CARB Compliance Software | California Air Resources Board Certification & ZEV Tracking | Certivo - Certivo

CARB (California Air Resources Board) Compliance

Emissions & Vehicle Regulations

California Air Resources Board — Emissions Standards, ZEV Mandates, LCFS, ATCM, and Consumer Product Regulations

CARB Sets the Standard for 17+ States. Can You Prove Compliance Across Every Program That Applies to Your Products?

CARB compliance spans vehicle emissions, ZEV sales mandates, low carbon fuel standards, formaldehyde limits, consumer product VOC rules, and off-road engine requirements—each with separate reporting, certification, and enforcement. Section 177 states adopt California's standards, multiplying your compliance footprint overnight.

Certivo automates CARB compliance evidence collection from supplier certification to audit-ready documentation.

Key Statistics

Regulation Overview

What is CARB?

The California Air Resources Board is the most influential sub-federal environmental regulator in the world. Under a unique Clean Air Act waiver, CARB sets vehicle emissions standards stricter than federal EPA requirements—and 17+ states have adopted those standards under Section 177.

For supply chain and compliance teams, CARB compliance is not one program. It is a portfolio of obligations covering light-duty ZEV sales mandates (ACC II), medium- and heavy-duty truck ZEV sales (ACT), fleet transition requirements (ACF), heavy-duty engine NOx limits (Omnibus), low carbon fuel standards (LCFS), formaldehyde emission limits for composite wood products (ATCM), and VOC content limits for consumer products.

CARB compliance requires product-level and supplier-level evidence—emission test results, certification records, compliance reports, and third-party certifier documentation—across programs with different timelines and enforcement mechanisms. Multi-tier supply chain transparency is essential when component suppliers provide engines, fuel systems, or materials subject to CARB standards.

Key Components / Sub-Frameworks

Advanced Clean Cars II (ACC II)

Advanced Clean Trucks (ACT)

Advanced Clean Fleets (ACF)

Heavy-Duty Omnibus Low NOx

Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS)

ATCM (Composite Wood)

Key Compliance Requirements

Who Must Comply

Key Thresholds

35% ZEV sales (MY 2026)

ACC II manufacturer ZEV sales share requirement, rising to 100% by MY 2035

0.050 g/bhp-hr NOx

Heavy-Duty Omnibus standard for MY 2024-2026 engines

0.05 ppm formaldehyde

ATCM Phase II limit for hardwood plywood (HWPW-VC)

4,500 vehicles/year

ACC II applicability threshold for manufacturers

Core Obligations

  1. ACC II ZEV Sales
    Deliver increasing percentages of ZEV/PHEV sales annually
    DEADLINE: MY 2026 onward; annual compliance reporting

  2. ACT ZEV Sales
    Sell increasing percentages of zero-emission medium/heavy-duty trucks
    DEADLINE: MY 2024 onward; escalating through 2035

  3. ACF Public Fleet ZEV Purchases
    State/local government fleets must purchase increasing ZEV percentages
    DEADLINE: 50% ZEV purchases now; 100% by 2030

  4. Omnibus Low NOx Certification
    Certify heavy-duty engines to reduced NOx limits
    DEADLINE: MY 2024+ engines must meet 0.050 g/bhp-hr; MY 2027+ at 0.020 g/bhp-hr

  5. ATCM Certification & Labeling
    Third-party certify and label composite wood products for formaldehyde compliance
    DEADLINE: Ongoing; products must be CARB Phase II or TSCA Title VI certified

CARB-Specific Pain Points

The Multi-Program Compliance Maze

CARB is not one regulation—it is a portfolio of 10+ distinct programs. Your automotive division needs ACC II compliance. Your fleet operations need ACF documentation. Your materials team needs ATCM certifications. Your fuel supply chain needs LCFS reporting. Each program has separate rules, timelines, and reporting systems. No single team owns it. No single system tracks it.

The Section 177 Multiplication Effect

California adopts a standard. Within months, 17+ states follow under Section 177. Your compliance obligation multiplies overnight—but each state's adoption timeline, start year, and enforcement posture differs. One OEM customer in New York needs ACC II evidence. Another in Massachusetts needs ACT documentation. Your compliance team is managing state-by-state variations manually.

The Certification Evidence Gap

CARB programs require third-party certifications, emission test reports, executive orders, and compliance labels. Your Tier 1 supplier provides an engine certified to CARB standards—but the certification applies to the prior model year. The MY 2024+ Omnibus Low NOx standard tightened. Without current, validated certification evidence at the component level, your finished product cannot demonstrate CARB compliance.

The ZEV Credit Tracking Burden

ACC II and ACT both use credit systems with banking, pooling, trading, and expiration rules. Credits earned in California can be pooled to Section 177 states—but with declining caps. PHEV values differ from BEV values. Environmental justice credits have separate criteria. Tracking credit balances across states, model years, and vehicle types without a centralized compliance data backbone is unsustainable.

Certivo in Action

Certivo collects supplier CARB certifications, extracts emission data and certification attributes, validates against current model year standards, and generates customer-ready evidence automatically. When CARB adopts new standards or Section 177 states update adoption timelines, Certivo reassesses your portfolio and alerts you—before OEMs escalate.

Features

Frequently Asked Questions

Which companies must comply with CARB regulations?
CARB compliance depends on the program. ACC II applies to manufacturers selling 4,500+ light-duty vehicles per year in California and Section 177 states. ACT applies to Class 2b-8 truck manufacturers. ACF now applies primarily to California state and local government fleets following the October 2025 amendments. ATCM applies to all manufacturers, importers, and distributors of composite wood products sold in California. Certivo maps your product portfolio against each CARB program's scope automatically.

What are the penalties for CARB non-compliance?
Penalties vary by program. ACC II violations trigger civil penalties for manufacturers failing to meet ZEV sales targets—calculated per vehicle shortfall. ATCM violations can result in fines, product seizure, and stop-sale orders. Omnibus Low NOx non-compliance prevents engine certification, blocking market access entirely. Section 177 states may impose additional state-level penalties.

How does Certivo track CARB compliance across multiple programs?
Certivo collects one set of supplier evidence—certifications, test reports, executive orders, and labels—and validates against ACC II, ACT, Omnibus Low NOx, ATCM, and LCFS requirements simultaneously. CORA extracts emission values, model year applicability, and certification attributes from any document format, then maps them to each program's specific thresholds. One submission satisfies multiple CARB program obligations.

Does Certivo support Section 177 state compliance?
Yes. Certivo tracks adoption timelines, enforcement status, and program-specific variations across all 17+ Section 177 states. When a state adopts or amends CARB standards, Certivo updates compliance mappings and alerts you to affected products.

How does CARB compliance relate to federal EPA emissions standards?
CARB standards are typically stricter than federal EPA requirements. Manufacturers selling in California and Section 177 states must meet CARB standards; those selling only in non-adopting states may comply with federal standards alone. CARB requires an EPA waiver to enforce its unique standards. Certivo validates supplier evidence against both CARB and EPA thresholds simultaneously.