Don't sweat the sticker. The waivers for Texas vehicle registration and driver's license renewals implemented in March at the start of the coronavirus pandemic are still in effect. Gov. Greg Abbott issued the waivers as part of a statewide declaration of emergency. "He ordered that once that state of emergency was lifted, then everybody had 60 days (to renew)," says KTRH Car Pro Jerry Reynolds. "As we know, we're still in stage three of that, and it's not over."
Reynolds tells KTRH he is among those taking advantage of the grace period. "Those people like me, whose driver's licences are expired, are okay for now," he says. "Same with vehicle inspection stickers and vehicle registrations."
The waivers also apply to those buying a vehicle. "Temporary licence plates, the paper tags you see on new cars, are good now under the same rules," says Reynolds. "That is, until the state of emergency is lifted...then, you've got 60 days to get your license plates."
Some Texas DPS and DMV offices started reopening last month, but many remain closed or on limited hours, along with many county tax offices. "You can still (renew) by mail, you can do it online, but until the state of emergency is lifted, you don't have to...you're going to get 60 days from that time," says Reynolds.
The Texas DMV sent KTRH the following statement:
The waiver allowing for the temporary suspension of certain vehicle registration renewal requirements remains in effect. However, no waiver was issued for the requirement of vehicle inspection prior to registration renewal. If a motorist chooses to renew their vehicle during the waiver period, they must first obtain a passing vehicle inspection.
As new information becomes available, we are providing updates to our dedicated webpage and to our Facebook and Twitter accounts. Additionally, we have established a dedicated email distribution list for announcements related to the waiver and other developments related to COVID-19, such as the resumption of in-person services at our Regional Service Centers.