Vehicle emissions inspections

Vehicle Emissions Enforcement Unit

The Vehicle Emissions Enforcement Unit (VEEU) ensures that vehicles in Ontario are operating in compliance with the Environmental Protection Act and its regulations. It does around 3,000 emission-related inspections per year of both in-province and out-of-province vehicles.

VEEU complements the emissions testing program and even if you passed your emissions test, your vehicle can still be inspected.

Vehicles for inspection

Uniformed environmental officers do roadside inspections of:

• light and heavy-duty vehicles – ensure they are operating properly  with the required emissions controls to reduce smog-causing pollutants
• vehicles carrying hazardous and non-hazardous waste (waste haulers) – ensure they are operating in accordance with the requirements under the Environmental Activity and Sector Registry (EASR) for Waste Haulers or their Environmental Compliance Approval

Reasons for inspections

A VEEU environmental officer, who should have government identification, can legally stop and inspect your vehicle at any time to ensure your compliance with the Environmental Protection Act and its regulations.

A VEEU environmental officer may inspect your vehicle because:

• it is producing visible smoke
• it has been reported as a polluter
• an officer suspects that your emissions equipment has been removed, altered or is not functioning (e.g. your check engine light is on)

A vehicle that is missing vital emissions components can release up to 150 times more emissions than a vehicle operating with its required emissions controls.

During the inspection

For passenger vehicles, you should expect:

• officers to visually check for tampered emission components, visible smoke or to see if your check engine light is on. Officers carry a “reader” that can be plugged into your vehicle to ensure your emissions equipment is operating properly

For heavy-duty vehicles (e.g. trucks or buses), you should expect:

• officers to conduct roadside inspections to determine the exhaust from the vehicle meets set standards or if emissions control equipment has been removed.

For waste haulers, you should expect:

• officers to check vehicles for documents, leaks and spill prevention measures, and to ensure the vehicle is following the rules based on the type of waste being carried

Vehicles that are polluting

If your vehicle is found to be polluting, you may:

• be issued a ticket (fines are set at $420 for heavy-duty vehicles and $300 for light-duty vehicles)
• receive an order to repair the vehicle
• have your licence plates taken away if it’s smoking heavily

If you do not repair your vehicle, you may be subject to an investigation (that could lead to prosecution) and your licence plates may be taken away.

Vehicle emissions control system

To ensure your vehicle emissions control system is functioning properly, you should:

• follow your vehicle’s recommended maintenance schedule
• have the necessary repairs carried out by a certified technician if your vehicle’s engine light is on
• not remove or tamper with any of the emissions equipment

More information and reporting

Contact 1-888-758-2999 for more information or to report a smoking vehicle.

You can also report a smoking vehicle by filling out an online form.