Transportation
BY HANNAH NORTON
Texas vehicles no longer need safety inspections in 2025
Where its required
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. Zooming in Electric vehicles will remain exempt from emis- sions 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 annu- ally with the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles. “Texans are responsible [and] fiercely indepen- dent, 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.
As of 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 lawmak- ers 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.” The details The new state law, House Bill 3297, eliminates mandatory safety inspections for noncommercial vehicles.
Texans with vehicles registered in the following counties will need to get an emissions test: • Brazoria
• Fort Bend • Galveston • Harris • Johnson • Kaufman • Montgomery
• Parker • Rockwall • Tarrant • Travis • Williamson
• Collin • Dallas • Denton • Ellis • El Paso
SOURCE: TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY/ COMMUNITY IMPACT
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