Texas Vehicle Registration Fees and Renewal Calculator by County

How much does it cost to register a car in Texas?

A new $30,000 car costs about $1,972 to register in Texas the first year, plus your county's fee, and $1,875 of that is the 6.25% motor vehicle tax, paid once. From then on the yearly bill is $64 in state fees plus the county fee, which comes to $74 or $75.50 in most counties.

Enter your own price and details in the calculator above for an itemized breakdown, or see renewing your registration below for the yearly cost.

What a Texas registration renewal costs, fee by fee

For a passenger car or light truck up to 6,000 lbs, the state part of a Texas renewal is $64.00:

• $50.75 base registration fee (TxDMV)
• $1.00 TexasSure insurance verification fee
• $7.50 inspection program replacement fee
• $4.75 processing and handling fee

Your county then adds its own local fee. On TxDMV's 2026 chart it runs from $0 to $21.50, and most counties charge $10 or $11.50: up to $10 for the county road and bridge fund (Transportation Code § 502.401), up to $1.50 for child safety (§ 502.403), and in some counties an optional fee for transportation projects. That is why the Travis County Tax Office tells drivers to expect "around $70 to $80" in total, and why the same car can cost a few dollars more or less one county over. Every county's figure is in the county table below.

Texas registration and inspection: what changed

Since January 1, 2025, Texas no longer requires a safety inspection for non-commercial cars and trucks. House Bill 3297 replaced it with the $7.50 inspection program replacement fee you now pay with every renewal, or $16.75 on a new vehicle, which covers its first two years.

Emissions testing did not go away. Under the TCEQ and Texas DPS program, cars registered in 17 counties still have to pass one before they can renew: Brazoria, Collin, Dallas, Denton, El Paso, Ellis, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Johnson, Kaufman, Montgomery, Parker, Rockwall, Tarrant, Travis and Williamson. Bexar County joined that list on November 1, 2026, which makes 18. A gasoline car 2 to 24 years old registered in Bexar now needs a passing test before its next renewal, though a registration that has not expired yet needs no test until renewal time. What the test costs depends on which program your county belongs to: an El Paso, Travis or Williamson County car pays $11.50, and everywhere else on the list, Bexar included, it is $18.50. In those counties the old "Two Steps, One Sticker" order still applies: pass the emissions test first, then renew, and the registration sticker is your proof of both.

Where to renew your Texas registration

• Online at Texas.gov or in the state's TxT app, from 90 days before your sticker expires until 12 months after, as long as you have not been cited for expired registration.
• At your county tax assessor-collector's office, in person or by mail.
• At a grocery store, but only where your county has set it up. Tarrant County renews at participating Kroger and Tom Thumb stores, Dallas and Collin counties at Kroger, and Johnson County at both H-E-B and Kroger. Check your own county's list before you go.

Texas registration fees at a glance

Texas registration fees by county (2026)

On top of the state fees, every Texas county adds its own local fee, collected with the registration. In 2026 most counties charge $10 (150 counties) or $11.50 (72). The highest is $21.50 in Bexar and Cameron, and 8 counties charge nothing: Borden, Kenedy, Kent, King, Loving, McMullen, Sterling and Ward. Local fees are set by each county and collected with the registration: up to $10 for the county road and bridge fund, up to $1.50 for child safety, and in some counties an optional fee for transportation projects. Pick your county in the calculator above and it is added for you.

The county also decides the title fee. The title application fee is $33 in the 42 counties that are in a federal Clean Air Act nonattainment area or are a state affected county, and $28 in every other county. It is set by the county where the buyer lives, not where the paperwork is processed. Each county’s title fee is in the table below, and the calculator uses your county’s figure.

