A federal judge has temporarily stopped New Hampshire from ending its annual vehicle inspection requirement, saying the state likely can’t eliminate the program without federal approval under the Clean Air Act.

On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Landya McCafferty issued a preliminary injunction directing the state to “take all steps necessary to resume and ensure the continued implementation and enforcement” of its vehicle inspection and maintenance program. Lawmakers voted last year to repeal the inspection mandate, and the change was set to take effect Saturday.

The order follows a lawsuit from Gordon-Darby Inc., a Kentucky company that runs New Hampshire’s inspection system. The company argued that because the inspections include emissions-related checks, the state must receive authorization from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency before discontinuing them.

In her ruling, McCafferty wrote that both sides agree New Hampshire would fall out of compliance with the Clean Air Act if it ended the program without EPA approval. Although the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services asked the EPA for that approval on Dec. 24, the agency has not yet responded.

For now, the injunction pauses the planned repeal and keeps the current inspection program in place while the lawsuit continues in federal court.