2025 is right around the corner and many are gearing up for surprises as the new year rings in. However, not everything is going to be a surprise for Texas residents as some new laws that will go into effect in the new year are already known. Specifically, two laws will affect cars and subsequently the roads for the Lone Star state. Neither of the two laws directly affect the way in which people drive, but rather affect the way cars are prepared to hit the road. Here’s what Texans need to know as they prepare to implement these two laws.
The first law eliminates most vehicle safety inspections.
This law begins immediately, taking effect on January 1st. The law follows House Bill 3297, which states that non-commercial vehicles are no longer required to have a safety inspection prior to registration. This does not change that fact that all vehicles need to be registered in the state as that remains the case. Additionally, depending on where the vehicle owner lives, emission testing may still need to be done for the vehicle, as some counties require testing on their own. With this in mind, all non-commercial vehicles are still subject to a $7.50 inspection program replacement fee. This is to be paid when a vehicle is being registered by the Texas DMV. New vehicles that are purchased in Texas and have not previously been registered in the state are subject to a fee of $16.75. This will cover two years and apply to the inspection program replacement.
While this sounds like no change has really been made because fees are still in place, there is a change particularly in where the money goes. Essentially, this new fee replaces the source of revenue for state programs and other state operations that previously were supported by vehicle safety inspections. This applies largely to construction, especially the expansion of state highways project. Furthermore, these inspections and their fees also look at different things, as they do not, for example, look at the amount of emissions coming from a vehicle.
The second law applies to the sales of cars.
Stemming for 2023 House Bill 718, this new law will go into effect in Texas on July 1st. The law establishes a requirement for all licensed Texas car dealers to use the Motor Vehicles webDEALER to virtually process any title and/or registration from the sale of vehicles. The bill was signed into action by Governor Greg Abbot in order to end the paper license tag system. The system was recognized as problematic after local NBC News affiliates exposed how criminals use car dealer license plates in order to print fraudulent tags.
