AUSTIN, Texas — Some car inspection businesses in Central Texas say they may be forced to shut their doors soon due to a new state law that went into effect Wednesday.
Starting Jan. 1, Texans are no longer required to get annual safety-inspections on non-commercial vehicles to get their vehicles registered. Although, some counties like Travis and Williamson will still require emissions tests.
However, business owners like Terry Sabin, who owns Terry’s Burnet Road Inspection, say car inspections are all he’s done for the past 30 years.
“Since 1992 – I believe I’m the oldest inspection shop in Austin,” Sabin said. “As of today, we’re no longer checking tires, brakes and lights.”
Sabin says he may have to shut down his second location within the next month, and other independent car inspection owners he’s spoken to are already taking action.
“Jen [owner of Sticker Stop] says she’s doing the math, figuring it out if she’s going to have to get rid of employees to stay open. Al’s Inspection, he actually said he shut his doors earlier today, and doesn’t know if he’ll open them back up,” Sabin said. “Come by the end of the month or so, I might be forced to shut down.”
On any normal day, Sabin said he serves around 30 to 40 people. He says he was so busy last year that he had to reduce his hours, working on cars from the moment he got to the shop until the moment he left.
In the past few months, however, Sabin said he’s seen less and less business, as the date of the new state law going into effect approached.
Sabin says testing emissions alone won’t keep him afloat either, as the state lowered the price of emissions $18.50 to $11.50.
The remaining $7.50 will instead be paid into the inspection program’s replacement fee, which goes directly to the state.
“How can I stay in business paying an employee at my other location, the rising cost of overhead, my taxes go up every year, and now they’re taking $4,500 away from me a month,” Sabin said.
Sabin said he’s also concerned about future safety on the roads.
“People don’t understand what we see everyday, like the tires,” Sabin said. “I feel in two years from now, you’re probably gonna see the same thing here. You’re gonna see a lot of cars on the side of the road with either a flat tire or blowout.”
Sabin said he’s tried to contact lawmakers about his concerns.
KVUE also reached out to the legislators who authored the bill and none have replied as of yet.
“We’re hoping that we hear something by the end of the month, so we know where we stand,” Sabin said. “We have landlords we got to talk to that wanna know if we’re staying or leaving.”:
Non-commercial vehicles wouldn’t need a full vehicle inspection, but some counties will require an emissions test before getting their registration.
In 2025, counties in and around major Texas cities – including Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth, El Paso and Houston – will be part of the mandatory emissions tests.
The current comprehensive list of counties that will require emission testing includes: Brazoria, Collin, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, El Paso, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Johnson, Kaufman, Montgomery, Parker, Rockwall, Tarrant, Travis and Williamson. Bexar County, which encompasses San Antonio, will be added to the list on Nov. 1, 2026.