A new Texas law has led to more than 1,500 shops stopping emissions tests, making it harder for drivers to find a state-licensed inspection station. NBC 5 Investigates looks at the impact.
A new state law could make it harder to get an emissions test at a state inspection shop in your neighborhood.
NBC 5 Investigates has obtained new data from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) showing more than 1,500 shops have stopped offering emissions tests in the two years since the state legislature changed the vehicle inspection process.
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In 2023, the state legislature voted to eliminate the safety portion of the inspection for non-commercial vehicles. So, state inspection shops no longer examine safety items like brakes and tires. However, in larger urban areas, including nine counties in the Dallas, Fort Worth region, an emissions test is still required before renewing a vehicle registration.
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SIGN UP However, finding a state-licensed inspection station to get that emissions test may be more difficult now.
“They're struggling, and a lot of them are either contemplating shutting down or shutting down or have shut down,” said Greg Cole, board member for the Texas State Inspectors Association, representing shop owners' interests.
Cole pointed out that when the legislature cut the vehicle safety portion of the inspection, shops offering state inspections could no longer collect that portion of the inspection fee. For example, in Dallas County, the amount shops can collect is reduced by $7 per car; for bigger shops that inspect thousands and thousands of cars each year, that can mean a loss of tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars in yearly revenue.
“It’s hard, hard to make up,” said Cole.
On top of that, some shops made additional revenue repairing cars that failed safety checks.
New data from the TCEQ showed that in Dallas County alone, 408 fewer shops are conducting emissions tests than in 2023. In Tarrant County, the data showed 150 fewer shops and 40 fewer in Collin County. Statewide, the TCEQ data showed more than 1,500 have stopped offering emissions tests.
Lawmakers who pushed to eliminate the safety checks said that move would save Texans time.
“I believe it's an unnecessary burden placed on everyday Texans, and we are one of only 11 states that currently require it,” Rep. Cody Harris (R-Palestine) told lawmakers on the House floor before passing HB 3297 in May 2023.
But the inspector’s association now worries a dwindling number of shops could mean a new burden for people in big metro areas who still need an emissions test.
“You probably have to drive a little further and very possibly wait a little longer,” said Cole.
NBC 5 Investigates contacted Harris who introduced the bill that changed the inspection process, but Harris did not respond to questions we sent asking if there are any plans to address concerns about shops closing.
NBC 5 Investigates also reached out to the TCEQ, which administers emissions testing, to ask if it has any concerns that fewer shops could lead to longer waits. But, an agency spokesperson told us, "TCEQ has no comment on this question".
In some cities the inspector's group said it’s already hearing of longer waits, and it fears that may happen more across the state.
And even though inspection shops no longer collect that $7 safety inspection fee, it turns out drivers still pay that money to the state. When the legislature canceled safety inspections, they simply renamed the fee. It's now called the "inspection program replacement fee," and the state collects it when a vehicle is registered.
The legislature was concerned about losing that money because the revenue collected through the fee helped maintain the state’s highways, so it chose to keep the fee on the books even though it removed safety checks.
