Colorado emissions testing questions
- Thread starter roger1
- Start date
Yes, I do have an update that I want to share with you all here.
We've been getting our ducks in a row this past year to be able to make the move from Texas to Colorado. We did a lot of driving around up there and searching what's for sale for a while as well. We also had decided it was Larimer County and not Weld County where we wanted to live. On the first of this month we put in an offer on a house just north of Fort Collins. The sellers excepted our offer and we are expecting to close on it by the end of the month.
If you recall this thread, you know that my El Camino will not pass Colorado emission inspection with the '96 LT1 engine I have in it. So, I was contemplating either selling the car before moving or taking it with me and swap out the LT1 for a new E-Rod LS3 crate engine that would probably set me back at least $12K.
For the last year, I still had not answered the question of what I would do. So for the last couple of days, I've been really thinking hard about the decision.
But hold everything. Until this morning I was under the belief that the emission testing was required for all of Larimer County. But I was wrong. Only parts of the County have the requirement. Larimer County publishes a county map on their website that shows the areas where testing is required and where it's not. Here is that map:
They show 3 different areas as you can see on that map. They are no testing required, diesel only and both gasoline and diesel. After zooming in closely, the property I'm buying is right on top of the blue dividing line between diesel only and gasoline and diesel. It appears I'm going to luck out!
Here's a clip from from the blown up image:
They also have a link for you to look up an address and show which testing area you reside in. When I put in the address of this house, it says diesel only. When I put in the address of that house to the right, it says gasoline and diesel.
How could I get any more lucky than that????!!!!!
I'm moving my El Camino with me to Colorado! No expensive engine swap necessary!
We've been getting our ducks in a row this past year to be able to make the move from Texas to Colorado. We did a lot of driving around up there and searching what's for sale for a while as well. We also had decided it was Larimer County and not Weld County where we wanted to live. On the first of this month we put in an offer on a house just north of Fort Collins. The sellers excepted our offer and we are expecting to close on it by the end of the month.
If you recall this thread, you know that my El Camino will not pass Colorado emission inspection with the '96 LT1 engine I have in it. So, I was contemplating either selling the car before moving or taking it with me and swap out the LT1 for a new E-Rod LS3 crate engine that would probably set me back at least $12K.
For the last year, I still had not answered the question of what I would do. So for the last couple of days, I've been really thinking hard about the decision.
But hold everything. Until this morning I was under the belief that the emission testing was required for all of Larimer County. But I was wrong. Only parts of the County have the requirement. Larimer County publishes a county map on their website that shows the areas where testing is required and where it's not. Here is that map:
They show 3 different areas as you can see on that map. They are no testing required, diesel only and both gasoline and diesel. After zooming in closely, the property I'm buying is right on top of the blue dividing line between diesel only and gasoline and diesel. It appears I'm going to luck out!
Here's a clip from from the blown up image:
They also have a link for you to look up an address and show which testing area you reside in. When I put in the address of this house, it says diesel only. When I put in the address of that house to the right, it says gasoline and diesel.
How could I get any more lucky than that????!!!!!
I'm moving my El Camino with me to Colorado! No expensive engine swap necessary!
Yes, I do have an update that I want to share with you all here.
We've been getting our ducks in a row this past year to be able to make the move from Texas to Colorado. We did a lot of driving around up there and searching what's for sale for a while as well. We also had decided it was Larimer County and not Weld County where we wanted to live. On the first of this month we put in an offer on a house just north of Fort Collins. The sellers excepted our offer and we are expecting to close on it by the end of the month.
If you recall this thread, you know that my El Camino will not pass Colorado emission inspection with the '96 LT1 engine I have in it. So, I was contemplating either selling the car before moving or taking it with me and swap out the LT1 for a new E-Rod LS3 crate engine that would probably set me back at least $12K.
For the last year, I still had not answered the question of what I would do. So for the last couple of days, I've been really thinking hard about the decision.
But hold everything. Until this morning I was under the belief that the emission testing was required for all of Larimer County. But I was wrong. Only parts of the County have the requirement. Larimer County publishes a county map on their website that shows the areas where testing is required and where it's not. Here is that map:
They show 3 different areas as you can see on that map. They are no testing required, diesel only and both gasoline and diesel. After zooming in closely, the property I'm buying is right on top of the blue dividing line between diesel only and gasoline and diesel. It appears I'm going to luck out!
