an exempt sticker on my car, it had about 25 miles put on it in 5 years
they put it on in the end though