Beginning Jan. 1, Texas drivers will no longer need to get an annual safety inspection to register their vehicles.
However, vehicles must pass emissions tests in major metropolitan areas, and all drivers will pay a $7.50 inspection replacement fee when renewing their vehicle registration. State lawmakers approved the policy change, spearheaded by Rep. Cody Harris, R-Palestine, during the 2023 legislative session.
“With Texas being one of only a handful of states that still requires yearly safety inspections, eliminating the mandate is long overdue,” Harris said in a statement to Community Impact. “These inspections do not make roads safer, as evidenced by over 40 other states.”
Here’s what Texans should know before registering their vehicles in 2025.
The details
The new state law, House Bill 3297, eliminates mandatory safety inspections for noncommercial vehicles.
The $7.50 “inspection program replacement fee” will go to the state’s general revenue fund, a clean air account and the Texas Mobility Fund, which supports the construction and expansion of state highways. Drivers registering new vehicles will pay a $16.75 fee to cover two years, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.
Texans whose vehicles are registered in the following 17 urban counties will need to get an emissions test before renewing their registration:
- Brazoria
- Collin
- Dallas
- Denton
- Ellis
- El Paso
- Fort Bend
- Galveston
- Harris
- Johnson
- Kaufman
- Montgomery
- Parker
- Rockwall
- Tarrant
- Travis
- Williamson
Bexar County will begin requiring an emissions test in 2026, according to the DPS.
Zooming in
During an emissions test, an inspector will check a vehicle’s engine and electronic systems to ensure cars do not release too many pollutants. In the above counties, vehicle registration will be denied if an individual has not gotten their emissions system checked or if the vehicle did not pass the inspection, according to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.
Electric vehicles will remain exempt from emissions tests, according to the DPS, and commercial vehicles—such as delivery trucks, buses and taxis—must still pass safety inspections.
Texans still need to register their vehicles annually with the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles.
The DPS encourages motorists to regularly service their vehicles to keep Texas roads safe. This includes ensuring a vehicle’s headlights, tail lights, horn, mirrors, windshield wipers, tires and more work properly. Driving a vehicle without functioning safety features is against the law, according to the DPS.
“Texans are responsible [and] fiercely independent, and I trust them to keep their cars and trucks safe while on the road. … I am proud to author this bill, which will free up over 40 million hours per year for Texas drivers,” Harris said.
