DMVZoneBlogMost Texas cars stopped needing a safety inspection on January 1, 2025. On September 1, 2025, the move over law grew, one course can now clear several tickets from one stop, and driving courses added work zone lessons.
Texas dropped the yearly safety inspection for non-commercial vehicles on January 1, 2025 and replaced it with a $7.50 fee at registration. On September 1, 2025, new laws added parking and animal control vehicles to Move Over or Slow Down, and let one driving safety course dismiss more than one ticket from the same stop.
Texas passes driving laws in two-year cycles, and most of them start on September 1 after the session ends. The 2025 session added more than 800 new laws. Only a handful change what you do behind the wheel, and they are below.
If you drive a regular car or pickup, you no longer stop at an inspection station before renewing. You pay a $7.50 inspection program replacement fee with your registration instead. A brand new vehicle that has never been registered pays $16.75 up front, which covers its first two years.
Before SB 296, a driver who got a speeding ticket and a second ticket in the same stop could only clear one of them with a course. Now one approved driving safety course can cover every eligible ticket from that stop. The usual limits still apply: you must ask the court before your answer date, you can use the option once every 12 months, and some tickets, such as 25 mph or more over the limit, never qualify.
Ask the court clerk how much it charges for each ticket before you sign up. The course covers both tickets, but the court may still charge an administrative fee for each one.
What replaced the yearly safety inspection for most Texas cars?
Answer: B. Non-commercial vehicles pay a $7.50 inspection program replacement fee when they register.
Which of these still needs a safety inspection in Texas?
Answer: B. Commercial vehicles still need a passing safety inspection in every county.
You got two tickets in one stop. Under SB 296, how many driving safety courses can clear both, if both qualify?
Answer: A. One approved course can now dismiss every eligible ticket from the same stop.
Which vehicles did SB 305 add to the move over law?
Answer: B. Vehicles writing parking citations and vehicles removing animals from the road were added.
Only if your vehicle is registered in one of the emissions counties listed by DPS, such as Harris, Dallas, Travis or El Paso.
DPS says the $7.50 fee is not an increase in registration. It replaces money the inspection program used to bring in.
Most start on September 1 of an odd-numbered year, after the legislative session ends. The next regular session is in 2027.
Checked against these pages on November 12, 2026. Laws change, so open the source before you rely on a number.
Rules and fees change. Always confirm the details with the official Texas DMV or motor vehicle agency before you act. DMVZone practice questions are written to teach the rules and are not copies of the real test.
Texas ended the Driver Responsibility Program in 2019, so points no longer bring surcharge bills. But four moving violations in 12 months, or seven in 24, can still cost you your license.
Texas lets most drivers dismiss one ticket a year with a state-approved driving safety course. Who qualifies, which tickets are excluded, the court fee, and the 90-day deadline.
Pay it, ask for deferred disposition, take a driving safety course, or plead not guilty. How each choice affects your fine, your record and your insurance in Texas.