Here's a clip from from the blown up image:
They also have a link for you to look up an address and show which testing area you reside in. When I put in the address of this house, it says diesel only. When I put in the address of that house to the right, it says gasoline and diesel.
How could I get any more lucky than that????!!!!!
I'm moving my El Camino with me to Colorado! No expensive engine swap necessary!
keep us updated. we've still got Colorado on our "places to retire" list
It was you I was mostly thinking about when I asked the moderator to open this thread so I could post my update. That and because I was so happy about not having to fret about my El Camino which I'm so totally happy with after all he work I did on it back in 2017. And of course my wife and I are excited about the move too.
keep us updated. we've still got Colorado on our "places to retire" list
After my Colorado trip in July that included a lot of driving around, I just didn't remember how darn pretty Fort Collins was. I also really enjoy walking along College Avenue in the area of CSU. I think I like it just as well or even better than walking along Pearl Street in Boulder. One thing for sure though is that Boulder is very expensive and the further up the front range you get from it, the more affordable things get. We had a condo in Boulder that we just sold in preparation for this permanent move so I have spent some time there.
Anyway, when you get a chance, spend some time looking around in the front range area.
Last edited:
we visited Lake Tahoe a month ago, so the Carson City area is also on our list for further investigation. are there any maps available that show average snowfall in the yellow box below? I'm thinking an area with low average snow fall (relatively speaking) and not freezing butt-cold. don't want to end up like Grandpa Gustafson...
Steamboat Springs gets 200"+ every year, Breckenridge and Aspen aren't gonna be too far behind and yes, they're gonna be butt cold. Check this map, the blue and purple is most of what you're looking at.
Boulder and Fort Collins, like Denver and Colorado Springs, are going to fall in the green and get far less snow as they are all at lower elevations. The purple line basically shows you where the climb begins as you head west.
The Tahoe area is really nice. I prefer the North Shore area. I like Carson City too. It's been a while since I've been there so I don't know if it's changed much.
Here's a couple hits I got looking for average snowfall for areas in Colorado that might be helpful:
Average Annual Snowfall Totals in Colorado - Current Results
Annual average snowfall at cities, towns and parks in Colorado, including how many days it snows a year and the total amount of snowfall.
www.currentresults.com
Average Snowfall in Colorado Cities | By Month
Each of Colorado's cities will get some snow each winter, and some a lot more than others. Even though there is an average of more than 300 days of sunshine in Colorado each year, the state accumulates plenty of snow during the fall, winter, and spring months.
www.uncovercolorado.com
Here's a pretty good national map:
US Annual Snowfall Map
US Average Annual Snowfall Map: Eastern US precipitation is spread evenly throughout the year. In the west, a majority of precipitation falls as snow.
nyskiblog.com
The Tahoe area is really nice. I prefer the North Shore area. I like Carson City too. It's been a while since I've been there so I don't know if it's changed much.
Here's a couple hits I got looking for average snowfall for areas in Colorado that might be helpful:
Average Annual Snowfall Totals in Colorado - Current Results
Annual average snowfall at cities, towns and parks in Colorado, including how many days it snows a year and the total amount of snowfall.
Average Snowfall in Colorado Cities | By Month
Each of Colorado's cities will get some snow each winter, and some a lot more than others. Even though there is an average of more than 300 days of sunshine in Colorado each year, the state accumulates plenty of snow during the fall, winter, and spring months.
Here's a pretty good national map:
If you download it, you can blow it up some to get a little better detail for Colorado.US Annual Snowfall Map
US Average Annual Snowfall Map: Eastern US precipitation is spread evenly throughout the year. In the west, a majority of precipitation falls as snow.
That map is pretty optimistic, we don't see anywhere near 80" here in Colorado Springs. What's also worth mentioning is that, of the snow we do get, it doesn't stay around. Typically it melts day of, sometimes it lingers a little longer. And if your driveway faces south the sun will nuke all the snow off of it and get you down to dry concrete pretty easily. Not so up in the mountains.
Similar threads
