As a law firm active in Bureau of Automotive Repair defense cases, we get a lot of inquiries from Station Owners who have received a so-called citation from the Bureau of Automotive Repair. Now, if you have received one of these, you best action is to reach out for a consultation – as every situation is different and unique, and we can go over your options with you.
That said, here is a round up of our own blog posts on the topic –
- Bureau of Automotive Repair Citation: Smog Check and STAR Program – this is an overview to our services, as well as basics about citations. It’s a useful starting point on the Web on citations.
- What’s in a Word: Citation Explored – this is more of a “fun” blog post, going over some of the linguistic and historical issues about the word ‘citation’ itself.
- Bureau of Automotive Repair STAR program and Citations – this post, published in 2012, remains timely as it has questions and answers about the STAR program and citations.
- Citations Leading to More Undercover Runs – This is an overview to citations in response to all the brouhaha around the so-called undercover cars used by the Bureau of Automotive Repair. The use of undercover cars is controversial, to say the least. Rather than speculate, please contact us to discuss your specific situation.
- How to Fight BAR SMOG Citations – this post discusses receiving a citation and what you should do about it.
To read something official, albeit out-of-date, check out ‘AB 2289 Enforcement – Citations and Penalities‘ (PDF format). Of interest might be ‘ten factors of aggravation and mitigation in this PDF, which are:
- The nature, gravity, severity and seriousness of the violation.
- The persistence of the violation.
- The good faith or willfulness of the violator.
- The history of previous violations by that violator, including the commission of numerous and repeated violations.
- The failure to perform work for which money was received.
- The making of any false or misleading statement in order to induce a person to authorize repair work or pay money.
- The failure to make restitution to consumers affected by the violation.
- The extent to which the violator has mitigated or attempted to mitigate any damage or injury caused by the violation.
- The degree of incompentence or negligence in the performance of duties and reponsibilities
- The purposes and goals of this chpater and other matters as may be appropriate.
Not all of this relates to SMOG check violations and/or STAR program requirements, but it gives you a sense of the “mindset” of the Bureau of Automotive Repair. Again, if you have received a citation, your best course of action is to reach out to an attorney that specializes in defense against the Bureau of Automotive Repair.