Registering a Vehicle in Texas

[JALLEN]

As some may know from reading my posts here, I am in the process of moving back home to the hill country after many years in California. I am retiring due to medical issues.

We just signed a contract to sell our home and will be moving, assuming the contract is completed as planned, in June.

My car registration is due in May here. I would rather not pay fees to California in May for a year's registration, plus smog check, only to move to Texas the next month and pay all over again. From what I read on the websites, to register in Texas the car must be inspected, in Texas. Is this correct? Any exceptions, etc?

Other than driving the car to Texas next month, unnecessarily, any ideas on how to finesse this?

TIA

[The Annoyed Man]

I would assume that a Texas address would be required.

[AEA]

And, depending on the County, you most likely will have to have a emission check as well.

[JustMe]

Vehicle has to be inspected in Texas--and get a VI-30. You can register it with any address. If it is an emission county, it has to have an emission inspection(there are 15 counties in Texas) and would be $40. If it is not, you can get it inspected anywhere $14.50. (just fyi, I am a vehicle inspector-we own an auto repair in Sherman--north of Dallas)

It doesn't matter if it expired in California on May31,(Texas has a 5 day grace)--it won't matter if you have an expired inspection (or registration for that matter). So I guess it would depend on when in June you would be here(and whether you wanted to take the chance through the states inbetween)

[Heartland Patriot]

As some may know from reading my posts here, I am in the process of moving back home to the hill country after many years in California. I am retiring due to medical issues.

We just signed a contract to sell our home and will be moving, assuming the contract is completed as planned, in June.

My car registration is due in May here. I would rather not pay fees to California in May for a year's registration, plus smog check, only to move to Texas the next month and pay all over again. From what I read on the websites, to register in Texas the car must be inspected, in Texas. Is this correct? Any exceptions, etc?

Other than driving the car to Texas next month, unnecessarily, any ideas on how to finesse this?

TIA

Not sure how it works for civilians. BUT, when I was in the military stationed in California, I registered my vehicles in Texas (well, my wife did). We didn't have the inspection done on them until we got back to Texas. Never had any problems. Wish I could be tell you more but I hope this helps.

[seamusTX]

It has been a while since I've done this, but it's complicated. IIRC the steps are:

1. Move to Texas (physically).
2. Get car insurance.
3. Get a Texas driver license.
4. Get the vehicle inspected.
5. Get the title transfer.

Each of these steps is a prerequisite for the next one. In other words, you can't do anything else until you show proof of insurance.

http://www.txdmv.gov/vehicles/registration/faq.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

This process is expensive—hundreds of dollars. When we moved here in 1995 I laid down at least two grand for fees, deposits, and miscellaneous extortion.

When I saw this before moving, I gave my car to my sister in Illinois. It was an old beater and just not worth the trouble. I bought another old beater here.

Other than insurance, the cops generally will let you slide for quite a while without transferring the title or vehicle registration. I've known people who moved here (Galveston) and didn't do it until their plates or driver license expired. A lot of people go to school or work here temporarily, so the cops don't regard it as suspicious.

This is not legal advice, and I won't pay your bail.

Not what you're asking, but we bought our house in February. Thus we have to pay real-estate taxes in December-January and house and car insurance in February for the rest of our natural lives. Ouch.

- Jim

[JALLEN]

Insurance is no problem. I've been with USAA for 40 years or more. I'm just trying to plot and scheme so I don't have to pay the weasels here a dime more than I have to.

What does it cost to register a car from out of state in Texas these days?

I'd like to get the license plates on before I arrive at the new home. I hate to think of the new neighbors seeing the California plates and panicking.... "There goes the neighborhood!" That may be impossible, though.

[JustMe]

Insurance is no problem. I've been with USAA for 40 years or more.
What does it cost to register a car from out of state in Texas these days?

.

Not an easy answer--registered by weight & age of vehicle

http://www.txdmv.gov/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; Should have all the info you need

[seamusTX]

I think it's around $100 to register an out-of-state car, but each county can set its own rates. I wouldn't know about heavy vehicles.

The inspection can be $10 to over $100 depending up whether you have to get an emission test.

Also insurance here is costly. I don't know how it will compare to where you live. Houston is like the insurance fraud capital of the world, and it is reflected in the rates of everyone who lives within commuting distance.

