Texas vehicle emissions testing: a timeline from 2002 to 2026

The program grew in steps. Five Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston counties started enhanced OBD testing in May 2002 and nine more counties followed a year later. The Austin area (Travis and Williamson) joined in September 2005 and El Paso in January 2007, which made the 17 counties of the program. Bexar County is the first addition since then.

Two changes reshaped what drivers see. In 2015 the separate inspection sticker disappeared and the registration sticker became the only one, issued after a passing inspection. In 2020 the oldest vehicles left the program and the OBD computer check became the only test. In 2025 the statewide safety inspection ended for non-commercial vehicles, so in most counties there is now no inspection at all, while the emissions counties keep theirs.

What the dates mean for a car today: the start year of your county tells you how long the test has been routine there, not whether your car is tested. That depends on the model year (the 2 through 24 year window), the fuel and the county of registration. A new gasoline car registered in Dallas County, for example, is first tested from its second anniversary; the same car registered in Bexar County is first tested at the first renewal on or after November 1, 2026 that falls after its second anniversary.

TCEQ says the enhanced inspections were put in place in affected areas to meet federal air quality standards, and TxDMV gives the same reason for Bexar County.