Jay Leno's Law is about to become official in California in a major victory for the vintage car community

California has notoriously strict emissions rules that could soon get a little more forgiving for owners of some of the state’s oldest collector cars, thanks to Jay Leno’s Law.

A new piece of legislation backed by legendary car enthusiast Jay Leno has cleared both chambers of the California Legislature.

The bill would gradually exempt certain classic cars from mandatory smog checks, potentially giving owners of thousands of vintage vehicles a major reprieve.

It now only needs one final signature before the changes can become law.

Jay Leno’s law has cleared the California Legislature

Named SB 1392, the car legislation passed the California Assembly by a 49-4 vote before returning to the Senate, where lawmakers approved the amended version 30-4, it’s also known as Jay Leno’s law.

That means the bill has now completed its journey through the state legislature and has been sent to Governor Gavin Newsom.

If signed, the law would change how California treats a particular group of older collector vehicles.

Right now, California’s smog-check exemption generally applies to vehicles made before the 1976 model year, which leaves a sizeable chunk of classic cars from the late 1970s and early 1980s still subject to emissions testing.

SB 1392 would gradually move that cutoff forward.

Starting in 2028, qualifying collector vehicles built before the 1981 model year would be exempt.

The cutoff would then move forward by one model year each year, eventually reaching vehicles built before the 1986 model year in 2033.

So while owners won’t suddenly see every older car exempted overnight, the change could eventually cover a huge number of cars that are currently caught by California’s smog regulations.

Jay Leno’s victory could be huge for vintage car owners

The legislation isn’t designed to give every old vehicle a free pass.

Instead, it focuses on genuine collector vehicles that are primarily used for activities such as exhibitions, parades, car shows and charitable events.

That means the classic Mustang, Corvette, or other prized old-school machine sitting in someone’s garage and occasionally heading to a car show would be treated differently from an older car being used as an everyday commuter.

That’s an important distinction for supporters of the legislation, who argue that preserving automotive history shouldn’t necessarily mean compromising California’s environmental goals.

And having Jay Leno attached to the campaign has certainly helped put the issue in the spotlight.

The comedian, TV host and famously enthusiastic car collector has spent years campaigning for changes to California’s classic-car rules, alongside organizations including SEMA.

This isn’t the first attempt, either, because a previous version of the legislation made significant progress through California’s legislature before ultimately failing to become law.

This time, however, it has made it all the way to the governor’s desk.

That means California’s vintage-car community is closer than ever to getting the change it has been fighting for.

All that’s left now is for Governor Newsom to decide whether to sign it.