Since of course, the CEL has to be off to pass inspection, Do they check it visibly, or do they plug in a scanner?

Who says you can't wire a hidden switch in line with the power wire for the CEL light, and turn it off for inspection? Or is it hard wired to the cluster PCB?

 

in IL they plug a scanner into the OBD II port.

 

Yeah you could do that for the light. Im in PA and just had my truck inspected friday with the check engine light on it and it even has to get the emmisions test too and guy never said anything about it. Im guessing TX is different with the whole check engine light thing. I would call the place you plan to get it inspected at and ask them.

 

It's a plug in. If the tech see's it on you failed as well.

 

oh and i forgot some counties do the sniffer test too where they actually plug your exhaust into a hose that measures all the ratios.

 

Gotta love colorado. we don't have emissions but we have trucks that sit on the side of on-ramps to the highway and can measure your emissions as you drive past. I have a buddy that would literally have to turn off his car as he passed through those so as not to get a ticket for running cat-less (his car was registered in an emissions-checking county) lol