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    New Standards For Titling Model Year 2008 And Newer Vehicles

    Beginning with model year 2008, “new” passenger cars and light-duty trucks with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of 8,500 pounds or less that are sold or leased and titled in Pennsylvania must be certified by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) or be certified for sale in all 50 states. For this program, a “new” vehicle is a qualified vehicle with an odometer reading less than 7,500 miles.

    The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) worked with the automobile manufacturers, dealers and other interested business partners and finalized procedures for complying with these new requirements. DEP is focusing on its outreach with the manufacturers and dealers on what they can offer for sale and how to certify that the vehicles are compliant. PennDOT’s role is to ensure paperwork procedures for title and registrations include these certifications of compliance or that the vehicle owner qualifies for an exemption to the requirements. In all cases, DEP will use information obtained during PennDOT’s title and registration process to oversee and audit, as needed, certain vehicle title transactions to determine compliance to the program.

    Qualified Vehicles 

    Model year 2008 and newer passenger cars and light-duty trucks with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of 8,500 pounds or less and with an odometer reading of less than 7,500 miles at the time of application, are considered qualified vehicles for this program.

    Compliance Certification 

    There are two (2) ways for determining if a qualified vehicle is in compliance with the Pennsylvania Clean Vehicles Program and CARB certification standards.

    1. As with any new vehicle being titled for the first time, a Manufacturer’s Certificate of Origin (MCO) or Manufacturer’s Statement of Origin (MSO) will accompany the application for title. The MCO/MSO will display a message similar to one of the following to indicate that the vehicle is certified as meeting CARB standards:
      • 50 state emissions equipped vehicle may be sold and registered as new vehicle in any state of the US
      • Certified for sale in all states of the USA
      • This vehicle certified according to federal EPA and California ARB emission requirements for sale in any state within the US
      • Certified for sale in California
      • Certified for sale in all 50 states
      • This vehicle is certified to meet emission requirements in all 50 states

      Dealers, agents and PennDOT personnel are required to verify that the MCO/MSO includes a certification statement similar to one of the above. If not included on the MCO/MSO, the application for title must not be submitted for a person seeking title in Pennsylvania unless otherwise exempted (see EXEMPTIONS below). If an application is submitted without an MCO/MSO with a certification statement, PennDOT will reject the application back to the customer and deny issuance of a title.

    2. When titling a “new” vehicle and an MCO/MSO is not available, such as when a qualified vehicle is resold, Form MV-9 (PDF), "Compliance or Exemption for the Pennsylvania Clean Vehicles Program," will be used and submitted with the application for title. The vehicle owner will be asked to check the block in Section C of the MV-9 (PDF) form self certifying that they have visually checked the manufacturer’s installed label under the hood of the vehicle and that it reflects a certification standards message similar to those listed above.

    Exemptions 

    The Pennsylvania Clean Vehicles Program offers a few exemptions from CARB certification standards. These exemptions are listed on Form MV-9 (PDF), "Compliance or Exemption for the Pennsylvania Clean Vehicles Program" and require the vehicle owner to check the appropriate box in Section D to self certify the reason for the exemption. The exemptions are as follows:

    • This is an emergency vehicle
    • This vehicle is being transferred for use exclusively off-highway
    • This vehicle was granted a National security or testing exemption under Section 203(b)(1) of the Clean Air Act (42 U.S.C.A. Section 7522 (b)(1))
    • This vehicle was acquired for the purpose of replacing a vehicle which was damaged, or became inoperative, beyond reasonable repair or was stolen while out of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the replacement vehicle was acquired out of this Commonwealth at the time the previously owned vehicle was damaged, became inoperative or was stolen. The vehicle identification number of the vehicle that was replaced must be listed.
    • This vehicle was transferred by inheritance or court decree
    • This vehicle was titled and registered while the owner was a resident of another state and the owner is moving to Pennsylvania
    • The vehicle has more than 7,500 miles at the time of completing application for Pennsylvania Certificate of Title.

    For further information about the Pennsylvania Clean Vehicles Program, visit the DEP's website.