Legality of Smoke for Kalifornia

[JHerrlich]

I was bored and surfing the web looking for laws on noise levels and came accross this:



27153. 5. (a) No motor vehicle first sold or registered as a new

motor vehicle on or after January 1, 1971, shall discharge into the

atmosphere at elevation of less than 4,000 feet any air contaminant

for a period of more than 10 seconds which is:

(1) As dark or darker in shade as that designated as No. 1 on the

Ringelmann Chart, as published by the United States Bureau of Mines,

or

(2) Of such opacity as to obscure an observer's view to a degree

equal to or greater than does smoke described in paragraph (1) of

this subdivision.

(b) No motor vehicle first sold or registered prior to January 1,

1971, shall discharge into the atmosphere at elevation of less than

4,000 feet any air contaminant for a period of more than 10 seconds

which is:

(1) As dark or darker in shade than that designated as No. 2 on

the Ringelmann Chart, as published by the United States Bureau of

Mines, or

(2) Of such opacity as to obscure an observer's view to a degree

equal to or greater than does smoke described in paragraph (1) of

this subdivision.

(c) The provisions of this section apply to motor vehicles of the

United States or its agencies, to the extent authorized by federal

law.





That says to me that it is legal to smoke someone or something as long as it's less than 10 seconds.



BTW:



27152. The exhaust gases from a motor vehicle shall not be directed

to the side of the vehicle between 2 feet and 11 feet above the

ground.

 

[Diesel Gunner]

I believe what you have stated is correct. However, I also believe that it has quite a bit to do with the citing officers attitude. Not to mention the attitude of the smoker. Add to that, what was the smoker doing to attract the officers attention?



Being aware of your surroundings is probably a good idea. Then again, smoke 'em if ya got 'em.



Interesting info.

 

[John Berger]

I wonder if other states have such laws. Being that this one is on the books in Commiefornia, I'm not really surprised.

 

[athompson]

This is from Nevada's DMV website

Heavy-Duty Diesel Standards



Trucks and buses with a Gross Vehicle Weight Rating of 8,500 pounds or greater are not required to undergo annual emissions inspections. However, they must adhere to opacity standards for visible smoke. These standards apply in all 17 Nevada counties and to vehicles traveling from other states as well as those registered in Nevada.



Visible smoke must not block more than the listed percentage of light passing though it. Standards differ depending on the year of manufacture of the engine. Engine families which have been exempted by the California Air Resources Board are also exempt in Nevada.



1991 or Newer 40%

1977 to 1990 55%

1970 to 1976 70%



These are new standards adopted by the Nevada State Environmental Commission in October, 2002. Previously, vehicles 1977 and newer were held to the 70 percent standard.