Title and Registration in TX - A Definitive Guide as of 2025

[hahuang65]

Today, I've successfully filed my application for title and registration. I'm still waiting for the title and permanent plate in the mail, but I've got my registration in hand, as well as my paper custom vanity plates.

 

I thought I would write up a guide for those that come after, as it was quite a convoluted process and long process.

 

For some background, I live in Montgomery County, just north of Houston. This is a county that requires yearly emissions inspections. If you live in a county that requires emissions inspections, I will specifically call out what you need to do in order to avoid those, as Caterhams will not really work with OBDII inspections for emissions. The general idea is you want to title as a Custom Vehicle.

 

The general overview of the process is

 

1) Gather all forms and documents (checklist to come below)

2) Go to your County Tax Assessor's office to get a temporary permit (or risk getting pulled over and fined) in order to go to your ASE Safety Inspection

3) Go to a weigh station, or any place that has a truck scale and weigh your car

 

These next few steps are "possibly", for reasons I'll dive into later in the guide.

4) Possibly schedule a VIN inspection appointment

5) Possibly schedule an appraisal

6) Possibly schedule an appointment to get a bonded title

 

7) Go to the DMV with all of your documents in order to obtain a letter that verifies eligibility for titling and registration.

8) Take all your documents and the aforementioned letter to your county's tax assessor's office to actually title and register

 

For reference:

DMV's overview on Assembled Vehicles

DMV's manual for Assembled Vehicles

 

Checklist of forms and documents:

• Application for Texas Title and/or Registration (Form 130-U)
• Photographs of YOUR car
  • Front
  • Rear
  • Side(s)
• Photograph of the car being replicated, I used this one:
  • 
• Evidence of ownership
  • I brought both the bill of sales (1 receipt for the kit and 1 receipt for the drivetrain)
  • Manufacturer's Statement of Origin (Manufacturer's Certificate of Origin)
• ASE Safety Inspection form (Form VTR-852)
  • Copy of the ASE certifications (1 through 8) for the technician performing the safety inspection, an example looks like
  • 
• Rebuilt Vehicle Statement (Form VTR-61)
• Certified Weight Certificate - Unfortunately I surrendered mine to the tax office so I can't show you an example, but it was just a receipt that had the weight of the car on it.
• VIN verification document. According to the overview/manual linked above, it can be either
  • Law Enforcement Identification Number Inspection (Form VTR-68A) - The application for Montgomery County can be found here
• Approval Letter/Checklist from TxDMV Regional Service Center (you get this from the DMV to take to the tax assessor)

 

Details / Caveats for each step/form

 

Application for Texas Title and/or Registration (Form 130-U)

• For Year, put the model year of your car (not the year of the replica)
• For Make, put ASVE (stands for assembled vehicle)
• For Model I put "Lotus Replica"
• I skipped the Motor Vehicle Tax Statement and Sales and Use Tax Computation since I built the car myself
  • The Comptroller's website state that no tax is due when you build it yourself
  • 

 

Evidence of ownership

• Bills of sale and the Manufacturer's Statement of Origin should be enough here.
• The DMV accepted mine and issued me the letter to title the car
• The tax assessor ultimately accepted it as well, but I had to visit 2 offices. The first office was not happy that the MSO had my dealer's name on it, even though the bill of sale had my name on it, issued from the dealer. They CALLED the DMV (same office I was at that morning) and the rep there said I needed to get a bonded title (which requires an appraisal) in order to title, even though they already issued me the letter.
• I ultimately decided to visit another tax office the same day after perusing the manual because I decided my documents were enough evidence. Sure enough, the other office accepted my application no problem.
  • This is why I said "possibly" for appraisal and bonded title. It's up to you how prepared you want to be vs. the possibility of having to make multiple trips to the DMV or tax office

 

ASE Safety Inspection

• To do this, obviously you have to take your car. You have 3 options here:
  • Take a chance and hope you don't get pulled over
  • Get temporary permits (get these at the tax assessor's office, CASH ONLY)
    • Two 1-trip permits (to and from the inspection site). You need to give them your source and destination address, they're good for 5 days but only 1 trip.
      • $5 each, but realistically after processing fees etc, $10 each.
    • 30 day permit (requires VIN, so if you have trouble, just go the 1 trip route, but I used my chassis code)
      • You only get 3 of these for the lifetime of the car, so don't squander them
      • $25 after processing fees.
    • I did the 1-trip and didn't get to use it, then did the 30 day permit... I had to get a second 30 day permit when they asked me to schedule the Law Enforcement appointment and that was 3 weeks out.
• MAKE DOUBLE SURE you have Form VTR-852 and NOT VTR-64
  • VTR-64 WILL require you to get a separate vehicle inspection, and more importantly, a smog inspection (yearly)
• MAKE DOUBLE SURE you have a copy of the technician's ASE certifications.
• I went to Milstead Auto in Spring, TX to do my inspection.

 

Rebuilt Vehicle Statement

• Pretty self explanatory, just make sure to specify that you purchased the chassis and drivetrain from two different entities to establish that it is indeed a kit/custom car

 

Certified Weight Certificate

• CAT Scale will do these, although it's unclear if their lower threshold is above how much our cars weigh.
• I went to Hieden Feed and Supply in Houston as they had a truck scale. Mine weighed out at 1020lb, which is about 200lb lighter than I thought it would be.

