Last verified 2026-05-17

If your car failed smog and you don't agree with the result — or you've spent hundreds on repairs and it still won't pass — California has a free state-run program that can help. It's called the Smog Check Referee Program, run by the Bureau of Automotive Repair (BAR). The website is asktheref.org. The phone number is 1-800-622-7733.

Referees are neutral inspectors based at community colleges around the state. They don't sell repairs and they're not paid by smog shops. Their only job is to give you a fair second opinion or a path forward when the normal smog process gets stuck.

What the Referee can do for you

Settle a dispute. If you think a smog station failed your car unfairly (or passed one that shouldn't have), the Referee can re-inspect for free and overrule the original result.

Issue a Repair Cost Waiver. If your car failed smog, you spent at least $650 on emissions repairs at a licensed shop, and it still failed a second test, you may qualify for a one-time waiver that lets you renew your registration anyway. One waiver per vehicle, per owner, ever. [Source: asktheref.org/quicklinks/repair-cost-waiver/ (accessed 2026-05-17)]

Find obsolete parts (PLS). The Parts Locator Service helps when a smog part your car needs is no longer manufactured. If BAR confirms it's truly unavailable, that can clear the way to register your car.

Handle citation violations. If you got a ticket under California Vehicle Code 27150, 27151, or 27156 (illegal exhaust modifications), a Referee inspection is required to clear it.

Inspect unusual vehicles. Engine swaps, kit cars, gray-market imports, direct-import vehicles, and similar oddities go to a Referee instead of a regular smog station.

How to use it

1. Call 1-800-622-7733. This is the BAR Referee Call Center. They check whether you qualify and book the appointment. There's usually no charge for the inspection itself.
2. Have these ready when you call: your license plate or VIN, the reason you need the Referee (failed smog, dispute, waiver, citation, etc.), your most recent Smog Check report, and any repair receipts.
3. Show up to the appointment. Referee stations are mostly at community colleges. Bring your paperwork, repair receipts (especially for a waiver claim), and your registration.

Repair Cost Waiver — what counts toward the $650

• Diagnostic fees and emissions-related repairs at a licensed smog station or repair shop count.
• Regular smog tests do not count.
• The car's emissions equipment must be intact and unmodified (catalytic converter present, no tampering).
• You need two failed smog tests on record — one before the repairs, one after.
• The car has to be in the normal two-year biennial registration cycle. [Source: asktheref.org/quicklinks/repair-cost-waiver/ (accessed 2026-05-17)]

If you haven't hit $650 yet, the Consumer Assistance Program (CAP) is the other piece of the puzzle — it can pay up to $1,200 toward emissions repairs for income-eligible owners. CAP and the Referee waiver work together: do CAP first if you qualify, then come to the Referee if it still won't pass.