Tex. Transp. Code Section 502.001
Definitions


In this chapter:

(1)

Repealed by Acts 2019, 86th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1233 (H.B. 1548), Sec. 41(3), eff. June 14, 2019.

(2)

“Apportioned license plate” means a license plate issued in lieu of a truck, motor bus, or combination license plate to a motor carrier in this state who proportionally registers a vehicle owned or leased by the carrier in one or more other states.

(3)

“Board” means the board of the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles.

(4)

“Combination license plate” means a license plate issued for a truck or truck-tractor that is used or intended to be used in combination with a semitrailer that has a gross weight of more than 6,000 pounds.

(5)

“Combined gross weight” means the empty weight of the truck-tractor or commercial motor vehicle combined with the empty weight of the heaviest semitrailer used or to be used in combination with the truck-tractor or commercial motor vehicle plus the heaviest net load to be carried on the combination during the registration year.

(6)

“Commercial fleet” means a group of at least 12 nonapportioned motor vehicles, semitrailers, or trailers owned, operated, or leased by a corporation, limited or general partnership, limited liability company, or other business entity and used for the business purposes of that entity.

(7)

“Commercial motor vehicle” means a motor vehicle, other than a motorcycle or moped, designed or used primarily to transport property. The term includes a passenger car reconstructed and used primarily for delivery purposes. The term does not include a passenger car used to deliver the United States mail.

(8)

“Construction machinery” means a vehicle that:

(A)

is used for construction;

(B)

is built from the ground up;

(C)

is not mounted or affixed to another vehicle such as a trailer;

(D)

was originally and permanently designed as machinery;

(E)

was not in any way originally designed to transport persons or property; and

(F)

does not carry a load, including fuel.

(9)

“Credit card” has the meaning assigned by Section 501.002 (Definitions).

(10)

“Debit card” has the meaning assigned by Section 501.002 (Definitions).

(11)

“Department” means the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles.

(12)

Repealed by Acts 2019, 86th Leg., R.S., Ch. 485 (H.B. 2188), Sec. 10, eff. September 1, 2019.

(13)

“Electric personal assistive mobility device” has the meaning assigned by Section 551.201 (Definition).

(14)

“Empty weight” means the unladen weight of a truck-tractor or commercial motor vehicle and semitrailer combination fully equipped, as certified by a public weigher or license and weight inspector of the Department of Public Safety.

(15)

“Farm semitrailer” or “farm trailer” means a vehicle designed and used primarily as a farm vehicle.

(16)

“Farm tractor” has the meaning assigned by Section 541.201 (Vehicles).

(17)

“Forestry vehicle” means a vehicle designed and used exclusively for transporting forest products in their natural state, including logs, debarked logs, untreated ties, stave bolts, plywood bolts, pulpwood billets, wood chips, stumps, sawdust, moss, bark, and wood shavings, and property used in production of those products.

(17-a)

“Former military vehicle” means a vehicle, including a trailer, that:

(A)

was manufactured for use in any country’s military forces; and

(B)

is not operated on continuous tracks.

(18)

Repealed by Acts 2019, 86th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1233 (H.B. 1548), Sec. 41(3), eff. June 14, 2019.

(19)

“Gross vehicle weight” has the meaning assigned by Section 541.401 (Miscellaneous Terms).

(20)

“Implements of husbandry” has the meaning assigned by Section 541.201 (Vehicles).

(21)

“Light truck” has the meaning assigned by Section 541.201 (Vehicles).

(22)

“Moped” has the meaning assigned by Section 541.201 (Vehicles).

(23)

“Motor bus” includes every vehicle used to transport persons on the public highways for compensation, other than:

(A)

a vehicle operated by muscular power; or

(B)

a municipal bus.

(24)

“Motorcycle” has the meaning assigned by Section 521.001 (Definitions) or 541.201 (Vehicles), as applicable.

(25)

“Motor vehicle” means a vehicle that is self-propelled.

(26)

“Motorized mobility device” has the meaning assigned by Section 552A.0101 (Operators of Certain Mobility Devices).

(27)

“Municipal bus” includes every vehicle, other than a passenger car, used to transport persons for compensation exclusively within the limits of a municipality or a suburban addition to the municipality.

(28)

“Net carrying capacity” means the heaviest net load that is able to be carried on a vehicle, but not less than the manufacturer’s rated carrying capacity.

(29)

“Oil well servicing, cleanout, or drilling machinery”:

(A)

has the meaning assigned by Section 623.149 (Determination Whether Vehicle Subject to Registration or Eligible for Distinguishing License Plate); or

(B)

means a mobile crane:
(i)
that is an unladen, self-propelled vehicle constructed as a machine and used solely to raise, shift, or lower heavy weights by means of a projecting, swinging mast with an engine for power on a chassis permanently constructed or assembled for that purpose; and
(ii)
for which the owner has secured a permit from the department under Section 623.142 (Permit to Move Oil Well Servicing or Drilling Machinery).

(30)

“Operate temporarily on the highways” means to travel between:

(A)

different farms;

(B)

a place of supply or storage and a farm; or

(C)

an owner’s farm and the place at which the owner’s farm produce is prepared for market or is marketed.

(31)

“Owner” means a person who:

(A)

holds the legal title of a vehicle;

(B)

has the legal right of possession of a vehicle; or

(C)

has the legal right of control of a vehicle.

(32)

“Passenger car” has the meaning assigned by Section 541.201 (Vehicles).

