Texas won't require vehicle inspections starting Jan. 1. Do you still need emissions testing?
Texas vehicle owners will no longer be required to have a yearly vehicle safety inspection beginning on Jan. 1, 2025, but that doesn't mean you won't still need emissions testing.
The Texas legislature in 2023 voted to remove mandatory vehicle safety inspections for noncommercial vehicles.
It does not remove emissions inspections where they are required.
Instead, the $7.50 fee will be assessed as an "inspection program replacement fee" that is added when the vehicle is registered with the Department of Motor Vehicles.
New vehicles from the two most recent model years that have not been registered before will pay an initial fee of $16.75 that will cover two years.
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Do I need an emissions test in North Texas?
The short answer is yes if you live in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
These counties require yearly emissions testing as part of the vehicle registration process:
- Dallas County
- Tarrant County
- Collin County
- Denton County
- Ellis County
- Johnson County
- Kaufman County
- Parker County
- Rockwall County
Commercial vehicles are still required to undergo a safety inspection. Those vehicles will not have to pay replacement fees.