Can I pay my renewal fees at the California DMV before I get my smog check?

Call the CA. department of motor vehicles near you. They will give you a more accurate answer than either your mother (no offense meant) or us.

Here, in NYC, we pay for a renewal sticker every two years, and have the car inspected every year. They are two separate issues and two separate stickers and done by two separate groups.

Listen to your mother.
You can avoid late fees by paying now. When the DMV is notified by the smog tester that your car passed a test, they will send you your sticker.
You’ll be able to drive this month without an updated sticker, but you will need to get that test.

I think you can pay the fees online to avoid the late fees, but they won’t send the sticker until you get the smog check done.

In California they will not re-register a car without the smog certificate.

“If a smog certification is required and you have not had a smog inspection, you may still pay your registration fees to avoid any late fees. However, you will not receive your new registration or year sticker until the smog information has been received by DMV.”

California DMV

Pay first to avoid late fees. You can then ask for an extension to pass your smog check. They will give you a small form to tape to your back window with a large number on it that corresponds to the month you’ve been extended to.

The late fees are ugly, pay your renewal fees now.

The test doesn’t take long, though it does cost another 90 bucks or so.

I sit corrected.