Changes are afoot in the Jalisco government’s emissions testing program, known as the Programa de Verificación Vehicular Obligatorio.
On taking office in December, the new state administration promised a major overhaul of the program that obliges all owners of Jalisco-plated vehicles to get a “smog check” once a year.
However, the state Secretaría del Medio Ambiente (Environment Agency or Semarnat) announced this week that the existing program is not being suspended and will continue in its present form through the end of January, when the new strategies will be revealed.
Under the guidelines of the program, this means that private vehicles with license plates ending in 1 should be taken to an accredited testing center for a check and sticker, which cost between 400 and 750 pesos. (In reality, most talleres will provide the smog check for all vehicles at any time.) The locations of around 350 centers can be found at verificacionvehicular.jalisco.gob.mx/talleres-acreditados. Although the majority are located in the Guadalajara metropolitan areas, most larger urban areas in the state, including Chapala and Jocotepec, have accredited centers.
Traffic police can issue tickets to vehicles that are not displaying an up-to-date emissions sticker, although they may not impound them for this reason. Infractions, however, are unlikely to be handed out until the new policy has taken effect – with the exception of vehicles that are visibly polluting.