Vehicle Registration
New Residents Skip the Safety Inspection — Just Register at the County Tax Office
Move to Texas with an out-of-state car? As of January 2025, non-commercial vehicles no longer need a safety inspection — you register directly at the county tax office and pay a small replacement fee.
Texas used to call this the Two Steps, One Sticker program — a safety inspection followed by registration. As of January 1, 2025, that changed: Texas eliminated the safety inspection requirement for non-commercial vehicles statewide (House Bill 3297). In Lubbock County, which is not one of the 17 emissions-test counties, you skip the inspection entirely — you register your car at the county tax office and pay a small inspection-program replacement fee during registration.
You have 30 days after you move to Texas to register your car. The Lubbock County Tax Office handles registration. You can find more details through the TxDMV website.
Source to confirm: TxDMV — Two Steps, One Sticker