Affidavit, Waivers and Extensions, and the Vehicle Inspection Report

The TCEQ, in conjunction with the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles (TxDMV), is authorized to deny a vehicle’s registration renewal if the vehicle had not passed its annual emissions inspection and has not complied with the program requirements. The following items may be presented at the time of renewal to show the vehicle has met emissions inspection requirements:

Exemption Affidavit: An owner of a vehicle registered in Brazoria, Collin, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, El Paso, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Johnson, Kaufman, Montgomery, Parker, Rockwall, Tarrant, Travis, and Williamson Counties may have a vehicle safety inspection performed in a county where the emissions inspection is not required if one of the following conditions is true:

• the vehicle will not be primarily operated (driven, parked, or stored less than 60 days per year) in one of the affected counties listed above (examples: certain company fleet vehicles, hunting vehicles);
• the vehicle will no longer be primarily operated for 60 calendar days per inspection cycle in one of the counties listed above (example: someone who moved from an affected county); or
• the vehicle will not return to an affected county prior to the expiration of the current vehicle registration sticker (example: student, vacationer, extended out-of-town business).

The owner of the vehicle must complete the affidavit process for the vehicle emissions inspection exemption at the inspection station performing the annual vehicle safety inspection and the affidavit notation must be printed on the vehicle inspection report.

The following waivers and extensions are issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS).

Low Mileage Waiver: This waiver is available to a vehicle owner whose vehicle has failed both its initial emissions inspection and re-inspection and in which at least $100 in emissions related repairs have been performed. The vehicle is required to have been driven less than 5,000 miles in the previous inspection cycle and is expected to be driven fewer than 5,000 miles before the next safety inspection is required.

Parts Availability Time Extension: This extension is available to owners of vehicles experiencing emission inspection failures due to a vehicle part not being readily available.

Low-Income Time Extension: This extension is available to qualifying vehicle owners. The Low-Income Time Extension is valid for one inspection cycle, but may be granted more than once during the life of a vehicle.

Individual Vehicle Waiver: This waiver is available to a vehicle owner that has spent at least $600 ($450 in El Paso) on emission-related repairs and is still unable to pass an emissions inspection or unable to qualify for another type of waiver. The waiver may be granted based upon the belief that granting the waiver will not cause a significant impact on air quality.

Vehicle Inspection Report (VIR): The VIR is provided to the vehicle owner upon completion of the inspection and indicates whether the vehicle passed or failed the inspection.  A copy of the VIR can be obtained from any inspection station within 13 months of the last inspection. The inspection results can also be viewed on the TCEQ's vehicle inspection history Web site at www.MyTxCar.org .

Recall Information Added to the VIR Effective June 1, 2021: Beginning June 1, 2021, the VIR will provide vehicle recall information to improve motorist awareness of urgent recalls with the goal of increasing recall completion rates. The VIR will include a Quick Response (QR) code at the bottom of the page with a direct link to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) website, www.nhtsa.gov , as well as recall information on the back side of the report. Motorists can also get a complete list of vehicle recalls and additional details by calling NHTSA’s Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 or by entering the vehicle identification number (VIN) at the vehicle manufacturer’s website.

For more information on the process for obtaining waivers and extensions, visit the DPS's Waiver and Exemptions Web page .