Texas vehicle inspection changes coming soon

Inspection stickers will soon be a thing of the past for most Texans starting Jan. 1, 2025. That's when House Bill 3297 will go into effect.

TEXAS - Inspection stickers will soon be a thing of the past for most Texans starting Jan. 1, 2025. That's when House Bill 3297 will go into effect.

Only some people are on board with eliminating vehicle safety inspections statewide.

Michael Lilley is the manager at Excalibur Auto Repair in North Austin.

"Now nobody's going to be responsible for telling them no, these people are just going to keep driving," said Michael Lilley.

The auto shop's owner, Brad Rohlfs, has been in business since 1990. He shared his concerns about the lack of safety this will create on Texas Highways.

"The problem with getting rid of the safety inspections is the fact that people are going to be driving around with cars that are unchecked," said Brad Rohlfs.

Are vehicle safety inspections done in Texas?

HB 3297, which eliminates vehicle safety inspections for non-commercial vehicles in Texas, was signed by Gov. Abbott in August. A closer look reveals the law is not for everyone, and everyone is still going to pay.

Rohlfs added that even though drivers will no longer be mandated to get their cars inspected, they will still be responsible for properly maintaining them.

"People are still going to be pulled over for these things," said Rohlfs. "It's obviously going to generate more money for the city, but yeah, it's unfortunate, you know, because it's going to put a lot of people in a bad situation."

This means that instead of just failing an inspection, more people will likely receive large fines from law enforcement if their car does not meet the safety standards.

"The majority of the people that have these problems with their cars are mostly already financially challenged," said Rohlfs. "So to put the burden of a fine, we'll take it or something like that on them just to make it even worse, I think."

Emissions tests will still be required in certain areas, including Travis and Williamson Counties. Bexar County will be added to the list in November 2026.

"We're not even sure how much we're supposed to charge people for just the emissions tests," said Lilley. "They haven't even released that."

Bill sent to governor's desk aims to eliminate annual car inspections

Texas is one of 13 states that mandate annual inspections for cars. That will change in 2025 now that lawmakers have given final approval to House Bill 3297.

Texans who live in emissions counties will still pay that inspection fee, but they will not be required to get the inspection itself. Instead, the Inspection Program Replacement Fee will be tacked onto their registration cost.

"The $7 fee that we would collect for the safety portion will now be charged on your registration, $7.50 for an inspection program fee," said Lilley. "I guess the state's just collecting that money now, and I don't know what that fee is for."

Along with safety concerns, there is an impact on small businesses that rely on this service to keep their shops afloat.

"It's going to cause a lot of those businesses to fold. We're already seeing it," said Lilley. "We get people driving all the way from Georgetown to come here to get inspected just because there's already a big drop in the number of inspection stations in the area."

As far as wanting to keep the roads safe, Rohlfs is putting his money where his mouth is and said Excalibur Auto Repair will offer vehicle inspections free of charge once the new bill goes into effect.

The Texas State Inspection Association, or TSIA, will host its annual conference on Sept.11-12 in Austin to clarify any confusion.