Show all 254 counties and their fees

County	Local fee	Title fee
Anderson	$11.50	$28
Andrews	$7	$28
Angelina	$10	$28
Aransas	$11.50	$28
Archer	$10	$28
Armstrong	$10	$28
Atascosa	$10	$28
Austin	$10	$28
Bailey	$10	$28
Bandera	$10	$28
Bastrop	$11.50	$33
Baylor	$10	$28
Bee	$10	$28
Bell	$11.50	$28
Bexar	$21.50	$33
Blanco	$11.50	$28
Borden	$0	$28
Bosque	$10	$28
Bowie	$10	$28
Brazoria	$10	$33
Brazos	$11.50	$28
Brewster	$10	$28
Briscoe	$11.50	$28
Brooks	$11.50	$28
Brown	$11.50	$28
Burleson	$11.50	$28
Burnet	$11.50	$28
Caldwell	$11.50	$33
Calhoun	$10	$28
Callahan	$10	$28
Cameron	$21.50	$28
Camp	$10.50	$28
Carson	$10	$28
Cass	$11.50	$28
Castro	$11	$28
Chambers	$11.50	$33
Cherokee	$10	$28
Childress	$10	$28
Clay	$10	$28
Cochran	$10	$28
Coke	$10	$28
Coleman	$10	$28
Collin	$11.50	$33
Collingsworth	$10	$28
Colorado	$10	$28
Comal	$11.50	$33
Comanche	$11	$28
Concho	$10	$28
Cooke	$11	$28
Coryell	$10	$28
Cottle	$10	$28
Crane	$1.50	$28
Crockett	$5	$28
Crosby	$10	$28
Culberson	$10	$28
Dallam	$10	$28
Dallas	$11.50	$33
Dawson	$10	$28
Deaf Smith	$10	$28
Delta	$10	$28
Denton	$11.50	$33
DeWitt	$10	$28
Dickens	$10	$28
Dimmitt	$11.50	$28
Donley	$10	$28
Duval	$10	$28
Eastland	$10	$28
Ector	$10	$28
Edwards	$11	$28
Ellis	$10	$33
El Paso	$20	$33
Erath	$10	$28
Falls	$11.50	$28
Fannin	$10	$28
Fayette	$10	$28
Fisher	$10	$28
Floyd	$10	$28
Foard	$10	$28
Fort Bend	$11.50	$33
Franklin	$11.50	$28
Freestone	$10	$28
Frio	$11.50	$28
Gaines	$10	$28
Galveston	$10	$33
Garza	$10	$28
Gillespie	$11.50	$28
Glasscock	$10	$28
Goliad	$11.50	$28
Gonzales	$10	$28
Gray	$10	$28
Grayson	$10	$28
Gregg	$9	$33
Grimes	$10	$28
Guadalupe	$11.50	$33
Hale	$10	$28
Hall	$10	$28
Hamilton	$10	$28
Hansford	$10	$28
Hardeman	$10	$28
Hardin	$10	$33
Harris	$11.50	$33
Harrison	$11.50	$33
Hartley	$10	$28
Haskell	$10	$28
Hays	$10	$33
Hemphill	$10	$28
Henderson	$10	$33
Hidalgo	$20	$28
Hill	$10	$28
Hockley	$10	$28
Hood	$10	$33
Hopkins	$11	$28
Houston	$10	$28
Howard	$11.50	$28
Hudspeth	$10	$28
Hunt	$11	$33
Hutchinson	$10	$28
Irion	$10	$28
Jack	$10	$28
Jackson	$10.50	$28
Jasper	$10	$28
Jeff Davis	$11.50	$28
Jefferson	$10	$33
Jim Hogg	$11.50	$28
Jim Wells	$11.50	$28
Johnson	$11.50	$33
