Price
Call for price
Hours
Open Mon–Sat
Station type
Test & Repair
Appointments
Walk-ins welcome
Hours
- Monday
- 9 AM – 5 PM
- Tuesday
- 9 AM – 5 PM
- Wednesday
- 9 AM – 5 PM
- Thursday
- 9 AM – 5 PM
- Friday
- 9 AM – 5 PM
- Saturday
- 9 AM – 3 PM
- Sunday
- Closed
Good to know
Languages
English
Payment
Credit Card, Debit Card
What to expect at Pauls Shop
Pauls Shop is licensed by the Bureau of Automotive Repair as a Test & Repair smog station in El Cerrito, so it can run the inspection and, if your car fails, diagnose and fix it in the same shop. Its STAR certification is currently suspended in the BAR registry, so it cannot test DMV-directed vehicles until that is restored.
Walk-ins are welcome. Most smog checks take 15 to 30 minutes, and most visits are closer to 20.
What to bring
Your registration or DMV renewal notice
It says whether the car needs a STAR station.
The car, with the check engine light off
On a 2000-or-newer car, a lit check engine light fails the test on its own.
A way to pay
The $8.25 state certificate is paid on top of the test when the car passes, unless the station's price or coupon includes it.
What if I fail?
- Pauls Shop can diagnose and repair the problem in the same shop, then retest the car.
- Each station sets its own retest price, so ask before the first test.
- BAR's Consumer Assistance Program pays up to $1,450 toward emissions repairs for income-eligible owners.
10787 San Pablo Ave, El Cerrito, CA 94530-2621
Get directions →Hours
- Monday
- 9 AM – 5 PM
- Tuesday
- 9 AM – 5 PM
- Wednesday
- 9 AM – 5 PM
- Thursday
- 9 AM – 5 PM
- Friday
- 9 AM – 5 PM
- Saturday
- 9 AM – 3 PM
- Sunday
- Closed
Also listed on
Other stations near Pauls Shop
Nearby cities in Contra Costa County
Questions about Pauls Shop
Pauls Shop is open Monday 9 AM to 5 PM; Tuesday 9 AM to 5 PM; Wednesday 9 AM to 5 PM; Thursday 9 AM to 5 PM; Friday 9 AM to 5 PM; Saturday 9 AM to 3 PM. Closed Sunday. Hours can change on holidays, so call ahead if you are cutting it close.
Pauls Shop accepts Credit Card, Debit Card.
Google lists the following accessibility features at Pauls Shop: wheelchair accessible entrance.
Pauls Shop has held a BAR smog license since 1974. You can verify the license status at bar.ca.gov.
Pauls Shop has not published a price on SmogCheckDeals. The Bureau of Automotive Repair puts the statewide average at $69.16 as of August 2026, about $65 for a 2000-or-newer vehicle and $73 for 1999-or-older, plus the $8.25 certificate fee. Call (510) 526-1449 for a quote.
Pauls Shop does not take online bookings here, but walk-ins are welcome. Call (510) 526-1449 to check the wait.
Staff at Pauls Shop speak English.
The closest alternatives in El Cerrito are Smogsters and El Cerrito Star Smog (0.4 mi). Both are listed further up this page with their ratings and hours.
How we get this data: BAR licenses and STAR status, Google hours and ratings, coupons published by the station.
Verify this station’s license and STAR standing at bar.ca.gov.
Own this shop? Add photos
BAR field office: Hercules • Licensed since 1974