Texas Vehicle Registration Waiver Ends Today

If you're driving around with an expired Texas registration sticker, today's the day you might get pulled over.

Last year on March 16, 2020, just as the pandemic was starting to close things down, Governor Greg Abbott issued a waiver on vehicle title and registration renewal so people wouldn't have the added stress of waiting in line at the DMV or letting a stranger drive their car while a potentially deadly virus was going around.

The waiver was set to expire today - April 14, 2021.

Check that sticker in your window, because if it's expired, chances are very good you'll get a ticket starting today.

The Texas Department of Motor Vehicles (TxDMV) is reminding Texans to complete any overdue transactions now.

Here's how you can renew your registration according to a news release from the DMV:

Get your vehicle inspected. That's the first step, and the DMV website has a map you can use to locate inspection stations in your area. The process is pretty short and inexpensive.

You can renew online at TxDMV.gov or Texas.gov, which is the easiest and cheapest way to do it. Most inspection stations will spend an electronic copy of your inspection receipt to the DMV, so you could renew as soon as you get home. Check with the inspection station to see if they do this, and be sure to hold on to the physical copy they give you just in case. It's good to have for your records anyway.

If you got a registration renewal letter in the mail, mail the bottom portion of it along with a check and inspection info to your county tax assessor-collector.

If you're comfortable doing it in person, go to your county tax assessor-collector's office. Some counties even let you renew at approved locations like grocery stores. Be sure to take your insurance card and signed inspection document with you.

According to TxDMV, the expiring temporary waiver covered the following services:

• Initial vehicle registration
• Vehicle registration renewal
• Vehicle titling
• Renewal of permanently accessible parking placards
• 30-day temporary permits

Keep in mind that the DMV doesn't issue or renew your driver license. You'll have to get in touch with the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) if you need a driver's license or state ID card renewed.

I renewed my wife's registration on her car back in October 0f 2020 and never received a registration sticker.

So when we got the word that the deadline will be April 14th, I called, and they said I could go to the office and or request the registration to be mailed to my home.

My wife decided to go to the office. When she got there, one of the clerks advised her that she will be there all day to get a sticker.

After about 15 mins she got her registration sticker, so depending on where you go, it might not be as long as of a wait.

One of my coworkers renewed online the same day as his inspection and got a sticker in the mail in about a week.

Good luck!