Two vehicle laws go into effect in Texas in 2025

Texas drivers and car dealers will be affected by two new laws that go into effect in the new year.

One new law passed by the Texas Legislature will eliminate most vehicle safety inspections, the other affects car dealers and how they register the sale of vehicles.

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Here's what you should know about the two laws starting in 2025.

HOW DOES THE CHANGE TO THE VEHICLE SAFETY INSPECTION PROGRAM AFFECT DRIVERS?

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Starting New Year's Day, non-commercial vehicles will no longer need a safety inspection before registration, thanks to House Bill 3297. Some non-commercial vehicles will still need emission testing, depending on where the owner lives, and all vehicles will still need to be registered.

All non-commercial vehicles in the state will continue to be subject to a $7.50 inspection program replacement fee. The replacement inspection program fee will be paid when registering a vehicle with the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles.

New vehicles (those of the current or previous model year on the date of purchase) purchased in Texas that have not been previously registered in Texas or another state must pay an initial inspection program replacement fee of $16.75 to cover two years.

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This fee simply replaces the source of revenue for state programs and operations that were once supported by vehicle safety inspections, such as the construction and expansion of state highways.

Although vehicle safety inspections will be eliminated for all non-commercial vehicles, Texans with vehicles registered in certain counties will still be required to undergo emissions testing.

Emissions testing is required in Collin, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Johnson, Kaufman, Parker, Rockwall and Tarrant counties in North Texas. The price of vehicle emissions testing varies by vehicle and county.

All commercial vehicles in all counties will still be required to obtain a passing vehicle safety inspection.

WHAT IS THE NEW WebDEALER FOR DEALERS?

The second new vehicle law takes effect on July 1, 2025. It requires all licensed Texas dealers to use the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles webDEALER system to electronically process title and registration for the sale of vehicles.

Gov. Greg Abbott signed House Bill 718 into law in 2023 to end the state's troubled temporary paper license tag system highlighted by NBC 5 Investigates series 'Paper Tag Nation.' The yearlong series exposed how criminals obtained car dealer licenses to access the Texas DMV's online system to print and sell fraudulent tags.

Dealers without webDEALER accounts and license plate inventories cannot complete vehicle sales transactions after July 1.

The Texas Department of Motor Vehicles will offer training for dealers on the webDEALER system through live webinars and pre-recorded training in English and Spanish.