SECTION 217.28. Vehicle Registration Renewal

(a) To renew vehicle registration, a vehicle owner must apply to the tax assessor-collector of the county in which the owner resides or a county tax assessor-collector who is willing to accept the application.

(b) The department will send a registration renewal notice, indicating the proper registration fee and the month and year the registration expires, to each vehicle owner prior to the expiration of the vehicle's registration.

(c) The registration renewal notice should be returned by the vehicle owner to the county tax assessor-collector in the county in which the owner resides or a county tax assessor-collector who is willing to accept the application, or to that tax assessor-collector's deputy, either in person or by mail, unless the vehicle owner renews via the Internet. The renewal notice must be accompanied by the following documents and fees:

(1) registration renewal fees prescribed by law;

(2) any local fees or other fees prescribed by law and collected in conjunction with registration renewal; and

(3) evidence of financial responsibility required by Transportation Code, §502.046, unless otherwise exempted by law.

(d) If a registration renewal notice is lost, destroyed, or not received by the vehicle owner, the vehicle may be registered if the owner presents personal identification acceptable to the county tax assessor-collector or via the Internet. Failure to receive the notice does not relieve the owner of the responsibility to renew the vehicle's registration.

(e) Renewal of expired vehicle registrations.

(1) In accordance with Transportation Code, §502.407, a vehicle with an expired registration may not be operated on the highways of the state after the fifth working day after the date a vehicle registration expires.

(2) If the owner has been arrested or cited for operating the vehicle without valid registration then a 20% delinquency penalty is due when registration is renewed, the full annual fee will be collected, and the vehicle registration expiration month will remain the same.

(3) If the county tax assessor-collector or the department determines that a registrant has a valid reason for being delinquent in registration, the vehicle owner will be required to pay for 12 months' registration. Renewal will establish a new registration expiration month that will end on the last day of the eleventh month following the month of registration renewal.

(4) If the county tax assessor-collector or the department determines that a registrant does not have a valid reason for being delinquent in registration, the full annual fee will be collected and the vehicle registration expiration month will remain the same.

(5) Specialty license plates, symbols, tabs, or other devices may be prorated as provided in §217.45(d)(2) of this title (relating to Specialty License Plates, Symbols, Tabs, and Other Devices).

(6) Evidence of a valid reason may include receipts, passport dates, and military orders. Valid reasons may include:

(A) extensive repairs on the vehicle;

(B) the person was out of the country;

(C) the vehicle is used only for seasonal use;

(D) military orders;

(E) storage of the vehicle;

(F) a medical condition such as an extended hospital stay; and

(G) any other reason submitted with evidence that the county tax assessor-collector or the department determines is valid.

(f) For purposes of Transportation Code §502.407(c), the county tax assessor-collector's office of the county in which the owner resides is closed for a protracted period of time if the county tax assessor-collector's office has notified the department that it is closed or will be closed for more than one week.

Source Note: The provisions of this §217.28 adopted to be effective March 12, 2015, 40 TexReg 1096; amended to be effective December 4, 2016, 41 TexReg 9335; amended to be effective March 1, 2022, 47 TexReg 968