HOUSTON — Changes are coming for Texas drivers. In less than six months, drivers will not be required to have an annual car safety inspection.
Beginning Jan. 1, 2025, non-commercial vehicles no longer need a vehicle safety inspection prior to registration, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety. However, all non-commercial vehicles in the state will be subject to a $7.50 inspection program replacement fee. This fee will be added to your total when you register your vehicle with the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles.
DPS said new vehicles purchased in Texas that have not been previously registered in Texas or another state are required to pay an initial inspection program replacement fee of $16.75 to cover two years.
As far as commercial vehicles are concerned, they will still be required to obtain a passing vehicle safety inspection in all counties. Since they will be required to pay for that safety inspection, commercial vehicles will be exempt from the inspection program replacement fee.
This comes after lawmakers who supported the bill claimed the inspections were time-consuming and inconvenient.
One thing to note is that annual emissions inspections are still required in major metropolitan areas including 17 counties.
Those counties are:
- Brazoria
- Fort Bend
- Galveston
- Harris
- Montgomery
- Collin
- Dallas
- Denton
- Ellis
- Johnson
- Kaufman
- Parker
- Rockwall
- Tarrant
- Travis
- Williamson
- El Paso
- Bexar (beginning on Nov. 1, 2026)