Gov. Mike DeWine has directed the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency to begin the formal process of ending the E-Check vehicle emissions testing program in seven Northeast Ohio counties, saying the Cleveland region’s air now meets federal ozone standards.
The program has been in place since 1996 and covers certain vehicles registered in Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain, Medina, Portage and Summit counties, with testing generally required every two years. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency redesignated the Cleveland area as meeting the federal ozone standard in June, after decades of poor air quality stretching back to the 1980s.
“Decades of work to reduce pollution have finally paid off to the extent that we no longer believe E-Check is needed to maintain federal air quality standards in Northeast Ohio,” DeWine said in announcing the directive.
The testing cannot end immediately. The U.S. EPA must approve Ohio’s State Implementation Plan change before the inspection requirement can be lifted, and drivers who need an emissions certificate for registration must keep getting tested until then.
Ohio EPA is expected to issue a public notice this month, hold a public meeting in November and send its formal request to the U.S. EPA before the end of 2026. No final shutdown date has been announced.
State Rep. Jack Daniels, R-New Franklin, called E-Check an unnecessary and outdated burden on drivers, noting that modern vehicles carry emissions controls that make the inspections largely redundant. Northeast Ohio drivers have long called the required tests a hassle.
