Texas residents in Harvey-affected counties get break on vehicle registration

58 counties included in disaster declaration

BEXAR COUNTY – Texas residents who live in any of the counties impacted by Hurricane Harvey are getting a reprieve on vehicle titling and registration requirements.

Gov. Greg Abbott has suspended the statutes related to enforcement of the state’s title and registration laws.

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Law enforcement will not issue citations for expired registration through Oct. 16 for residents who live in any of the 58 counties included in the state's disaster declaration.

"With the devastating effects of Hurricane Harvey impacting so many Texans right now, the last thing people should have to worry about is an expired vehicle registration,” Texas Department of Motor Vehicles Executive Director Whitney Brewster said. “This reprieve from the law will allow residents to focus on safety and recovery during this extremely difficult situation.”

Over the next 45 days, the state has instructed law enforcement to only issue warnings to drivers without current registration.

Residents who choose to renew can still do so online at www.TxDMV.gov or www.Texas.gov.

The governor has also extended another requirement for car owners. People who purchase vehicles have 75 days instead of the usual 30 days to have the vehicle transferred into their names.

The following counties are included in the disaster declaration:

Aransas

DeWitt

Kerr

Sabine

Atascosa

Fayette

Kleberg

San Jacinto

Austin

Fort Bend

Lavaca

San Patricio

Bastrop

Galveston

Lee

Trinity

Bee

Goliad

Leon

Tyler

Bexar

Gonzales

Liberty

Victoria

Brazoria

Grimes

Live Oak

Walker

Brazos

Guadalupe

Madison

Waller

Burleson

Hardin

Matagorda

Washington

Caldwell

Harris

Montgomery

Wharton

Calhoun

Jackson

Newton

Willacy

Cameron

Jasper

Nueces

Wilson

Chambers

Jefferson

Orange

Colorado

Jim Wells

Polk

 


About the Author:

Julie Moreno has worked in local television news for more than 25 years. She came to KSAT as a news producer in 2000. After producing thousands of newscasts, she transitioned to the digital team in 2015. She writes on a wide variety of topics from breaking news to trending stories and manages KSAT’s daily digital content strategy.