Kaufman County, TX - Starting January 1, 2025, Texas vehicle owners will no longer be required to obtain a safety inspection before registering their vehicles. This change comes as a result of House Bill 3297, which was passed during the 88th Legislature in 2023, effectively discontinuing the safety inspection program for non-commercial vehicles.
Kaufman County, TX - Starting January 1, 2025, Texas vehicle owners will no longer be required to obtain a safety inspection before registering their vehicles. This change comes as a result of House Bill 3297, which was passed during the 88th Legislature in 2023, effectively discontinuing the safety inspection program for non-commercial vehicles.
While the mandatory safety inspection has been removed, the new law retains the annual fee of $7.50, which will now be labeled as the Inspection Program Replacement Fee on vehicle registration renewal notices. Additionally, owners registering a new vehicle will incur a one-time fee of $16.75 to cover the Inspection Program Replacement Fee for the first two years of registration.
Despite the elimination of safety inspections, state law still mandates that a passing vehicle emissions inspection be obtained prior to registration for residents in the following 17 counties:
- Brazoria County
- Fort Bend County
- Parker County
- Collin County
- Galveston County
- Rockwall County
- Dallas County
- Harris County
- Tarrant County
- Denton County
- Johnson County
- Travis County
- El Paso County
- Kaufman County
- Williamson County
- Ellis County
- Montgomery County
This legislative change aims to streamline the vehicle registration process in Texas while still addressing environmental concerns through the emissions inspection requirement in designated counties.