# Texas — Vehicle emissions testing: which counties require it, in which states For Texas, counties where testing is required is Brazoria, Collin, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, El Paso, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Johnson, Kaufman, Montgomery, Parker, Rockwall, Tarrant, Travis, and Williamson Counties; how often is annual emissions inspection; recent or pending change is Beginning November 1, 2026, motorists with vehicles registered in Bexar County will not be eligible to renew their vehicle's annual registration if the vehicle has not passed its annual emissions inspection; program / authority is vehicle emissions inspection program, verified against its source on 2026-08-18. - **State:** Texas _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_ - **Counties where testing is required:** Brazoria, Collin, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, El Paso, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Johnson, Kaufman, Montgomery, Parker, Rockwall, Tarrant, Travis, and Williamson Counties _(verified: appears in the quote below)_ - **How often:** annual emissions inspection _(verified: appears in the quote below)_ - **Recent or pending change:** Beginning November 1, 2026, motorists with vehicles registered in Bexar County will not be eligible to renew their vehicle's annual registration if the vehicle has not passed its annual emissions inspection _(verified: appears in the quote below)_ - **Program / authority:** vehicle emissions inspection program _(verified: appears in the quote below)_ - **Vehicles covered / exempt:** gasoline-powered vehicles 2–24 years old _(per tceq.texas.gov, not stated by the source above)_ ## What the source says > Motorists with vehicles registered in Brazoria, Collin, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, El Paso, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Johnson, Kaufman, Montgomery, Parker, Rockwall, Tarrant, Travis, and Williamson Counties will not be eligible to renew their vehicle's annual registration if the vehicle has not passed its annual emissions inspection or complied with the vehicle emissions inspection program requirements. Beginning November 1, 2026, motorists with vehicles registered in Bexar County will not be eligible to renew their vehicle's annual registration if the vehicle has not passed its annual emissions inspection or complied with the vehicle emissions inspection program requirements. ## Sources disagree More than one authority states this, and they do not state the same thing. Both are reproduced with the source each came from. ### Counties where testing is required tceq.texas.gov says counties where testing is required is **Brazoria, Collin, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, El Paso, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Johnson, Kaufman, Montgomery, Parker, Rockwall, Tarrant, Travis, and Williamson Counties**, as of 2026-08-18. > Motorists with vehicles registered in Brazoria, Collin, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, El Paso, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Johnson, Kaufman, Montgomery, Parker, Rockwall, Tarrant, Travis, and Williamson Counties will not be eligible to renew their vehicle's annual registration if the vehicle has not passed its annual emissions inspection or complied with the vehicle emissions inspection program requirements. Beginning November 1, 2026, motorists with vehicles registered in Bexar County will not be eligible to renew their vehicle's annual registration if the vehicle has not passed its annual emissions inspection or complied with the vehicle emissions inspection program requirements. Source: https://www.tceq.texas.gov/airquality/mobilesource/vim/overview.html tceq.texas.gov says counties where testing is required is **15 counties in the Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston-Galveston-Brazoria, and El Paso nonattainment areas, and in Travis and Williamson Counties in the Austin-Round Rock area**, as of 2026-08-18. > Texas first established a vehicle emissions testing program on January 1, 1995, meeting the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's requirements for I/M programs. The I/M program has been implemented in 15 counties in the Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston-Galveston-Brazoria, and El Paso nonattainment areas, and in Travis and Williamson Counties in the Austin-Round Rock area. The I/M program requires the annual inspection of gasoline-powered vehicles 2–24 years old in the affected counties. Vehicles must be inspected through Department of Public Safety–certified inspection stations for emissions of NO X , VOC, and CO. Source: https://www.tceq.texas.gov/airquality/mobilesource/im.html ### How often tceq.texas.gov says how often is **annual emissions inspection**, as of 2026-08-18. > Motorists with vehicles registered in Brazoria, Collin, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, El Paso, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Johnson, Kaufman, Montgomery, Parker, Rockwall, Tarrant, Travis, and Williamson Counties will not be eligible to renew their vehicle's annual registration if the vehicle has not passed its annual emissions inspection or complied with the vehicle emissions inspection program requirements. Beginning November 1, 2026, motorists with vehicles registered in Bexar County will not be eligible to renew their vehicle's annual registration if the vehicle has not passed its annual emissions inspection or complied with the vehicle emissions inspection program requirements. Source: https://www.tceq.texas.gov/airquality/mobilesource/vim/overview.html tceq.texas.gov says how often is **annual inspection of gasoline-powered vehicles 2–24 years old**, as of 2026-08-18. > Texas first established a vehicle emissions testing program on January 1, 1995, meeting the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's requirements for I/M programs. The I/M program has been implemented in 15 counties in the Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston-Galveston-Brazoria, and El Paso nonattainment areas, and in Travis and Williamson Counties in the Austin-Round Rock area. The I/M program requires the annual inspection of gasoline-powered vehicles 2–24 years old in the affected counties. Vehicles must be inspected through Department of Public Safety–certified inspection stations for emissions of NO X , VOC, and CO. Source: https://www.tceq.texas.gov/airquality/mobilesource/im.html ### Program / authority tceq.texas.gov says program / authority is **vehicle emissions inspection program**, as of 2026-08-18. > Motorists with vehicles registered in Brazoria, Collin, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, El Paso, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Johnson, Kaufman, Montgomery, Parker, Rockwall, Tarrant, Travis, and Williamson Counties will not be eligible to renew their vehicle's annual registration if the vehicle has not passed its annual emissions inspection or complied with the vehicle emissions inspection program requirements. Beginning November 1, 2026, motorists with vehicles registered in Bexar County will not be eligible to renew their vehicle's annual registration if the vehicle has not passed its annual emissions inspection or complied with the vehicle emissions inspection program requirements. Source: https://www.tceq.texas.gov/airquality/mobilesource/vim/overview.html tceq.texas.gov says program / authority is **Vehicle Inspection and Maintenance (I/M) Program**, as of 2026-08-18. > Texas first established a vehicle emissions testing program on January 1, 1995, meeting the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's requirements for I/M programs. The I/M program has been implemented in 15 counties in the Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston-Galveston-Brazoria, and El Paso nonattainment areas, and in Travis and Williamson Counties in the Austin-Round Rock area. The I/M program requires the annual inspection of gasoline-powered vehicles 2–24 years old in the affected counties. Vehicles must be inspected through Department of Public Safety–certified inspection stations for emissions of NO X , VOC, and CO. Source: https://www.tceq.texas.gov/airquality/mobilesource/im.html ## Source - https://www.tceq.texas.gov/airquality/mobilesource/vim/overview.html - https://www.tceq.texas.gov/airquality/mobilesource/im.html Last verified: 2026-08-18. Review by: 2027-08-18. Part of [Vehicle emissions testing: which counties require it, in which states](https://referencesource.org/vehicle-emissions-testing-by-state/).