# Georgia — Vehicle emissions testing: which counties require it, in which states

For Georgia, counties where testing is required is 13-county Atlanta Metropolitan Area (Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, Coweta, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry, Paulding or Rockdale); vehicles covered / exempt is gasoline-powered passenger vehicles registered in the 13-county Atlanta Metropolitan Area; program / authority is Georgia’s Clean Air Force, verified against its source on 2026-08-18.

- **State:** Georgia _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_
- **Counties where testing is required:** 13-county Atlanta Metropolitan Area (Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, Coweta, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry, Paulding or Rockdale) _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Vehicles covered / exempt:** gasoline-powered passenger vehicles registered in the 13-county Atlanta Metropolitan Area _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Program / authority:** Georgia’s Clean Air Force _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **How often:** tested every year prior to its registration date (the vehicle owner’s birthday) _(per cleanairforce.com, not stated by the source above)_

## What the source says

> Georgia has a vehicle emissions testing program that covers gasoline-powered passenger vehicles registered in the 13-county Atlanta Metropolitan Area (Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, Coweta, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry, Paulding or Rockdale). The program is required by the Clean Air Act and administered by our Inspection and Maintenance (I/M) unit.

## Sources disagree

More than one authority states this, and they do not state the same
thing. Both are reproduced with the source each came from.

### Vehicles covered / exempt

epd.georgia.gov says vehicles covered / exempt is **gasoline-powered passenger vehicles registered in the 13-county Atlanta Metropolitan Area**, as of 2026-08-18.

> Georgia has a vehicle emissions testing program that covers gasoline-powered passenger vehicles registered in the 13-county Atlanta Metropolitan Area (Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, Coweta, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry, Paulding or Rockdale). The program is required by the Clean Air Act and administered by our Inspection and Maintenance (I/M) unit.

Source: https://epd.georgia.gov/air-protection-branch/air-branch-programs/mobile-and-area-sources-program/inspection-and

cleanairforce.com says vehicles covered / exempt is **For registration in 2026, the three most recent model years are exempt from emissions testing, which includes 2024 or newer model year vehicles**, as of 2026-08-18.

> Your vehicle must be tested every year prior to its registration date (the vehicle owner’s birthday). For registration in 2026, the three most recent model years are exempt from emissions testing, which includes 2024 or newer model year vehicles.

Source: https://cleanairforce.com/frequently-asked-questions


### Program / authority

epd.georgia.gov says program / authority is **Georgia’s Clean Air Force**, as of 2026-08-18.

> Georgia has a vehicle emissions testing program that covers gasoline-powered passenger vehicles registered in the 13-county Atlanta Metropolitan Area (Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, Coweta, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry, Paulding or Rockdale). The program is required by the Clean Air Act and administered by our Inspection and Maintenance (I/M) unit.

Source: https://epd.georgia.gov/air-protection-branch/air-branch-programs/mobile-and-area-sources-program/inspection-and

cleanairforce.com says program / authority is **Georgia's Clean Air Force**, as of 2026-08-18.

> Your vehicle must be tested every year prior to its registration date (the vehicle owner’s birthday). For registration in 2026, the three most recent model years are exempt from emissions testing, which includes 2024 or newer model year vehicles.

Source: https://cleanairforce.com/frequently-asked-questions


## Source

- https://epd.georgia.gov/air-protection-branch/air-branch-programs/mobile-and-area-sources-program/inspection-and
- https://cleanairforce.com/frequently-asked-questions

Last verified: 2026-08-18. Review by: 2027-08-18.
Part of [Vehicle emissions testing: which counties require it, in which states](https://referencesource.org/vehicle-emissions-testing-by-state/).