 

VIN Verification Document

• MSO should be enough here, as it lists the chassis code. I was told so by the tax assessor's office and the rep at the DMV over the phone.
• However, at my first appointment to the DMV, they said I needed to go get the VTR-68A (Law Enforcement inspection)
  • This is probably another scenario that's just based on who you get at the DMV.
  • For my county, they only do inspections on Tuesdays and the appointments were 3 weeks out.
    • Supposedly you can only get it from the law enforcement office of your jurisdiction, but I got the hint that you could go anywhere from the officers when I was at the appointment.
  • Another situation where it's up to you to either be prepared, or chance it with the MSO.

 

Approval Letter/Checklist from TxDMV Regional Service Center

• DOUBLE DOUBLE check this before you leave. My rep marked mine incorrectly because the language used on the form is poor. I was applying for a Custom Vehicle, and she checkmarked the box, thinking it means approved. However the language says "NOT". I'm glad I caught this before leaving the DMV. Read the last checkbox section carefully:
  • 

 

Final thoughts and notes

To clear up ANY confusion, you take ALL the documents to BOTH the DMV and the tax office.

The only exception here is the letter the DMV issues you.

The purpose of visiting the DMV is to obtain that letter. They SHOULD give you all your documents back. I also got a checklist they marked off showing I had given all documents.

 

At the tax office, I would suggest you have your documents lined up in the order of the manual. That makes it easier for them to check for completeness.

I believe this is the reason my visit to the second tax office yielded me a successful titling. The manager who helped me there just went down the checklist and saw that I had all the necessary paperwork.

 

I think at the first office, the person helping me may have had a pre-conceived notion that I needed an appraisal and bond, and no matter how much I tried to say that I have sufficient proof of ownership, it wasn't good enough... but if you have the docs and the checklist in order, it's just a simple matter of going down the list.

 

Finally, a reminder, sales tax is NOT due if you've built it yourself at home.

 

Good luck to anyone titling in Texas. This process took me almost 2 monthes. I had to visit the DMV twice, Sherriff's office once, and the tax assessor's office 4 times.

[empti]

Very comprehensive write up. Congrats on the newly registered cat in TX! 

[panamericano]

Congratulations.  But wait @hahuang65, you didn't  show us your vanity plate.  Even if it's paper, inquiring minds want to know.  I had no idea they give a paper vanity plate.

[hahuang65]

@panamericano here you go! Bonus points if you get the reference

[Vovchandr]

10 minutes ago, hahuang65 said:

@panamericano here you go! Bonus points if you get the reference

 

Cantstandya

[hahuang65]

Spoiler: 

 

[williamwashere]

Oh man, I’m in Montgomery County too (Pinehurst) and now you have me worried!! I’m trying to get a Spring (the season) build ordered from RMC. It seems like there are a few Sevens in North Houston.

[hahuang65]

7 minutes ago, williamwashere said:

Oh man, I’m in Montgomery County too (Pinehurst) and now you have me worried!! I’m trying to get a Spring (the season) build ordered from RMC. It seems like there are a few Sevens in North Houston.

Why are you worried? I'll be around to help answer questions if needed.

[Gene_W]

Thanks very much for doing this. I hope to be finished with my build shortly after the first of the year and on to the title process. I am now in Kendall County so hopefully the smaller town people will be easier to deal with. Moved here from Houston (Harris County). Having dealt with that tax assessors office on other matters, I can't imagine what a nightmare that would have been. Thanks again for the great info.

[hahuang65]

@Gene_W I actually have not had an unpleasant interaction with the tax assessors here except for the one overzealous employee who decided that the DMV didn't do their job right in issuing the letter. 

 

The DMV is actually where I had the most trouble. I was tempted to also just go to a different DMV with my MSO instead of get the VIN inspection from the sherrif.

 

But given that it has to be a regional service center for this particular matter, and the next nearest one is almost 2 hours away, I decided that it wasn't worth the trouble to possibly also get turned away there. I also had the 30 day permit, so I could drive the car anyways. 

[williamwashere]

11 hours ago, hahuang65 said:

Why are you worried? I'll be around to help answer questions if needed.

lol, because I have nothing to do BUT worry until it gets delivered! And that is quite the list of government paperwork to go through. Thanks for doing this!

[hahuang65]

3 minutes ago, williamwashere said:

I have nothing to do BUT worry until it gets delivered

Oh this is true. My level of anxiety was high from like 2024 until yesterday.

[IamScotticus]

All you Texas 7s, and everyone else, please consider putting yourself on the forum community map. 

https://usa7s.net/ips/communitymap/

Not your exact location, as I perfer privacy as well, but anyware close.  It will help event organizers send you invites. 

Edited October 25, 2025 by IamScotticus

[hahuang65]

@IamScotticus yeah turfed up a few more TX owners.

 

We should do some get together after everyone gets their cars set up.

[IamScotticus]

For 7s and fish & chips or a pub circuit.  Or tea & biscuits. Plenty of Asian Fandom too.  99 @ I-10 Katy Frwy. "West Side Mall" big Asian mall.  Get Boba tea & bubble waffle fish & ice cream. 

Edited October 25, 2025 by IamScotticus