Yes.

Before vehicle registration and registration renewal, every vehicle must undergo a safety inspection and many vehicles must undergo an emissions or smog check, too.

We’ve outlined some of the highlights below, but you can find thorough information about safety inspections and emissions testing when you visit the TX DPS Web site or contact your county tax office, the state agency that handles DMV title and registration matters.

Safety Inspection and Emissions Testing Fees

Safety inspections for passenger vehicles cost $12.50 for one year and $21.75 for two years. The fee you’ll pay for your smog check will be anywhere from $14 to $39.50, depending on where you live and which test(s) you have done.

NOTE: These fees aren’t exactly part of your regular register car fees, but because the inspections are requirements for DMV registration and renewal, you might as well include these fees as you’re planning how much it will cost to register or renew your vehicle’s registration.

Emissions Testing Counties in Texas

If you live in any of the following counties and your vehicle is not a motorcycle, an antique, or bearing a slow-moving vehicle emblem, you must have its emissions tested before car registration or renewal:

• Brazoria
• Fort Bend
• Galveston
• Harris, Montgomery
• Collin
• Dallas
• Denton
• Ellis
• Johnson
• Kaufman
• Parker
• Rockwall
• Tarrant
• Travis
• Williamson
• El Paso

(Other less common exemptions include vehicles fewer than two years old and diesel-powered vehicles.)

Emissions Testing: What to Expect

If your vehicle needs smog or emissions testing, the test will be added on during your annual safety inspection.

The kind of smog check (or combination of checks) your vehicle receives will depend on your county and your vehicle, but know that it will be a two-speed idle (TSI), an on-board diagnostic (OBDI), or an acceleration simulation mode (ASM)

Again, the TX DPS Web site provides in-depth explanations of each of these tests.