Moving to Texas: your insurance checklist

The deadlines: 30 days for the car, 90 days for you

The Texas Department of Motor Vehicles (TxDMV) says you have 30 days from the time you move to register your vehicle in Texas. Registration happens at your county tax assessor-collector's office, and first-time registrants fill out an Application for Texas Title and/or Registration (Form 130-U).

The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) lets you drive on a valid, unexpired license from another state for up to 90 days after you move. DPS also says to make sure all your vehicles are registered in Texas before you apply for a Texas license, so the 30-day registration step usually has to come first.

• Within 30 days: Texas auto insurance in place, then register each vehicle at the county tax office.
• Within 90 days: apply for your Texas driver license at DPS and surrender your old one.

Get a Texas auto policy before you register

TxDMV lists insurance as part of the first step: your vehicle must be covered by at least $30,000 per injured person, up to $60,000 for everyone injured in a crash, and $25,000 for property damage. That is Texas's 30/60/25 minimum.

A policy written for your old state may not be built around Texas rules. Texas auto policies include personal injury protection (PIP) and uninsured/underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) coverage unless you reject them in writing, according to the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI). When you get Texas quotes, decide on those two coverages deliberately instead of letting a form decide for you.

Texas also checks insurance electronically: TxDMV's registration fee includes a $1 TexasSure charge for the state's insurance verification program. Your Texas policy needs to be active before you go to the tax office, and the insurer needs your correct VIN so the record matches.

Safety inspections mostly ended in 2025; emissions did not

If you remember Texas inspection stickers, that has changed. DPS says that under House Bill 3297, non-commercial vehicles no longer need a safety inspection before registration as of January 1, 2025. Instead, owners pay a $7.50 inspection program replacement fee when they register. Commercial vehicles in every county still need a passing safety inspection.

Emissions testing is separate and still applies in designated counties. TxDMV lists the counties that require it, and DPS announced that Bexar County would be added in 2026. Check TxDMV's current list for your county before you head to the tax office.

Homeowners and renters: start with the weather

No Texas law requires homeowners insurance, but TDI notes that if you still owe money on your home, your lender will require it. Landlords often require renters insurance in the lease.

What changes in Texas is the fine print. Many Texas policies carry a separate wind and hail deductible, and on the coast wind and hail may be excluded entirely. Before you sign, ask each company:

• Is wind and hail covered, and is there a separate deductible for it? Is it a percentage of the dwelling limit?
• Is the dwelling covered for replacement cost or actual cash value? What about the roof?
• Is water damage from a frozen or burst pipe covered?
• If you're renting: does the policy cover your belongings at replacement cost?

Check your flood zone before you buy or lease

TDI's home insurance guide is blunt: most home policies don't cover flood, and you need a separate policy from the National Flood Insurance Program or a private insurer. Look up the flood zone for any address you're considering on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, and ask the seller or landlord whether the property has flooded before.

TDI also warns that most flood policies have a 30-day waiting period, so buy flood coverage as part of the move, not when a storm is forecast. Our Texas flood insurance guide covers zones, lender rules and contents-only policies for renters.

Moving to the coast: TWIA

If you're moving to one of the 14 first-tier coastal counties (Aransas, Brazoria, Calhoun, Cameron, Chambers, Galveston, Jefferson, Kenedy, Kleberg, Matagorda, Nueces, Refugio, San Patricio and Willacy) or the part of Harris County east of Highway 146, your home policy may exclude wind and hail. The Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (TWIA) sells that coverage there.

TWIA says you generally need a denial from at least one insurer writing wind and hail in the area, a windstorm certificate (WPI-8, WPI-8-E or WPI-8-C) showing the structure meets building code, and, for homes in flood zones V, VE or V1-30 built, altered, remodeled or enlarged on or after September 1, 2009 that can get NFIP coverage, proof of NFIP flood coverage. TDI also notes TWIA won't sell a new policy while a hurricane is in the Gulf. If you're buying, ask the seller for the windstorm certificate early.

Your first-month checklist

Bring these to your quotes and to the county tax office:

• Your current declarations pages for auto and home or renters, so you can match or improve coverage.
• Each vehicle's title or registration and VIN, plus your lienholder's details if it's financed.
• Driver details for everyone in the household who will drive.
• Your new address's flood zone and, on the coast, the home's windstorm certificate status.
• A plan for timing: start the Texas policy on or before the day the old one ends so there's no gap.