In my opinion, trying to do this from out-of-state is an unnecessary uphill battle. You have 90 days to do everything legally. About a million people a year move into Texas. It's not like you're coming from Mars.

- Jim

[JustMe]

Inspection rates are set by the state. $14.50 for non-emission counties, $40 for emission counties(15 in the state). If someone is charging $100 you are getting ripped off!

[The Annoyed Man]

Insurance is no problem. I've been with USAA for 40 years or more. I'm just trying to plot and scheme so I don't have to pay the weasels here a dime more than I have to.

What does it cost to register a car from out of state in Texas these days?

I'd like to get the license plates on before I arrive at the new home. I hate to think of the new neighbors seeing the California plates and panicking.... "There goes the neighborhood!" That may be impossible, though.

When I moved from California in 2006, the process was pretty much what SeamusTX described.....except I don't recall it costing thousands. We had two vehicles. We were already State Farm customers in California at the time, so we just called the local rep here in Grapevine and had him handle the insurance transition. Registrations weren't bad, but then we drive two older cars. Our "newest" car is 10 years old. And of course we had to pay 2X $40.00 for the inspections.

[apostate]

Not sure how it works for civilians. BUT, when I was in the military stationed in California, I registered my vehicles in Texas (well, my wife did). We didn't have the inspection done on them until we got back to Texas. Never had any problems. Wish I could be tell you more but I hope this helps.

I'm going to hazard a guess that the vehicles were registered in Texas before you were stationed in California. Texas does have a process for Texas-registered vehicles that are physically out of state (e.g. military, student) but I don't know any way to get the initial registration without a Texas inspection. For one thing, they're pretty adamant about having the VI-30 to verify the VIN.

[JALLEN]

In my opinion, trying to do this from out-of-state is an unnecessary uphill battle. You have 90 days to do everything legally. About a million people a year move into Texas. It's not like you're coming from Mars.

- Jim

I think you may be right about this.

All new residents applying for Texas certificate of title and registration for a motor vehicle must file at the County Tax Assessor-Collector of the county in Texas where the applicant resides within 30 days of establishing residency. Texas
law requires that all vehicles, previously registered and titled or registered in another state or country, be inspected for
safety and the vehicle identification number verified before such vehicles may be registered in Texas. These inspections
must be made by state appointed Safety Inspection Stations that will complete an out-of-state Vehicle Identification
Certificate. This form must be submitted to the County Tax Assessor-Collector with your application for registration and
certificate of title.

It sounds like you have to go there, and go through the drill then. There is no way CA is going to let anyone slide on registration fees. They need the money too badly!

[Heartland Patriot]

Not sure how it works for civilians. BUT, when I was in the military stationed in California, I registered my vehicles in Texas (well, my wife did). We didn't have the inspection done on them until we got back to Texas. Never had any problems. Wish I could be tell you more but I hope this helps.

I'm going to hazard a guess that the vehicles were registered in Texas before you were stationed in California. Texas does have a process for Texas-registered vehicles that are physically out of state (e.g. military, student) but I don't know any way to get the initial registration without a Texas inspection. For one thing, they're pretty adamant about having the VI-30 to verify the VIN.

Nope, they were NOT originally registered in Texas. I bought both of them in California, and they were registered there for the first year of their lives...then we switched them over. We did both have Texas driver's license, though. I seem to remember some thing they (the USAF) told us about two of the three (registration, insurance, and license) must be from the same state. Not sure how that works or even if its remotely true, just something I remember hearing. As soon as we got back to Texas, within that week we got them inspected.

[seamusTX]

Inspection rates are set by the state. $14.50 for non-emission counties, $40 for emission counties(15 in the state). If someone is charging $100 you are getting ripped off!

It's probably because I have the oil and filters changed at the same time. I never looked at the details.

And before you ask, I know perfectly well how to change oil and filters. I just got oil running down my arm into my shirt one too many times.

When I moved from California in 2006, the process was pretty much what SeamusTX described.....except I don't recall it costing thousands.

It wasn't just the cars. We had to pay deposits on everything—water, gas, electric, phones, cable—plus in my case buying a car and a house within two months. It was the most I ever paid out in such a short time.

We got the deposits back after a year, but everything else was rip-off fees like the multi-hundred-dollar roaming charges on the cell phone.

- Jim