Jones	$10	$28
Karnes	$10	$28
Kaufman	$11.50	$33
Kendall	$11	$28
Kenedy	$0	$28
Kent	$0	$28
Kerr	$11.50	$28
Kimble	$10	$28
King	$0	$28
Kinney	$11.50	$28
Kleberg	$10	$28
Knox	$10	$28
Lamar	$10	$28
Lamb	$10	$28
Lampasas	$11.50	$28
La Salle	$11.50	$28
Lavaca	$10	$28
Lee	$10	$28
Leon	$10	$28
Liberty	$10	$33
Limestone	$10	$28
Lipscomb	$10	$28
Live Oak	$10	$28
Llano	$11.50	$28
Loving	$0	$28
Lubbock	$10	$28
Lynn	$10	$28
Madison	$10	$28
Marion	$10	$28
Martin	$10	$28
Mason	$11.50	$28
Matagorda	$10	$28
Maverick	$11.50	$28
McCulloch	$11.50	$28
McLennan	$11.50	$28
McMullen	$0	$28
Medina	$10	$28
Menard	$11.50	$28
Midland	$10	$28
Milam	$10	$28
Mills	$11.50	$28
Mitchell	$10	$28
Montague	$11.50	$28
Montgomery	$10	$33
Moore	$10	$28
Morris	$10	$28
Motley	$10	$28
Nacogdoches	$10	$28
Navarro	$10	$28
Newton	$10	$28
Nolan	$10	$28
Nueces	$10	$33
Ochiltree	$10	$28
Oldham	$10	$28
Orange	$10	$33
Palo Pinto	$10	$28
Panola	$1.50	$28
Parker	$11.50	$33
Parmer	$10	$28
Pecos	$10	$28
Polk	$11.50	$28
Potter	$11.50	$28
Presidio	$10	$28
Rains	$11.50	$28
Randall	$11.50	$28
Reagan	$10	$28
Real	$10	$28
Red River	$10	$28
Reeves	$11.50	$28
Refugio	$10	$28
Roberts	$10	$28
Robertson	$11.50	$28
Rockwall	$11.50	$33
Runnels	$10	$28
Rusk	$11	$33
Sabine	$11.50	$28
San Augustine	$11.50	$28
San Jacinto	$11.50	$28
San Patricio	$11.50	$33
San Saba	$10	$28
Schleicher	$10	$28
Scurry	$10	$28
Shackelford	$10	$28
Shelby	$11.50	$28
Sherman	$10	$28
Smith	$11.50	$33
Somervell	$11.50	$28
Starr	$10	$28
Stephens	$10	$28
Sterling	$0	$28
Stonewall	$10	$28
Sutton	$10	$28
Swisher	$10	$28
Tarrant	$10	$33
Taylor	$10	$28
Terrell	$10	$28
Terry	$10	$28
Throckmorton	$10	$28
Titus	$10	$28
Tom Green	$11.50	$28
Travis	$11.50	$33
Trinity	$11.50	$28
Tyler	$11	$28
Upshur	$11	$33
Upton	$5	$28
Uvalde	$10	$28
Val Verde	$11.50	$28
Van Zandt	$11.50	$28
Victoria	$11.50	$33
Walker	$10	$28
Waller	$10	$33
Ward	$0	$28
Washington	$10	$28
Webb	$20	$28
Wharton	$10	$28
Wheeler	$10	$28
Wichita	$11.50	$28
Wilbarger	$10	$28
Willacy	$10	$28
Williamson	$11.50	$33
Wilson	$10	$33
Winkler	$7.50	$28
Wise	$10	$33
Wood	$11.50	$28
Yoakum	$10	$28
Young	$10	$28
Zapata	$11.50	$28
Zavala	$11.50	$28

