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Jan. 1 marks the beginning of the year and brings along some changes through new laws for Texas citizens. 

Vehicle safety inspections 

House Bill 3297 eliminates the requirement for citizens to have their personal vehicles inspected every year during the vehicle registration process. 

Emissions testing may still be required for those living in densely populated areas such as Travis, Harris and Dallas County. Jefferson County will not have a required emissions test for residents and vehicles registered in the county. Texas will join 38 other states that do not require annual vehicle inspections.

Property Tax Relief Art 4 

SB 2 has already taken effect but Article 4 takes effect Jan. 1. Article 4 provides “circuit breaker” limitations on increases to the appraised value of real property not covered by a homestead exemption.

Data Privacy and Security 

House Bill 4 expands Texans data privacy rights and protections by restricting the sale of consumer data from businesses that operate in Texas. Most of this bill began back in July 2024 with Section 541.055(e) outlining how these restrictions affect online businesses going into affect Jan. 1. 

Business will be required to honor consumer option to opt of share consumer data such as browser history and extensions to avoid targeted advertising or face harsh penalties.

The 2025 Texas Legislative session begins Jan 14. to June 2.