SAN ANGELO, Texas (Concho Valley Homepage) — Starting Jan. 1, Texas vehicle owners will no longer need a safety inspection before registering their vehicles due to House Bill 3291. However, larger cities will still require emissions tests.

This change is expected to significantly affect local inspection businesses and road safety, according to Daniel Ortiz.

"Well, those changes mean you’ll no longer be required to come in and have a safety inspection,” he said. “Personally, from an inspector’s point of view, we feel that it is dangerous. Because people don’t check their lights, people don’t check their tires—it’s just the simple things. And without those checks, you’re gonna have a lot of trouble on the highway."

Experts like Ortiz emphasize that regular inspections are vital for drivers to maintain vehicle safety, including tire pressure and lights. Without these inspections, the risk of accidents may rise. There are also concerns that removing this requirement could lead to more uninsured vehicles, as drivers wouldn't need a passing inspection to register their cars.

The law also affects local businesses like Ortiz's. Many vehicle inspection stations are now facing closures and layoffs.

"Each station, there’s 10,000 stations in Texas. Some of them have three inspectors or more. But let’s just say you have three—that’s 30,000 jobs that are gone on the first."

While the annual inspection requirement is gone, the $7.50 fee previously paid for the safety inspection still remains. It now appears on your registration notice under a new name: the "inspection program replacement fee."

News Source : https://www.conchovalleyhomepage.com/news/local-news/changes-to-texas-car-registration/