EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) – All motor vehicle safety inspections are no longer required for non-commercial vehicles as part of the annual vehicle registration process, the El Paso County said in a news release.
This comes after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed HB 3297, which abolished the Vehicle Safety Inspection Program beginning Jan. 1.
However, all non-commercial vehicles registered in El Paso County will need to obtain a passing emissions inspection before applying for a current vehicle registration sticker in person, email, or online, the County said.
El Paso County said inspection stations automatically report and upload inspection status onto the Texas Department of Public Safety system. They then provide this information to the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles and update the vehicle record in real-time.
However, to avoid delays, the County said it is advisable to take a copy of the passing emissions inspection report to the Tax Office or any Private Full-Service Offices in case the inspection report fails to update.
The County said the new fees established by the state are as follows:
All non-commercial vehicles are still subject to a $7.50 annual inspection replacement fee that will be collected at the time of registration.
Non-commercial new vehicles (current or preceding year model on the date of purchase) purchased in Texas or another state are required to pay a $16.75 initial inspection replacement fee to cover two years.
Emission fees:
The price of vehicle emissions tests varies by vehicle and county. In El Paso County, your emissions test fee will be collected by the inspection station currently set at $11.50 according to DPS.
At the time of registration renewal, the emission fee will be $2.75 and will be identified and included in the total payment when we issue your registration sticker.
The County said vehicles exempt from emissions inspections include electric-only vehicles. Secondly, gasoline-powered vehicles two through 24 years old are required to have an emissions inspection.
All non-commercial exempt vehicles will be required to pay the appropriate annual inspection replacement fee, the County said.
Read: Read More