About California Racing Vehicles
A racing vehicle may be purpose-built or modified from a stock vehicle, and is exempt from emissions control requirements (Health & Safety Code §§ 39048 and 43001.) California bars racing vehicles from DMV registration and from operation on a California highway - which includes public streets, dirt roads, and off-road parks. Evidence shows racing vehicles and certified vehicles modified with racing aftermarket parts are often used for non-racing and non-competition purposes. This undermines CARB’s emissions certification programs designed to provide emissions reductions to meet air quality standards and protect public health, and also creates an unfair business environment for compliant vehicle, engine, and parts manufacturers.
Staff is engaged in a public process to protect legitimate racing and ensure vehicle and parts manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors, retailers, and customers understand and comply with regulatory requirements. CARB also operates an active enforcement program to stop the illegal sale and use of after market racing parts in non-racing applications.
It is illegal to sell a performance after-market part for a certified vehicle or modify a vehicle's emission system with a performance after-market part unless the vehicle will only be used for racing and never driven on a public highway.