The $8.25 California Smog Certificate fee is required for all vehicles which pass the smog check. The DMV representative may have confused the CA Certificate Fee with the ETF (Electronic Transfer Fee). The ETF is charged by some smog stations in order to cover the telephone expense which is incurred by them when a phone call is electronically placed by the smog machine in order to transmit your vehicle's smog check results to Sacramento (DMV & BAR).
It should be known however that recently the BAR has disallowed smog check stations to charge a fee for the Electronic Transfer. As such, many smog station owners have now absorbed the ETF into the smog check price.
posted by SmogTips Support
