Vehicle Registration
The Harris County Tax Assessor-Collector's Office performs approximately 3.2 million
vehicle registrations and 940,000 vehicle title transfers in Harris County each year.
Harris County has approximately 2,800 automobile dealers, which includes 395
franchise dealers. By working closely with the Texas
Department of Transportation, the Houston Automobile Dealers Association,
and the Texas Independent Automobile Dealers Association, we hope to offer our customers the most convenient and efficient service possible.
Since the introduction of the Texas Department
of Transportation's computerized Registration
and Title
System (RTS) in 1995, the transaction time for
registrations and titles in our
offices has been reduced
to five to eight minutes. Also, titles are now delivered
to
customers approximately two weeks from the
transaction date instead of six to eight weeks,
as it
was before RTS was implemented.
In addition to our 16 locations, the Tax Office offers other means to conduct
your automobile transactions. The purchase of registration stickers and the
transfer of titles can be done through the mail. Also, there are approximately 200
automobile license renewal
locations in Harris County that sell registration stickers for passenger cars,
motorcycles, and small trucks (pickups, vans, and sport utility vehicles). In
September 2000 we were the first county to offer Online Vehicle Registration,
saying "Get online instead of in line." To access this feature, click on the
Online Registration Renewal link.
For more information on these services, please call the Tax Office at 713-368-2000.
Each day, our employees field hundreds of calls about registrations and titles.
To view the most frequently asked questions with their answers, click on the
Frequently Asked Questions link.
A wide variety of forms are required to process the various transactions
involving vehicles. To view or print some of the most commonly used forms,
please click the
"Forms" link.
The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) offers a wide variety of
specialized license plates. Customize your license plate, or choose from
one of many license plates designed to pay tribute to the U.S. military,
or express support for your special interest, favorite college, university,
professional sports team, or other organization. Order your specialized license
plates at any Harris County Tax Office. Click on the
"Specialized License Plates"
link above to visit the TxDOT website where you can see the variety of plates
offered and the fees charged for each.