(a) All items of inspection enumerated in this section shall be required to be inspected in accordance with the Texas Transportation Code, Chapter 547, any other applicable state or federal law, and department or federal regulation as provided in the DPS Training and Operations Manual prior to the issuance of a vehicle inspection report.
(b) All items must be inspected in accordance with the attached inspection procedures. (The figure in this section reflects excerpts from the DPS Training and Operations Manual, Chapter 4.)
Attached Graphic
(c) A vehicle inspection report may not be issued for a vehicle equipped with a compressed natural gas (CNG) fuel system unless the vehicle inspector can confirm in a manner provided by subsection (d) of this section that:
  (1) the CNG fuel container meets the requirements of Code of Federal Regulations, Title 49, §571.304; and
  (2) the CNG fuel container has not exceeded the expiration date provided on the container's label.
(d) The requirements of subsection (c) of this section may be confirmed by any appropriate combination of the items detailed in paragraphs (1) - (3) of this subsection:
  (1) Observation of Container Label. The vehicle inspector may confirm the requirement of subsection (c)(2) of this section through direct observation of the expiration date on the container;
  (2) Observation of Label at Fueling Connection Receptacle. The vehicle inspector may confirm through direct observation of a label affixed to the vehicle by the original equipment manufacturer or by a certified installer or inspector of CNG systems (as defined in subsection (g) of this section) reflecting that the requirements of subsection (c)(1) or (c)(2) of this section are satisfied; or
  (3) Documentation. The vehicle owner may furnish to the vehicle inspector documentation provided by the original vehicle equipment manufacturer or by a certified installer or inspector of CNG systems (as defined in subsection (g) of this section) reflecting that either or both requirements of subsection (c)(1) and (c)(2) of this section are satisfied.
(e) The owner or operator of a fleet vehicle may, as an alternative to the requirements of subsection (c) of this section, provide proof in the form of a written statement or report issued by the owner or operator that the vehicle is a fleet vehicle for which the fleet operator employs a certified installer or inspector of CNG systems (as defined in subsection (g) of this section).
(f) A copy of the written statement or report provided to the vehicle inspector under subsections (d)(3) or (e) of this section must be maintained in the vehicle inspection station's files for a period of one year from the date of the inspection and made available to the department on request.
(g) Certified installer or inspector of CNG systems: For purposes of this section, a certified installer or inspector of CNG systems is a person licensed by the Railroad Commission of Texas under 16 TAC §13.61.
(h) An inspection station or inspector, on completion of an inspection, shall electronically submit to the department's inspection database the vehicle identification number of the inspected vehicle, an indication of whether the vehicle passed the inspections required by the Act and this Chapter, and the odometer reading of the vehicle.
(i) An automated motor vehicle, as defined by Transportation Code, §545.451, that is incapable of operation by a human operator present in the vehicle is exempt from the inspection requirements relating to the steering system, including power steering; high beam indicator; mirrors; windshield wipers; sun screening devices; or front seatbelts unless seat belt anchorages were part of the manufacturer's original equipment.
(j) A motor vehicle that uses electricity as its only source of motor power and that is not equipped with an internal combustion engine is exempt from the inspection requirements relating to the exhaust system, fuel tank cap, and emissions control equipment.

Source Note: The provisions of this §23.41 adopted to be effective March 13, 2013, 38 TexReg 1701; amended to be effective November 9, 2014, 39 TexReg 8596; amended to be effective March 5, 2015, 40 TexReg 938; amended to be effective November 6, 2016, 41 TexReg 8625; amended to be effective November 2, 2017, 42 TexReg 6031; amended to be effective January 3, 2019, 43 TexReg 8634; amended to be effective January 10, 2022, 47 TexReg 30