The New Year means new state legislation goes into effect, and there are a few changes to Texas’ vehicle safety inspection requirements that local drivers need to be aware of.
Starting Jan. 1, Texas drivers will no longer be required to obtain an annual safety inspection for their non-commercial vehicles thanks to House Bill 3297, which was passed by the state legislature in 2023. Proponents of the bill argued that eliminating the safety inspection requirement would save drivers time and money.
One of the sponsors of H.B. 3297, Republican Rep. Cody Harris of Palestine, said the bill will help curb the number of Texans exposed to “money-making Ponzi schemes” used by “some shady dealerships to upsell consumers with unnecessary repairs.”
“Texans are responsible, fiercely independent, and I trust them to keep their cars and trucks safe while on the road,” Harris said in a statement to ABC 13 in Houston.
As Harris implied, the onus of maintaining a vehicle’s brakes, lights, tires and windshield wipers will now be entirely on owners; police will still be pulling over and ticketing any driver sporting malfunctioning vehicular equipment. On top of that, reports have found that cars with faulty equipment are three times more likely to be involved in a crash that results in a fatality. So please, Dallas drivers, don’t put off getting your brake pads replaced.
In lieu of the typical $7 state inspection fee that drivers have been paying for years, you can now expect to pay a $7.50 Inspection Program Replacement Fee that will be added to the total when you register your car with the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles. New vehicles that have not been registered in Texas before will be stuck with a two-year fee of $16.75.
For Dallas drivers thinking that this change will save them a trip to the car shop, at least — don’t get too excited. Dallas County is one of 17 Texas counties where annual emissions tests will still be required because of excessive ozone in the atmosphere. The Environmental Protection Agency mandates emissions tests in these areas to help track and reduce pollution.
Although a chore for Dallas drivers, the continued emissions testing may not be a bad thing for our city’s air quality. As Bethany Erickson at D Magazine pointed out earlier this week, Dallas isn’t doing too hot when it comes to curbing air pollution, and Dallas County has not met federal ozone standards in at least 27 years. The state has recommended several plans to address ozone levels in non-compliant counties, but the EPA has yet to be satisfied.
Expect to pay around $25 for your Dallas County emissions test for the foreseeable future.
