Srmert has it right. If your local inspection process is like the one we have here, the inspector is required to use a
code reader to see if the powertrain control module (“computer”) has recorded any emissions-related problems. Whenever you disconnect the battery, the
PCM loses it’s previous record and any attempt to ‘read’ the history will receive what amounts to a ‘not-ready’ response, which shows up as a “P1000" on the inspector’s
code reader but does _not_ trigger the
check engine light. You don’t have to ‘reset’ the
PCM – the car does that on its own, after you’ve completed a range of driving cycles, basically at different speeds and conditions that allow the
PCM to verify that all of the emissions systems are responding as intended. Ford actually documents a driving sequence that’s supposed to speed the process (less than 100 miles), but the easier method is to just drive around town for a day or two. Unfortunately, there’s no way to determine whether the process has completed without using a
code reader, as it all happens without triggering the CEL, or anything else you'd see from the driver's seat.