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Moving to Texas: the first 30 and 90 days, with what each step costs.
Deadlines, fees and deposits. Every number sourced.
Texas gives you 30 days to register your car and 90 days to switch your license, and the order matters: DPS wants the car registered first. Here is the checklist in the order that works, what each step costs, the deposits to expect when you set up a home, and who else is making the same move.
Numbers last checked October 31, 2026The first 30 days
Do these in order. Each step needs the one before it.
| Step | What to do | Cost | Deadline | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Insurance | ||||
| Auto insurance | Get a Texas policy with at least 30/60/25 liability: $30,000 per injured person, $60,000 per accident, $25,000 property damage | $1,680/yr avg. minimum coverage; $2,897 full | Before you register | TxDMV; Experian (Sep 2026 data) |
| 2. Emissions test (18 counties) | ||||
| Emissions | Pass an emissions test at a DPS-certified station if you live in Bexar, Brazoria, Collin, Dallas, Denton, El Paso, Ellis, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Johnson, Kaufman, Montgomery, Parker, Rockwall, Tarrant, Travis or Williamson County | Station fee, plus a state emissions fee at registration | Before you register | TxDMV |
| Safety inspection | None for personal vehicles since Jan 1, 2025. You pay an inspection replacement fee at registration instead | $7.50 | At registration | Texas DPS |
| 3. Register the vehicle | ||||
| Registration | Take Form 130-U, your insurance card and your old title or registration to the county tax assessor-collector | $51.75 state ($50.75 + $1 TexasSure), plus county fees | Within 30 days of moving | TxDMV |
| New-resident tax | Charged instead of full sales tax on a car you bring with you | $90, or the gap between your old state’s sales tax and Texas’s | At registration | TxDMV |
| Electric vehicles | Extra yearly fee for fully electric vehicles of 10,000 lbs or less, collected at renewal | $200/yr ($400 for a new EV’s two-year registration) | At renewal | TxDMV |
| 4. Utilities and lease | ||||
| Electricity | Turn on power. In most of the ERCOT grid you pick a retail provider on the state’s Power to Choose site; Austin and San Antonio have city-owned utilities instead | Deposit rules below | Before move-in | 16 TAC §25.478 |
| Water, trash | Open an account with the city or MUD. Some charge a deposit | See deposits below | Before move-in | City of Austin |
Active-duty service members and non-resident full-time students at Texas colleges don’t have to register their vehicles in Texas (TxDMV). The TxDMV page lists the emissions and inspection fees but not their amounts; ask your county tax office for the exact total before you go. More on fees in Texas vehicle costs.
By day 90, and after
| Step | What to do | Cost | Deadline | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5. Driver license | ||||
| Texas license | Apply in person at DPS with proof your vehicles are registered in Texas. You surrender your old license. Adults with a valid out-of-state license (or one expired under two years) skip the written and driving tests | $33 (ages 18–84, 8 years) | Within 90 days of moving | DPS |
| Texas ID instead | For non-drivers | $16 (59 and under); $6 at 60+ | Any time | DPS |
| Appointment | Book online with the DPS appointment scheduler. DPS offices run on appointments, which can be booked up to six months out, with a limited number of same-day slots | Free | Book early | DPS (2020 release) |
| 6. Vote | ||||
| Voter registration | Register at your new address. Applications must be in by the 30th day before an election. If you mail yours, ask the post office for a hand postmark | Free | 30 days before an election | VoteTexas.gov |
| 7. Homestead exemption (homeowners) | ||||
| Homestead | File Comptroller Form 50-114 with your county appraisal district. Your Texas license or ID must show the home’s address | Free; removes $140,000 of value from school taxes ($60,000 more at 65+ or disabled) | April 30 if you owned and lived there Jan 1 | Texas Tribune, Oct 20, 2026 |
Timing note: the Nov 3, 2026 election registration deadline was Oct 5, 2026 (VoteTexas.gov), so if you arrive now you are registering for 2027 elections. If you buy after Jan 1, you can usually file the homestead once you own and live in the home, but if the seller already had an exemption you wait until the next year. You can file late for up to two years and get a refund (Texas Tribune). See Texas property taxes for what the exemption saves.
Move-in costs: deposits and rental rules
Electricity deposits
A retail electric provider can ask for a deposit, but state rules cap it and give you ways around it (16 TAC §25.478):
- Cap: the greater of one-fifth of your estimated annual bill or your estimated next two months.
- Skip it with history: if you had electric service anywhere in the past two years, aren’t behind, and paid late no more than once in the last 12 months, you count as having good credit. The provider can check with your old utility if you authorize it.
- Other waivers: a good credit rating, age 65 or older (not behind on any electric account), or certified family-violence victim status.
- Getting it back: after 12 bills in a row paid on time. The provider can return it as a bill credit.
City utility deposits
Sources: City of Austin Utilities (page last reviewed Jun 3, 2022); SAWS; SA community resource directory for the SAWS deposit amounts. Austin waives its deposit if you bring a letter from your current utility showing 12 months with no late payments, or if you sign up for Autopay and paperless billing for 12 months. Houston’s water billing site does not list a deposit amount.
Renting: what Texas law says
- Deposit refund: your landlord has to return the security deposit within 30 days after you move out (Property Code §92.103).
- Late fees: can be charged only after rent is two full days late. A fee is presumed reasonable at up to 10% of rent in buildings with more than four units, or 12% in smaller ones (§92.019).
- First month’s rent: see the 1-bedroom medians on each city page, from San Antonio and El Paso to Dallas and Austin, or the city comparison.
We did not find a reliable statewide figure for typical security deposits or application fees, so we don’t quote one. Ask each property for its full move-in cost in writing.
Who else is moving here
Texas is still growing faster in raw numbers than any state, but more slowly than it was. The Census Bureau’s 2025 estimates show Texas added 391,243 people to reach 31.7 million, a 1.2% gain and its slowest since 2021. It ranked fourth by growth rate, behind South Carolina, Idaho and North Carolina. Arrivals from abroad fell 48%, to 67,475, and about 67,299 people came from other states.
U-Haul’s 2025 growth index put Texas back at No. 1, its seventh top finish in 10 years, with arrivals at 50.7% of one-way truck traffic. That is a close split, and U-Haul notes its rankings don’t track population growth directly. Illinois ranked 49th.
Where newcomers come from
People who moved to Texas from another state in 2024, from Census ACS estimates compiled by Texas REALTORS. About 556,000 moved in, for a net gain of about 73,000.
People leave too. The top destinations for Texans moving out were California and Florida (about 45,000 each), then Oklahoma and Colorado (about 28,000 each) (Texas REALTORS). Moving from Chicago? Read Texas vs. Illinois.
Out-of-date numbers you’ll still find online
Personal vehicles stopped needing safety inspections on Jan 1, 2025. Emissions tests still apply in the listed counties.
TxDMV’s new-resident page now lists Bexar County (San Antonio) among the counties that need a test before registration.
Voters raised the school-tax exemption in Nov 2025. The 65-and-over add-on is now $60,000.
Texas still added the most people, but its 1.2% rate trailed three states in the 2025 estimates, after ranking first in 2024.
What to read next
Budgeting for kids? See Texas child care costs. For the bills that surprise newcomers, see electricity, insurance and taxes. To pick a city, start with the city comparison.
How we check
Every figure links to its source and shows the date it applies to. Fees come from the agency that charges them (TxDMV, DPS) wherever possible. Read the full methodology.