Under a new Texas law, non-commercial vehicles are no longer required to undergo annual safety inspections.
However, even without the inspections, Texans must pay an annual $7.50 “replacement” fee.
House Bill 3297 requires Texans to pay the replacement fee each year when they register their vehicles with the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles.
“As its name suggests, this fee simply replaces the revenue source for state programs and operations—like the construction and expansion of state highways—once supported by vehicle safety inspections,” the Texas Department of Public Safety’s website states.
New vehicles purchased in Texas are required to pay a fee of $16.75 to cover two years.
While vehicle safety inspections are no longer required, emissions tests still are required in many of Texas’ most populous counties.
“This is a BIG WIN for Texans, but the march for liberty continues,” former State Sen. Don Huffines posted on X. “Unfortunately, emissions inspections remain mandatory in major metropolitan areas of Texas. Like the safety inspection program, emissions inspections are a complete rip-off—hopefully, the legislature will eliminate it this session like several other states have.”
Counties where emissions tests are required include Brazoria, Collin, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, El Paso, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Johnson, Kaufman, Montgomery, Parker, Rockwall, Tarrant, Travis, and Williamson counties. Bexar County will begin requiring emissions tests in 2026.
Between the populations of these counties, more than half of Texans will still have emissions inspections.
