To respond to several of the posts on this thread:
For those complaining about not getting notice and being caught off guard... the law doesn't go into effect until NEXT YEAR... 13 months from now.
The article AND the original post (above) only mention "vehicles" and does not address RV trailers. All you complaining about permanently parked trailers that cannot be moved... you'd better find out if trailers need to be inspected annually or not. I suspect "not", but I can't tell from the research I have done online.
Even if only the vehicle is required to get an inspection, this doesn't handle someone who is out of state for longer periods (for any reason). Many snowbirds go to Florida for four months in the winter. Would someone have to cut short their vacation just because their renewal date falls in those months? What about people out of state on an extended work contract? Are they supposed to get a waiver from their job to go drive back to Texas to renew their vehicle registration? Geez! The TX lawmakers didn't have mobile people in mind when they made up this law. People on extended vacations and people with extended work contracts out of state are not necessarily planning on changing their state residency. Hell, I know families where the husband goes to Calif for a year or two for a job while the wife and kids stay in the family home.
Yes, even boat/trailer/RV storage rental places often require that items parked there are currently registered.
I was in Texas for a while and contemplated "going Texan" but decided to keep my Florida residency (and vehicle registrations). Texas has some bizarre steps to "go Texan". First, you have to register your vehicle in TX within 30 days. But you cannot get a drivers license until you've been in the state for at least 30 days (proven by certain acceptable documents which show you've been there at least 30 days). WTF?!?!? I couldn't navigate the requirements and put down a set of steps to follow on a piece of paper, so I gave up. I eventually left Texas because I found the people "inhospitable".
@Barbaraok: Many organizations reply with a generic "thank you for bringing it to our attention" type of note. It doesn't mean you were the first to notify them.
