Relocating and need to register your car in Dallas?

Relocating to Dallas, TX? You probably  understand there are a number of steps in order to register your motor vehicle.  In order to get your car registered in Dallas county, you’ll need to take a copy of your auto insurance written by an insurance agent in Texas along with your vehicle safety inspection to a Dallas county Tax office.

Below are the necessary steps to register your car in Dallas.  For Dallas County tax office locations and details click here.

Step 1.  Obtain car insurance in Texas

Obtaining auto insurance is the first step.  Therefore, talk to a one of our agents  or call an agent that is familiar with Texas’ minimum liability requirements.  We provide online access to insurance estimates here.

As of April 1, 2008 Texas law by increasing minimum liability limits to $25,000 per injured person, $50,000 for everyone injured in an accident, and $25,000 for property damage (“25/50/25”).

Effective January 1, 2011, Texas law will increase the minimum liability limits to $30,000 per person, $60,000 for everyone injured in an accident and $25,000 for property damage (“30/60/25″).

Step 2.  Vehicle Safety Inspection

Now that you know how much insurance to carry, you need to take your proof of insurance (insurance ID card) to a local safety inspection station, and have a vehicle safety and  emissions.  Some counties require emissions inspections while others do not require emissions testing.

Emissions testing counties include:  Collin, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Johnson, Kaufman, Parker, Rockwall, Tarrant, Brazoria, Ft Bend, Galveston, Harris, Montgomery, El Paso, Travis and Williamson counties.

To look up the closest inspection station to you, click here.

Step 3.  Register your car (motor vehicle) at a local Dallas County Tax

Now that you have your insurance and safety inspection, you’ll need to go to one of the Dallas county tax offices to register your motor vehicle.  You can contact the Dallas County Tax Office at 214-653-7811.

We recommend you call ahead to ensure that you have everything you need in order to properly register your car.  Some cases require additional documentation.  Also, additional fees associated may be required in order to register your vehicle with the Dallas county tax office.