Source: TxDMV Fee Chart 1C, Texas Registration Fees effective January 1, 2026, expires December 31, 2026 (local fees collected by the county tax assessor-collector), retrieved 2026-10-18. Title fees: TxDMV Motor Vehicle Title Manual (August 2026), Table 3-1 Title Application Fee, under Transportation Code 501.138, retrieved 2026-10-19.

TxDMV's official 2026 fee chart

Tap the chart to open the full PDF. It is an unchanged copy of the file published by TxDMV; the original is on TxDMV's site.

Buying the car as well? The tax on the purchase is a separate, one-time bill, about $1,562.50 on a $25,000 car in Texas. For your own price and trade-in, and what a dealer adds on top, use the Texas tax, title and license calculator.

How to register a car in Texas

If you have just bought a car, here is the whole process in Texas, from insurance to plates.

1. Line up Texas insurance. Set up auto insurance that meets Texas minimum coverage. Most offices will not register a car without proof of active insurance.
2. Gather your documents. You usually need the signed title, or the manufacturer's certificate of origin for a new car, plus a bill of sale, proof of insurance, and photo ID.
3. Check whether you need an emissions test. Texas has no regular safety inspection, but cars in some areas need an emissions test. The fee and the schedule are in the inspection section of this page.
4. Apply at your county tax office. Take the documents to your county tax assessor-collector's office within 30 days of buying the car. The title and the first registration are done together, in person, unless you bought from a Texas dealer, who files them for you.
5. Pay the fees. Pay the registration, title and plate fees, plus the sales or use tax on the purchase. The calculator at the top of this page gives your exact total.
6. Get your plates and sticker. A Texas dealer fits metal plates at the sale. On a private purchase the county office gives you the plates and the registration sticker, which goes on the inside of the windshield.

Putting the car in your name

The title is the document that says who owns the vehicle; the registration is what lets you drive it. Transferring the title into your name costs $28 or $33 in Texas, depending on your county, and is a separate transaction with its own paperwork and deadline. For the forms, who has to be present, and how a family gift is taxed, use the Texas title transfer calculator. Buying from a private seller? Our private car sale guide covers the paperwork and the tax, and the branded title guide explains salvage and rebuilt titles.

How much are license plates in Texas?

Texas doesn’t charge separately for a standard plate. It comes with the base registration.

Texas dealers now fit metal plates at the sale, so the paper buyer tag is gone. For a car bought privately, the stopgap is a 30-Day Permit (Form VTR-66) from the county tax office, explained on our Texas temporary tags page.

Replacing a worn or damaged plate costs $6.50 at your county tax office: $6 for the plates and a $0.50 automation fee.

Electric and hybrid vehicles

Texas charges $200 a year on top of the normal registration for an electric vehicle. It is a flat charge that stands in for the fuel tax an electric car does not pay, billed every year. Full detail and how it compares with other states is on the Texas EV registration fees page.

Renewing your registration in Texas

A renewal costs about $64 a year on a typical car, plus up to $21.50 for the county fees (road, bridge and transportation) where your county charges it. With the county fee added, the Travis County Tax Office tells drivers to expect around $70 to $80 for a typical renewal. The tax, title and plate were one-time charges, so they do not come round again. For your own car, work out your renewal in the calculator at the top of this page and pick your county.

How and when to renew in Texas is set out in Where to renew your Texas registration above.

Missed the date? The grace period and the late fee are in renewing late below.

Registering a car in Texas from another state

Moving in with a car you already own is a different transaction from buying one. You are not making a purchase, so there is usually no full sales tax to pay on it again.

Texas charges a flat $90 new resident tax instead of the usual use tax. source 2 Paid instead of the 6.25% use tax when you bring a vehicle you already own into Texas as a new resident.

What you will still pay in Texas is the title, which is $28 or $33 depending on the county you settle in, and the registration itself, which is $50.75 a year. Expect a check that the VIN on the car matches the title, since Texas has not seen this vehicle before.

Texas allows 30 days from the move to register the car here, and penalties can apply after that. If you are settling in one of the 18 emissions counties, pass the emissions test before you go to the county office.

Registering or renewing late in Texas

Texas does not publish a grace period, so treat the expiry date on your registration as the deadline.

On the tax itself, the Comptroller adds a 5% penalty if you pay 1 to 30 days after the due date, and 10% if you pay more than 30 days late.

Driving on an expired registration is a ticket in every state, and in some places grounds for a tow, so renew as soon as you can and keep the receipt. What happens with an expired registration in each state is in our expired registration guide.

Are Texas registration fees tax deductible?

