Compliance overview
Worldwide road-vehicle law notice
The U.S. Clean Air Act (42 U.S.C. § 7522) prohibits tampering with motor vehicle emissions control systems, and other countries impose their own anti-tampering, type-approval, inspection, registration, and in-use emissions requirements. Violations can result in substantial penalties, loss of registration, product restrictions, and other civil or criminal exposure. PulseWidth is committed to applicable emissions law in every market it serves.
Our Compliance Commitment
PulseWidth Tuning, a DBA of UBT Performance, LLC, is committed to operating in compliance with the Clean Air Act and all other applicable emissions regulations. We do not sell, manufacture, or distribute software intended to defeat, bypass, or render inoperative any emissions control device or system.
- Diagnostic reading, code clearing, freeze-frame data, and readiness viewing remain ordinary diagnostic functions
- ROM-level DTC and readiness configuration requires mandatory account training and an explicit, auditable opt-in
- Feature access is not a determination that a proposed change is lawful
- Our policy prohibits using ROM controls to disable required OBD-II monitoring or bypass catalyst-efficiency monitoring on road vehicles
- Training and feature access are never presented as proof that a tune, vehicle, or inspection result is compliant
- We actively prohibit users from sharing emissions-defeating calibrations
Product purpose and qualification boundary
PulseWidth is advanced calibration, diagnostic, scanning, logging, and data-acquisition tooling intended for trained users and automotive professionals who develop, validate, restore, or maintain lawful emissions-compliant calibrations. It may also support independently lawful exempt applications.
PulseWidth does not represent that opening, editing, or flashing a file makes that file or vehicle emissions compliant. Account training controls access to advanced parameters; it is not certification, an exemption, an approval, or a legal safe harbor. Only the testing, documentation, and approvals required by the applicable jurisdiction can establish compliance for a particular configuration.
Clean Air Act Overview
Section 203(a)(3)(B) of the Clean Air Act makes it a violation for any person to manufacture, sell, offer to sell, or install any part or component intended for use with a motor vehicle where a principal effect is to bypass, defeat, or render inoperative any emissions control device.
This includes but is not limited to:
- Modifications to ECU software that affect emissions control strategies
- Disabling or modifying On-Board Diagnostics (OBD-II) systems
- Removing or bypassing catalytic converter monitoring
- Modifying exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) systems
- Altering secondary air injection systems
- Modifying evaporative emissions controls
Other markets covered by this policy
Classic includes USDM, JDM, European, Australian, and other market calibrations, and online checkout is not presently limited to one country. The same account gate and lawful-use rule therefore apply worldwide. The following examples are not an exhaustive statement of local law:
United States
The Clean Air Act prohibits tampering and aftermarket defeat devices; state rules, including California CARB requirements, may be stricter.
Official source ↗Canada
Federal vehicle-emissions rules prohibit manufacturer/importer defeat devices, and provincial inspection, registration, environmental, and consumer rules may also apply.
Official source ↗European Union / EEA
Regulation (EC) No 715/2007 prohibits defeat devices that reduce the effectiveness of emissions-control systems, subject only to narrow stated exceptions.
Official source ↗United Kingdom
Software and hardware changes can be unlawful when they cause a vehicle to cease meeting the emissions standard to which it was legally built; inspection and road-use rules also apply.
Official source ↗Australia
Modified vehicles must continue to satisfy applicable Australian Design Rules and state or territory requirements; emissions-affecting modifications can require engineering approval.
Official source ↗New Zealand
The Vehicle Exhaust Emissions Rule and vehicle certification/inspection requirements govern vehicles entering and operating in service.
Official source ↗Japan
Road vehicles must continue to comply with applicable safety and pollution-prevention standards and periodic inspection requirements.
Official source ↗Laws may attach where the user is located, the vehicle is registered, modified, operated, inspected, sold, imported, or exported. A calibration's original market label does not decide which law applies, and using a foreign-market ROM is not a compliance workaround.
Intended and prohibited uses
Subject to the law that applies to the user, vehicle, and configuration, PulseWidth is intended for:
Authorized product uses
- • Reading and logging vehicle data
- • Diagnosing vehicle issues
- • Restoring or maintaining emissions-compliant operation
- • Developing calibrations for required laboratory or regulatory testing
- • Configurations covered by an applicable approval, including an exact CARB EO configuration
- • Uses independently determined lawful by qualified counsel
Prohibited Applications
- • Disabling emissions controls on street vehicles
- • Removing catalytic converter codes
- • Modifying OBD-II readiness monitors
- • "Check engine light delete" tunes
- • Any emissions defeat on road-registered vehicles
Competition/Racing Vehicles
A "competition only" label, de-registration, or private agreement does not itself create a Clean Air Act exemption or authorize tampering. EPA has stated that there is no automatic pathway to convert a certified motor vehicle into an exempt competition vehicle. If you contend that a particular use is lawful, you must obtain qualified legal guidance and be prepared to document at minimum that:
- The vehicle must be permanently converted to racing use
- The vehicle must never be operated on public roads or highways
- The vehicle should be de-registered for street use
- The owner has executed our Competition Use Certification, which records facts but does not create a legal safe harbor
Important: Simply adding "for off-road use only" disclaimers does not provide legal protection. The EPA has explicitly stated that such disclaimers are insufficient if products are marketed to or likely to be used on street vehicles.
California (CARB) Requirements
California has additional requirements through the California Air Resources Board (CARB). Emissions-affecting aftermarket calibrations and configurations may require a valid Executive Order or another independently established legal basis before street use.
- Inspection and enforcement programs may evaluate calibration identity and verification data
- An EO applies only to the exact approved parts, software, vehicle, and conditions stated in it
- PulseWidth does not represent that a user-created calibration is CARB approved
- Violations may result in vehicle registration suspension
Consult CARB's authoritative Executive Order records and the exact approval document before use. The presence of an EO number in metadata or a filename is not sufficient verification.
User Responsibilities
By using PulseWidth software, you acknowledge and agree that:
- You will not use the software to defeat, bypass, or render inoperative any emissions control system on a vehicle used on public roads
- You understand that violation of emissions laws may result in significant civil and criminal penalties
- You are solely responsible for ensuring your vehicle modifications comply with all applicable laws
- You will not distribute, share, or sell emissions-defeating calibrations through our platform
- You will not suppress DTCs, force readiness, or alter monitoring to conceal a fault, falsify inspection status, or misrepresent compliance
- You will evaluate every law that may apply where the vehicle is registered, modified, operated, inspected, sold, imported, or exported
- If you use the software on a competition vehicle, you will execute our Competition Use Certification and understand that it does not itself make a modification lawful
Reporting Violations
PulseWidth takes emissions compliance seriously. If you become aware of any tune files or calibrations on our platform that may violate emissions regulations, please report them immediately to support@pulsewidthtuning.com.
We will investigate all reports and remove any content that may violate applicable emissions regulations.
Related Legal Documents
PulseWidth Tuning is a DBA of UBT Performance, LLC. This document is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Consult with a qualified attorney regarding specific compliance questions.
Last updated: August 29, 2026