Who is affected and when?

As of July 1, 2002, Drive Clean includes all designated light-duty vehicles in the southern Ontario smog zone. The program has been implemented in phases.

Phase 1: Testing became mandatory on April 1, 1999 in the Greater Toronto Area (the regions of Halton, Peel, Durham and York and the City of Toronto) and the City of Hamilton (the former Hamilton-Wentworth Region).

Phase 2: On January 1, 2001, testing became mandatory in urban centres and their commuting zones, from Peterborough to Windsor, including the Niagara Peninsula.

Phase 3: On July 1, 2002, testing became mandatory in Phase 3, all of the remainder of southern Ontario's smog zone. This includes areas in southwestern Ontario omitted from Phase 2, and eastern Ontario centres such as Ottawa and Kingston.

Heavy-duty vehicles: Since September, 1999, annual testing for heavy-duty trucks and buses has been mandatory. This applies to all diesel-powered vehicles registered in Ontario and to all non-diesel-powered vehicles - propane, natural gas or gasoline vehicles - registered in the program area for light-duty vehicles.