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The following provides information regarding various bills that are effective September 1, 2025.
Senate Bill (SB) 1816 – Title and Registration for Miniature Vehicles
This bill created a definition of a miniature vehicle under Texas Transportation Code, Section 502.001, and codified existing title and registration requirements within statute. The bill aligns with current Texas Department of Motor Vehicles (TxDMV) requirements previously outlined in Registration and Title Bulletin #001-24, published April 4, 2024.
The bill defines a miniature vehicle as a motor vehicle that is:
- designed to propel itself with four or more tires in contact with the ground;
- complies with applicable federal law; and
- is not a custom vehicle or street rod, is not a neighborhood electric vehicle, is not a golf cart, or is not an off-highway vehicle.
Miniature vehicles will continue to be titled and registered under existing department policies and procedures.
SB 1464 – Revised Eligibility Requirements for County Tax Assessor-Collector (TAC) Hearings
This bill adds additional conditions in which an interested party is not eligible for a TAC hearing when the vehicle is:
- subject to any pending litigation or court proceedings in which ownership or possession of the vehicle has been awarded to another person; or
- being held as evidence in a criminal investigation.
A TAC shall deny the application for a TAC hearing if the vehicle is not eligible and the TAC is not required to send notice to the TxDMV or hold a hearing.
The TxDMV is in the process of adopting amendments to Texas Administrative Code, Rule §217.10, currently titled “Appeal to County” for clean-up purposes in support of SB 1464 changes. These rule amendments do not impede the effective date of the bill.
SB 1902 – Revised House Bill (HB) 718 Plate Assignment and Disposition Requirements for Dealers
The bill eliminated the license plate to vehicle relationship originally established by HB 718. The bill requires dealers to remove the general issue license plates from a vehicle they take into inventory and transfer the plates to a subsequent vehicle purchased from the dealer, within 10 days of the plate being removed from a vehicle. A plate is only able to be reassigned to a vehicle of the same vehicle class that is appropriate for the type of plate. If the plate has not been reassigned by the dealer to a vehicle in the allotted time, the plates must be destroyed.
In addition, a seller in a private-party sale is allowed to keep their plates and have them assigned to another motor vehicle they own, with department approval.
- Plates must have previously been in the customer’s name.
- Must be the appropriate vehicle class.
- System programming retains Plate-to-Owner functionality.
The bill also allows the TxDMV to deny access to the license plate database if a dealer has been denied access to the temporary tag database under former Section 503.0632(f).
Programming to facilitate SB 1902 requirements was implemented along with initial HB 718 functionality in Release 25.3, on July 1, 2025. The TxDMV is in the process of adopting amendments to Texas Administrative Code, Chapters 215, 217 and 224 for revision and clean-up purposes in support of SB 1902 changes. These rule amendments do not impede the effective date of the bill.
HB 2029 – Elimination of Vehicle Safety Inspections for Certain Travel Trailers by Owner
The bill repeals Texas Transportation Code, Section 548.054, which allowed the owner of certain travel trailers to submit an affidavit to meet safety inspection requirements. This repeal aligns with the elimination of safety inspection requirements, as a result of HB 3297 established in the 88th Legislative Session, which took effect on January 1, 2025. TxDMV systems have already been updated to remove self-certification for travel trailers with Release 25.1, implemented on December 31, 2024.
TAC offices will discontinue the use of the Self-Certification of Travel Trailers More Than 7,500 lbs. (Form VTR-269).
TxDMV will make all applicable updates to the Motor Vehicle Title Manual and Motor Vehicle Registration Manual to support the changes of these bills in upcoming revisions.
If you have any questions, please contact your local TxDMV Regional Service Center.
Thank you,
Annette Quintero, Division Director
Vehicle Titles and Registration Division
Texas Department of Motor Vehicles
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