Tex. Transp. Code § 502.040 · Subchapter B. REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS
REGISTRATION REQUIRED; GENERAL RULE.
Text — Current through the 89th 2nd Called Legislative Session, 2025
(a) Not more than 30 days after purchasing a vehicle or becoming a resident of this state, the owner of a motor vehicle, trailer, or semitrailer shall apply for the registration of the vehicle for:
(1) each registration year in which the vehicle is used or to be used on a public highway; and
(2) if the vehicle is unregistered for a registration year that has begun and that applies to the vehicle and if the vehicle is used or to be used on a public highway, the remaining portion of that registration year.
(b) The application must be accompanied by personal identification as determined by department rule and made in a manner prescribed by the department through:
(1) the county assessor-collector of the county in which the owner resides; or
(2) any county assessor-collector who is willing to accept the application.
(c) A provision of this chapter that conflicts with this section prevails over this section to the extent of the conflict.
(d) A county assessor-collector, a deputy county assessor-collector, or a person acting on behalf of a county assessor-collector is not liable to any person for:
(1) refusing to register a vehicle because of the person's failure to submit evidence of residency that complies with the department's rules; or
(2) registering a vehicle under this section.
Notes and commentary — not statutory text
History
Transferred, redesignated and amended from Transportation Code, Section 502.002 by Acts 2011, 82nd Leg., R.S., Ch. 1296 (H.B. 2357), Sec. 78, eff. January 1, 2012.
Amended by:
Acts 2013, 83rd Leg., R.S., Ch. 1135 (H.B. 2741), Sec. 63, eff. September 1, 2013.
Acts 2017, 85th Leg., R.S., Ch. 968 (S.B. 2075), Sec. 4, eff. September 1, 2017.
Acts 2021, 87th Leg., R.S., Ch. 592 (S.B. 876), Sec. 5, eff. March 1, 2022.
Source of truth
- Edition
- Current through the 89th 2nd Called Legislative Session, 2025
- Official file
- https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/TN/htm/TN.502.htm
- Text hash
- sha256 7fb936370008a2c740d5202f133745e529cc50fd13fa44ff28b18bcd564d0216
- Composed by
- compose_tx.py 2026-10-05: the Legislative Council's chapter files read in document order; verify_tx.py's independent reading (lxml DOM walk) agrees character for character
Cited by 4 provisions
Provisions in this library whose text cites Tex. Transp. Code § 502.040. Each shows the citation as that text prints it.
Parks and Wildlife Code
Transportation Code
- Tex. Transp. Code § 502.041INITIAL REGISTRATION.Printed as Section 502.040
- Tex. Transp. Code § 502.090EFFECT OF CERTAIN MILITARY SERVICE ON REGISTRATION REQUIREMENT.Printed as Section 502.040(a)
- Tex. Transp. Code § 520.006COLLECTION OF FEES ON BEHALF OF ANOTHER ASSESSOR-COLLECTOR; COMPENSATION OF ASSESSOR-COLLECTOR.Printed as Section 501.023, 501.0234, 501.030, 502.0023, 502.040, or 502.041
Procedural information only. Not legal advice and not a substitute for the advice of an attorney. Confirm the current text with the official publisher before relying on it.