Motor vehicle safety inspections no longer required locally

By LYNETTE SOWELL 

Cove Leader-Press 

Starting January 1, 2025, Texas motor vehicle owners are no longer required to have a safety inspection for those vehicles prior to their annual registration. 

House Bill 3297, passed during the 88th Legislature in 2023, abolished the vehicle safety inspection program for non-commercial vehicles.

However, the state will still be collecting its $7.50 safety inspection fee under a new name, the Inspection Program Replacement Fee.

This fee will be collected at the time of vehicle registration annually. Owners registering a new vehicle will pay a $16.75 Inspection Program Replacement Fee to cover the first two years.

State law still requires vehicle emissions inspections in 17 counties prior to vehicle registration, but Coryell, Lampasas, and Bell Counties are not among them. 

Lt. Baker with the Copperas Cove Police Department clarified that patrol officers can still pull over a vehicle if they observe a violation, such as a non-functioning light, expired registration, or visibly unsafe tires, etc.

"Low tire pressure or tires in poor condition can also be a violation under the Texas Transportation Code (https://www.dps.texas.gov/section/commercial-vehicle-enforcement/ss39375-tires), making it a valid reason for a stop," she added. "While officers may inspect tires or other vehicle components if necessary during a stop, this is not the same as the formal inspections previously conducted at inspection stations. Instead, it’s a matter of addressing immediate safety concerns that are apparent during the traffic stop."