Certification Document Management System

This page last reviewed July 15, 2019.

The DMS web address has changed. The new address is: https://ssl.arb.ca.gov/edms

What is ARB DMS?

Manufacturers of new motor vehicles and engines must show compliance with the California emission requirements before they are legal for sale, use, or registration in the state. To show compliance, manufacturers must supply applications and supporting documents to the Air Resources Board (ARB) for certification of their vehicles and engines.  Traditionally, manufacturers have submitted these documents in paper format.  They are reviewed by the certification staff and stored at ARB.  To reduce the bulk of paper and facilitate the review of documents, the ARB has introduced an electronic document management system (ARB DMS).  It is an electronic system that allows manufacturers to send via the internet the certification documents to ARB. The ARB DMS collects the documents and routes them to staff for review. Manufacturers may track the progress of their certification and receive approval notification electronically.

Usage of the ARB DMS is required for all manufacturers seeking certification of new mobile source categories of motor vehicles and engines: passenger cars, light-duty trucks, medium-duty vehicles, on-road and off-road motorcycles, all terrain vehicles, heavy-duty engines and vehicles, off-road compression-ignition engines, small off-road engines, large spark-ignition engines, and spark-ignition marine engines.

ARB Electronic Certification Effort

The ARB DMS is one half of the electronic certification effort ongoing at the ARB.  The other half of the electronic certification effort is called E-Cert. The E-Cert is the ARB companion product for the United States Protection Agency's Verify project.  This effort will allow manufacturers to submit data in an electronic database format called XML.  The first two categories, motorcycle and light-duty vehicles, have been developed and are operating. The subsequent categories will be implemented in a phased-in approach one category at a time.

What's New?

ARB DMS Policies:

MAC 2007-01 : Policy regarding the use of Electronic Signatures in ARB DMS.

Workshops / Meetings:

• Mail out: MSO 08-01 Compliance Assistance and Certification Workshop for Highway Motorcycles, Off-Highway Recreational Vehicles, and Small Off-Road Engines and Equipment to be conducted on February 20, 2008

• The ARB DMS was introduced to manufacturers at a workshop on february 1, 2006 in El Monte, California. The workshop provided the manufacturers with a description of and a live demonstration of the ARB DMS.

Workshop Presentation and Handout (2-1-06)