Probably not. Texas charges a flat registration fee that is the same whatever the car is worth, so there is no value based portion to deduct.

The IRS test has three parts, and a charge has to meet all three. It must be based only on the value of the property, it must be charged to you on a yearly basis, and it must be imposed on personal property. A flat fee fails the first part. A one off charge fails the second.

Two practical points that catch people out. It is an itemized deduction, claimed on Schedule A, so it is worth nothing to you if you take the standard deduction. And it counts against the same state and local tax cap as your income and property taxes, which is $40,000 for 2026, or $20,000 if you are married filing separately.

The sales tax you paid when you bought the car is a different question with a different answer, and so is a car used for business. We set out the rule and where each state falls on it, but we are not tax advisers and this is not advice about your return. The state by state breakdown is here.

Exemptions and low sale prices

Not every change of owner is a sale, and the tax follows what actually happened rather than what the paperwork looks like. A car handed over for nothing is a title transfer matter; see how Texas taxes a gifted car.

Texas is one of the states where writing a low price on the bill of sale does not work. On a private sale the tax can be worked out on the state's own Standard Presumptive Value instead of on your figure, so a car sold for a token amount is still taxed on what the state thinks it is worth.

Inheritances, active duty military exemptions, disabled veteran plates, salvage titles and temporary permits all change what you pay, and none of them is automatic. TxDMV publishes the conditions for each, and every one of them has to be claimed.

What you need to bring to TxDMV

You register at the county tax assessor-collector's office rather than at TxDMV itself. TxDMV writes the rules, and the county runs the counter. source 4

Texas names these specifically: For a car you have just bought, bring a completed Form 130-U showing what you paid, and the title the seller has signed, dated and marked with the mileage. source 5

Beyond whatever TxDMV lists for your transaction, almost every counter visit needs the same six things (the full checklist, state by state, is in what you need to register a car):

• The title certificate, signed over to you by the seller. On a brand new car this is the manufacturer's certificate of origin instead.
• A bill of sale showing the price, the date and both names. In Texas the tax may be worked out on the state's own valuation rather than this figure, but you still need it.
• An odometer disclosure, usually printed on the title itself. Federal law requires it on most vehicles under 20 years old.
• Proof of insurance that meets the Texas minimum, in your name, for this vehicle.
• Photo identification, and proof of your Texas address if your license is from somewhere else.
• Payment. Many county offices do not take credit cards, or charge extra for them.

Depending on the vehicle and the county you may also need an inspection certificate, an emissions test, or a VIN verification. TxDMV publishes the checklist for each transaction type, and it is worth reading it the day before rather than in the queue. What each state inspects, and what it costs, is on the car inspection cost by state page.

Why is car registration so expensive in Texas?

Because most of what you are paying is not registration. On a $28,000 car in Texas, tax is about 95% of the total bill. The registration fee itself is the small line.

Three things drive the number up:

• The tax on the purchase. Charged once, on the price of the car, at the same sort of rate as anything else you buy.
• Fees you did not expect. County charges, processing fees and inspection fees are small on their own and add up at the counter.
• One tax rate, county fees. Texas charges the same 6.25% motor vehicle tax wherever you live, so the tax does not change from city to city. What does change by county is the local registration fee, from $0 to $21.50.

The part you can actually control is the timing and the paperwork. Registering late adds penalties, getting the trade-in structured as one transaction protects the credit where one exists, and knowing the figure before you walk in stops a dealer's estimate from becoming the number you accept.

What the Texas fee names mean

The wording on a registration bill is not consistent between states, which is half of why the whole thing is confusing. Here is what each term on a Texas bill actually is.

Texas calls its agency TxDMV. The names change state to state, and so do several of the charges above. There is a full glossary of registration and title fee terms covering the ones Texas does not use.

Frequently asked questions

Where these numbers come from

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Nearby states

Registering in a different state, or want to change the price? Use the national car registration calculator, or see how much it costs to register a car by state.