Please review the following information and distribute as appropriate.

The latest update to the Motor Vehicle Title Manual (attached) is now available via Registration and Title System (RTS) workstations and at www.txdmv.gov.

We welcome your feedback and encourage you to email any comments or suggestions to VTR_Title_Reg-Manual-Update@txdmv.gov (please note the underscores between VTR and Title and between Title and Reg).

Updates for this release are marked with red change bars in the text.  

Chapter 6 – Application and Issuance of Motor Vehicle Title
Section 6.3, “Personal Identification Information for Obtaining Title,” was updated to clarify that counties must verify the owner information matches the identification (ID) provided, but they are not required to make a copy of the ID if the original ID is presented.  

Chapter 10 – Evidence of Ownership
Section 10.2, “Manufacturer’s Certificate of Origin (MCO),” was updated to clarify how to determine a vehicle’s gross vehicle weight rating, carrying capacity, and empty weight using available ownership documents, information supplied by the customer, and appropriate online resources. Additional clarification was added regarding when a weight certificate should be required to determine the weight.  

Chapter 22 – Abandoned Vehicles
Section 22.3, “Auction or Use of Abandoned Motor Vehicles,” was updated to remove the requirement for the title applicant to provide verification of title and/or registration and proof of newspaper publication for vehicles purchased on an Auction Sales Receipt (Form VTR-71-1).

Thank you,

Annette Quintero, Director
Vehicle Titles and Registration Division
Texas Department of Motor Vehicles

Motor Vehicle Title Manual – August 2026.pdf

If you have any questions concerning this communication, please contact your local Texas Department of Motor Vehicles Regional Service Center.

Please review and distribute as appropriate.

The latest update to the Motor Vehicle Registration Manual (attached) is now available via Registration and Title System (RTS) workstations and at www.txdmv.gov.

The Texas Department of Motor Vehicles welcomes your feedback and encourages you to email any comments or suggestions to VTR_Title_Reg-Manual-Update@txdmv.gov (please note the underscores between VTR and Title and between Title and Reg).

Updates for this release are marked with red change bars in the text.

Chapter 2 – Commercial Vehicles
Section 2.1 “Commercial Motor Vehicle or Truck-Tractor Fees,” was updated to reflect the sub-heading of “Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) and Determining Carrying Capacity.” The information in this section was updated to clarify how to determine a vehicle’s gross vehicle weight rating, carrying capacity, and empty weight using available ownership documents, information supplied by the customer, and appropriate online resources. Additional clarification was added regarding when a weight certificate should be required to determine the weight. 

Chapter 12 – Off-Highway, Log Loader, Forestry, & Miscellaneous
Section 12.13, “Vehicles Subject to Registration or Eligible for Distinguishing License Plates,” was updated to remove a bullet regarding frac tanks.

Chapter 14 – Application for Registration
Section 14.4, “Initial Registration,” was updated to state that the military spouse of an active-duty service member that claims Texas residency can obtain initial registration or renew without providing a physical Texas address.

Chapter 16 – Temporary Permits and Temporary Registration Plates
Section 16.2 “One-Trip or 30-Day Temporary Registration Plates,” was updated to remove the subsection previously titled “Waiving of fees for a 30-Day Temporary Registration Plate for Dealer Closure.”

Thank you,

Annette Quintero, Director
Vehicle Titles and Registration Division
Texas Department of Motor Vehicles

Motor Vehicle Registration Manual – August 2026.pdf

If you have any questions concerning this communication, please contact your local Texas Department of Motor Vehicles Regional Service Center.

The Texas Department of Motor Vehicles (TxDMV) adopts a rule in the August 28, 2026, issue of the Texas Register. The adopted rule is available on TxDMV’s website at https://www.TxDMV.gov/about-us/general-counsel/proposed-and-adopted-rules-2026.

The adoption includes revisions to 43 Texas Administrative Code, Chapter 221, relating to license processing for military service members, spouses, and veterans; and cleanup.

The Texas Department of Motor Vehicles (TxDMV) has proposed rules in the August 28, 2026, issue of the Texas Register. A summary of the proposed rules and the proposed language is available on TxDMV’s website at https://www.TxDMV.gov/about-us/general-counsel/proposed-and-adopted-rules-2026.

The proposals are posted for public comment until 5:00 p.m. on September 28, 2026.

The proposals include:

• revisions to 43 Texas Administrative Code (TAC), Chapter 218, relating to safety ratings for self-insurance, and cleanup;
• revisions to 43 TAC, Chapter 219, relating to modernization of bond certification, updates and clean-up for general, single-trip, and portable building unit permits; and
• revisions to 43 TAC, Chapter 221, relating to enhancing the enforceability of the Motor Vehicle Records Disclosure Act in Transportation Code, Chapter 730, reducing signage requirements for licensees, and cleanup.

Texas Department of Motor Vehicles Board Meeting
Thursday, August 13, 2026 – 9:00 AM

The physical location of the meeting will be in the Lone Star Conference Room of Building 1, 4000 Jackson Avenue, Austin, Texas 78731

Link to Meeting Agenda

TxDMV board, committee, advisory committee meetings, and hearings are open to the public. Visit the TxDMV Board and Other Public Meetings page for meeting agendas, materials, public comment registration form, and transcripts here: https://www.TxDMV.gov/about-us/txdmv-board-meetings.

If you would like to comment on an agenda item, you must complete a speaker’s form at the registration table department or send an email to GCO_General@TxDMV.gov to register by providing the required information:

1. a completed Public Comment Registration Form; or
2. the following information:
   • the agenda item you wish to comment on;
   • your name;
   • your address (optional), including your city, state, and zip code; and
   • who you are representing.

Public comment will only be accepted in person. Each speaker will be limited to three minutes, and time allotted to one speaker may not be reassigned to another speaker. Organizations, associations, or groups are encouraged to present their commonly held views or similar comments through a representative member when possible.

Texas Department of Motor Vehicles
Finance and Audit Committee Meeting
Wednesday, August 12, 2026 – 3:00 PM

The physical location of the meeting will be in the Lone Star Conference Room of Building 1, 4000 Jackson Avenue, Austin, Texas 78731

Link to Meeting Agenda

TxDMV board, committee, advisory committee meetings, and hearings are open to the public. Visit the TxDMV Board and Other Public Meetings page for meeting agendas, materials, public comment registration form, and transcripts here: https://www.TxDMV.gov/about-us/txdmv-board-meetings.

If you would like to comment on an agenda item, you must complete a speaker’s form at the registration table department or send an email to GCO_General@TxDMV.gov to register by providing the required information:

1. a completed Public Comment Registration Form; or
2. the following information:
   • the agenda item you wish to comment on;
   • your name;
   • your address (optional), including your city, state, and zip code; and
   • who you are representing.

Public comment will only be accepted in person. Each speaker will be limited to three minutes, and time allotted to one speaker may not be reassigned to another speaker. Organizations, associations, or groups are encouraged to present their commonly held views or similar comments through a representative member when possible.