Catalytic Converters &The State Of FL

[Benwhite911]

I'm going to be leaving the Northeast section of the US, for Ft. Myers FL, hopefully soon. I have lived in Florida before, but only as a kid so I wouldn't know anything about state vehicle emissions laws. My wife who had live in FL around 2000 informed me that there are no state inspections there. Is that true? And if so, does that mean that you can get away with not having Cats on you exhaust?

 

[mavisky]

No emissions testing anywhere in Florida.

 

[Benwhite911]

So there's no way for anyone to know your running without Cats? Are there any penalties if you're caught no having them by whom ever?

 

[Bingo]

Seeing as how Florida doesn't even have safety inspections, you could probably run PVC pipe for exhaust and be fine. States that put the car up on a lift and look underneath - even if they don't test emissions - will see you have no emissions control device and will likely fail you.

If a cop pulls you over and looks underneath you could be in a heap of trouble.

 

[Wes06]

yeah, only if a cop gets you and feel's like being a huge raging dick.
could always get your stock pipe hollowed, or get one of those "test pipes" that looks exactly like a cat, but has straight through in it

 

[rcharles]

Drove mine for a year and a half in Florida before I traded it in. No problems. Traded in the car with the cats in the trunk.

 

[Benwhite911]

Well this settles it, my wife was right.

 

[skwerl]

Never had a cop ever look under any vehicle I've ever owned. I remember as a kid going with Dad to get his car inspected but they abandoned that when I was about 8-10 years old. People here buy brand new cars and trucks off the lot and put custom exhaust on them with no cats before they make the first payment.

 

[Riptide]

I like Florida and I haven't even been there.

 

[pass1over]

I remember having to have my vehicles inspected as well, but that ended when I was in h/s.
I've never had a cop look under my car either, and i've had some loud/fast cars in the past. Been running cat-less almost 2 years on my '12 now and never had anyone question my car having cat's or not.

 

[86GT351]

There are NO Emissions laws in Florida. Be aware that depending on the Officer if you get pulled over, they can still give you a very hard time because it is a Federal Law!

 

[TheKurgan]

LOL cats

 

[dre256]

New Jersey where I live has random DMV inspections from time to time in towns. You get pulled into one of them and you have no cats they have no issue giving you a 10k dollar federal fine. I know a guy it happened to on a full size bronco years ago. Went to court and judge reduced it to 2k but that's still one hell of a fine! We do have inspections in NJ, there a joke just plug in OBD2 scan and pass if no Cells. But the random inspections are no joke. I never got pulled into a random on, went by several. Maybe twice a year I see them.

But this is Flordia and my best friend lives there and there is no inspections of any type or random DMV checks either. You can do what you want in Florida. Florida I believe is the only state where a kit car windshield isn't mandatory either.

 

[Sky Render]

Damn, the entire state of Florida must smell like Freedom. Which, coincidentally, must smell like unburnt hydrocarbons.

 

[Benwhite911]

Why would a state impose a federal fine? And $10k, even $2k is tad high. Kind of violates that whole punishment having to fit the crime thingie.

 

[tjm73]

Damn, the entire state of Florida must smell like Freedom. Which, coincidentally, must smell like unburnt hydrocarbons.

Nahhh. Hurricanes blow them out to sea.

 

[46addict]

Why would a state impose a federal fine? And $10k, even $2k is tad high. Kind of violates that whole punishment having to fit the crime thingie.

The state doesn't enforce EPA laws, it's federal officers that do. Meaning a local cop would have to call an EPA officer for inspection if they have a hate warrant against you and wanted to bust you for being catless. Pollution tends to travel with the wind so it would make sense for a federal agency to enforce emission controls.

 

[Benwhite911]

Oh well. I tend not to piss off the the police, so sounds like something I'm not going to have to worry about. Especially in FL, where it sounds like the seem not to care.

 

[tjm73]

Going cat-less does not equal making more power these days like it did in the late 80's early 90's.

Also, NJ might have a state law that mimics the Federal law about removing cats. And that the Staties would enforce.

 

[Benwhite911]

Going cat-less does not equal making more power these days like it did in the late 80's early 90's.

Yeah. I know us V6'ers really aren't going to make any power by removing the cats. I just think that since I'm planning on going with Pacesetter Long Tubes, it would be easier to not try and cut the cats back in.