Starting January 1, 2025, vehicle registration in Texas will require one less step.
In a move approved by House Bill 3297 and signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott in 2023, safety inspections for non-commercial vehicles will no longer be required before registration. Instead, a $7.50 inspection program replacement fee will be added to vehicle registration costs.
New vehicles purchased in Texas or those not previously registered in Texas or another state will incur a one-time initial fee of $16.75, covering the first two years of the vehicle’s use, according to a press release from the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) published in July.
Despite the elimination of safety inspections, vehicles registered in “emissions counties” will still need to undergo emissions testing. This requirement remains in place for metropolitan areas including Brazoria, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, and Montgomery counties, as well as Collin, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Johnson, Kaufman, Parker, Rockwall, Tarrant, Travis, Williamson, and El Paso counties. Bexar County will also join this list in 2026, according to the DPS.
An emissions-only inspection in the DFW area costs $18.50, per DPS.
The new changes regarding safety inspections will not affect commercial vehicles. They will continue to require passing safety inspections but will be exempt from the $7.50 inspection program replacement fee.
However, the registration process for all vehicles will remain unchanged and will continue to be managed by the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, some Texans opposed the bill’s passage because of safety concerns. Corp. Mike Bradburn of the Travis County Constable Clean Air Task Force testified before lawmakers last year, stating that if the bill passed, more vehicles on the road would not pass a “basic safety inspection.”
Voicing similar concerns, Larry Harris, a seasoned vehicle inspector in Houston, said the bill “defies logic,” noting that people may attempt to operate vehicles without correctly operating components, such as steering wheels, brakes, or tires.
However, Texas Rep. Cody Harris (R-Palestine), who authored the bill, disagreed with that notion.
“Texans are responsible, fiercely independent, and I trust them to keep their cars and trucks safe while on the road,” he said.