How to Fill Out and Submit Oregon DEQ Exemption Form 1400

The Oregon DEQ exemption Form 1400 lets you skip the biennial emissions test when your vehicle is physically located outside the Portland or Medford testing boundaries or has a manufacturer’s gross vehicle weight rating above 8,500 pounds. You complete the one-page declaration, sign it under penalty of perjury, and submit it to DEQ or DMV so your registration renewal can go through without a smog certificate. The fillable PDF (Form 735-1400) is on the Oregon Department of Transportation website at oregon.gov/odot/forms/dmv/1400fill.pdf.¹

Who Qualifies for the Exemption

Oregon tests non-exempt vehicles every two years when they are registered inside the Portland or Medford metropolitan testing boundaries.² Form 1400 exists for two situations where testing isn’t practical or isn’t required:

Vehicle physically outside the boundary. Your registration address sits inside a testing zone, but the vehicle itself is somewhere else when renewal comes due. Typical cases include active-duty military stationed outside the zones, students attending college elsewhere, and workers on extended assignments who took the car with them.
GVWR over 8,500 pounds. Heavy-duty vehicles are exempt from testing in both the Portland and Medford programs. If DMV still flags one of these trucks for inspection, Form 1400 clears the hold.³

Oregon rules require anyone seeking an exemption to submit the statement on the form DEQ or DMV provides.⁴ One boundary worth stating up front: Form 1400 is not for a vehicle that is in the testing area and failed inspection. That situation calls for repairs and a retest, not an exemption.

Confirm Your Vehicle Isn’t Already Exempt

Several categories never need testing in the first place, so Form 1400 would be unnecessary. Under ORS 815.300 and DEQ rules, these include:

Battery electric vehicles (gasoline hybrids do not qualify).⁵
Newer model years. For calendar year 2026, model years 2023 through 2027 are exempt.⁶
Vehicles registered as farm vehicles under ORS 805.300.
Special interest and collector vehicles used mainly for shows, parades, and club events.
Model year 1974 and earlier inside the Portland boundary; vehicles more than 20 model years old outside the Portland boundary.
Motorcycles, off-road vehicles, and trailers.

To check whether your registration address actually falls inside a testing zone, use DEQ’s boundary lookup at deqapps.oregon.gov/aq/vip.² The boundaries don’t follow county lines, so an address that feels close to Portland or Medford can still be outside the zone. You can also call the Vehicle Inspection Program at 1-877-476-0583 (toll-free in Oregon) to verify.³

There’s also an alternative worth knowing if your vehicle is in another state that runs its own emissions program. DEQ accepts a passing certificate from that state’s program in place of an exemption filing.⁷ If the state where the vehicle sits doesn’t test, Form 1400 is the right path.

How to Fill Out Form 1400

The form is a single page. Download the fillable PDF from the ODOT forms page, then either type into the fields or print and complete it by hand. If you write it out, print clearly. Illegible entries slow processing.

Vehicle and Owner Information

The top section asks for your Oregon license plate number, the vehicle identification number, and the year, make, and model. Pull the VIN from your registration card or the metal plate on the driver’s side dashboard. One wrong digit will prevent DEQ from matching the exemption to your record. Below that, enter your full name, mailing address, and phone number.

Reason for Exemption

Identify which ground applies:

Vehicle located outside the DEQ boundary. Provide the complete street address, city, county, and state where the vehicle actually is. DEQ uses this to confirm the car is genuinely outside the Portland or Medford zone.
GVWR over 8,500 pounds. Enter the manufacturer’s gross vehicle weight rating from the federal certification label, usually on the driver’s door jamb.

Signature and Certification

Sign and date the bottom. Your signature certifies that everything on the form is true. Read the fine print before you sign: under ORS 803.070, 803.075, 803.375, and 803.385, knowingly making a false statement on an application for title or registration is a Class A misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in jail, a fine of up to $6,250, or both.¹

Where to Submit the Form

You can send the completed form to either DEQ or DMV.⁴ By mail, use the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, 700 NE Multnomah Street, Suite 600, Portland, OR 97232.⁸ In person, bring it to a DMV field office with your renewal paperwork.

The form doesn’t list an email address for submission, and DEQ’s website doesn’t advertise an electronic filing option for Form 1400. If you’re unsure which route fits your situation, call the Vehicle Inspection Program at 1-877-476-0583 before mailing.

Renewing Your Registration

Once DEQ processes the exemption and updates its records, the emissions hold on your registration drops off. You can then renew through DMV2U, at a DMV field office, at a DMV Express Kiosk, or by mail.⁹ The exemption doesn’t waive registration fees. You still owe the standard amount based on fuel efficiency.

Current two-year passenger vehicle registration fees:

0–19 MPG: $126
20–39 MPG: $136
40+ MPG: $216
All electric: $376

The 40-MPG-and-above and electric fees rose by $60 for two-year registrations effective December 31, 2025.¹⁰ Owners enrolled in OReGO, Oregon’s road usage charge program, pay a reduced registration fee instead.¹¹

The Exemption Covers One Cycle

Form 1400 clears only the current registration cycle. When the vehicle returns to a Portland or Medford address and the next renewal arrives, it needs to be tested at a DEQ or DEQ Too station like any other vehicle in the zone. If your circumstances haven’t changed by the next renewal and the vehicle is still outside the testing area, file a new Form 1400. Keep a copy of every submitted form and any confirmation DEQ sends you in case a question comes up later.

1
Oregon Department of Transportation. Declaration of Exemption: DEQ’s Vehicle Inspection Program
2
Department of Environmental Quality. Testing Boundaries
3
Oregon Department of Environmental Quality. Vehicles Tested and Exempted
4
Cornell Law Institute. Oregon Administrative Code 340-256-0300 – Emission Control System Inspection: Scope
5
Oregon Public Law. ORS 815.300 – Exemptions From Requirement to Be Equipped With Pollution Control System
6
Oregon Department of Environmental Quality. Recently Purchased and Newer Model Year Vehicles
7
Oregon Department of Environmental Quality. Vehicles Temporarily Located Outside of Oregon
8
Oregon Secretary of State. Department of Environmental Quality: Agency Subdivisions
9
Oregon Department of Transportation. Vehicle Registration – Renew/Replace/Transfer
10
Oregon Department of Transportation. New DMV Fees
11
Oregon Department of Transportation. FAQ: OReGO