Most Houstonians drive, and most newcomers spend their first weeks learning a road system that runs on nicknames, frontage roads and toll tags. There are also two state deadlines that start the day you move in. If you plan to live near METRORail and drive less, some of this matters less, but the registration rules apply to anyone who brings a car.
Short answer: New Texas residents have 30 days to register their vehicle and 90 days to get a Texas driver license. Texas ended annual safety inspections for most passenger vehicles on January 1, 2025, but Harris County and nearby Fort Bend, Montgomery, Brazoria and Galveston counties still require an annual emissions test to register. Houston’s toll roads are all electronic, so get an EZ TAG or expect to be billed by mail at a higher rate.
The freeways, by name
Locals give directions by freeway name more often than by number. The main ones:
- Loops: the 610 Loop circles the urban core, Beltway 8 forms a second ring (its tolled main lanes are the Sam Houston Tollway), and the Grand Parkway (State Highway 99) forms an outer ring through the suburbs.
- I-10: the Katy Freeway to the west and the East Freeway toward Baytown.
- I-45: the North Freeway toward The Woodlands and the Gulf Freeway toward Galveston.
- I-69 / US 59: the Southwest Freeway and, to the northeast, the Eastex Freeway.
- US 290: the Northwest Freeway. State Highway 288: the South Freeway, past the Texas Medical Center.
Feeder roads and Texas U-turns
Almost every Houston freeway is lined with one-way frontage roads, which locals call feeders. Many apartment entrances, shopping centers and gas stations sit on them, so your building’s address may only be reachable from one direction. At many interchanges, a dedicated U-turn lane under the overpass lets you reverse direction without waiting at two lights. Learn the route to your building’s driveway before move-in day, when you will be driving a truck.
How the toll roads work
The Harris County Toll Road Authority runs the Sam Houston Tollway, the Hardy Toll Road, the Westpark Tollway and other toll roads, and none of them take cash. An EZ TAG from HCTRA is the cheapest way to pay, and Texas tags such as TxTag and the Dallas-area TollTag also work. Without a tag, tolls are billed to the vehicle’s registered owner by mail at a higher rate. If you are considering a building near the Westpark Tollway or Beltway 8, add likely tolls to your monthly commute cost.
Your new-resident checklist
- Insurance: get a policy that meets Texas minimum liability limits.
- Emissions test: in Harris County, most gasoline vehicles from 2 to 24 years old need one before registration. Ask the station for the Vehicle Inspection Report.
- Registration, within 30 days: visit the Harris County Tax Assessor-Collector with the inspection report, your out-of-state title or registration, proof of insurance and a completed Application for Texas Title and/or Registration (Form 130-U). Expect a $90 new resident tax plus registration fees.
- Driver license, within 90 days: apply in person with the Texas Department of Public Safety, which will ask for proof of your Texas vehicle registration. Appointments in the Houston area can book up weeks ahead, so schedule one as soon as you have a lease.
Parking at your building
Ask whether garage parking is included or charged monthly, whether spaces are assigned, and how guests park. In hurricane season, ask whether residents can move cars to upper garage levels when a storm is forecast. Our hurricane guide has the full list of storm questions.
Using the directory
Browse buildings by area, such as Memorial / Energy Corridor or Texas Medical Center / Braeswood, and compare each building’s location with your daily drive before you tour.