(33)

“Power sweeper” means an implement, with or without motive power, designed for the removal by a broom, vacuum, or regenerative air system of debris, dirt, gravel, litter, or sand from asphaltic concrete or cement concrete surfaces, including surfaces of parking lots, roads, streets, highways, and warehouse floors. The term includes a vehicle on which the implement is permanently mounted if the vehicle is used only as a power sweeper.

(34)

“Private bus” means a bus that:

(A)

is not operated for hire; and

(B)

is not a municipal bus or a motor bus.

(35)

“Public highway” includes a road, street, way, thoroughfare, or bridge:

(A)

that is in this state;

(B)

that is for the use of vehicles;

(C)

that is not privately owned or controlled; and

(D)

over which the state has legislative jurisdiction under its police power.

(36)

“Public property” means property owned or leased by this state or a political subdivision of this state.

(37)

Repealed by Acts 2019, 86th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1233 (H.B. 1548), Sec. 41(3), eff. June 14, 2019.

(38)

“Road tractor” means a vehicle designed for the purpose of mowing the right-of-way of a public highway or a motor vehicle designed or used for drawing another vehicle or a load and not constructed to carry:

(A)

an independent load; or

(B)

a part of the weight of the vehicle and load to be drawn.

(39)

“Semitrailer” means a vehicle designed or used with a motor vehicle so that part of the weight of the vehicle and its load rests on or is carried by another vehicle.

(39-a)

“Shipping weight” means the weight generally accepted as the empty weight of a vehicle.

(40)

“Token trailer” means a semitrailer that:

(A)

has a gross weight of more than 6,000 pounds; and

(B)

is operated in combination with a truck or a truck-tractor that has been issued:
(i)
an apportioned license plate;
(ii)
a combination license plate; or
(iii)
a forestry vehicle license plate.

(41)

“Tow truck” means a motor vehicle adapted or used to tow, winch, or otherwise move another motor vehicle.

(42)

“Trailer” means a vehicle that:

(A)

is designed or used to carry a load wholly on its own structure; and

(B)

is drawn or designed to be drawn by a motor vehicle.

(43)

“Travel trailer” has the meaning assigned by Section 501.002 (Definitions).

(44)

“Truck-tractor” means a motor vehicle:

(A)

designed and used primarily for drawing another vehicle; and

(B)

not constructed to carry a load other than a part of the weight of the vehicle and load to be drawn.

(45)

“Vehicle” means a device in or by which a person or property is or may be transported or drawn on a public highway, other than a device used exclusively on stationary rails or tracks.
Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 165, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1995. Amended by Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 625, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1997.
Amended by:
Acts 2005, 79th Leg., Ch. 586 (H.B. 1646), Sec. 2, eff. September 1, 2005.
Acts 2007, 80th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1280 (H.B. 3849), Sec. 1, eff. June 15, 2007.
Acts 2009, 81st Leg., R.S., Ch. 933 (H.B. 3097), Sec. 2E.01, eff. September 1, 2009.
Acts 2009, 81st Leg., R.S., Ch. 1136 (H.B. 2553), Sec. 5, eff. September 1, 2009.
Acts 2009, 81st Leg., R.S., Ch. 1173 (H.B. 3433), Sec. 1, eff. September 1, 2009.
Acts 2009, 81st Leg., R.S., Ch. 1232 (S.B. 1759), Sec. 1, eff. September 1, 2009.
Acts 2011, 82nd Leg., R.S., Ch. 1296 (H.B. 2357), Sec. 71, eff. January 1, 2012.
Acts 2013, 83rd Leg., R.S., Ch. 131 (S.B. 487), Sec. 1, eff. September 1, 2013.
Acts 2013, 83rd Leg., R.S., Ch. 1135 (H.B. 2741), Sec. 62, eff. September 1, 2013.
Acts 2017, 85th Leg., R.S., Ch. 968 (S.B. 2075), Sec. 2, eff. September 1, 2017.
Acts 2019, 86th Leg., R.S., Ch. 485 (H.B. 2188), Sec. 10, eff. September 1, 2019.
Acts 2019, 86th Leg., R.S., Ch. 612 (S.B. 969), Sec. 1, eff. June 10, 2019.
Acts 2019, 86th Leg., R.S., Ch. 882 (H.B. 3171), Sec. 2.03, eff. September 1, 2019.
Acts 2019, 86th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1079 (H.B. 1755), Sec. 6, eff. September 1, 2019.
Acts 2019, 86th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1233 (H.B. 1548), Sec. 41(3), eff. June 14, 2019.
Acts 2023, 88th Leg., R.S., Ch. 388 (H.B. 433), Sec. 1, eff. September 1, 2023.

Source: Section 502.001 — Definitions, https://statutes.­capitol.­texas.­gov/Docs/TN/htm/TN.­502.­htm#502.­001 (accessed Mar. 23, 2024).

502.001
Definitions
502.003
Registration by Political Subdivision Prohibited
502.004
Information on Alternatively Fueled Vehicles
502.005
Registration of Autocycle
502.010
County Scofflaw
502.011
Refusal to Register Vehicle for Nonpayment of Toll or Administrative Fee
502.012
Notice Regarding Whether Certain Trailers Are Subject to Inspection
502.0021
Rules and Forms
502.0023
Extended Registration of Commercial Fleet Vehicles
502.0024
Extended Registration of Certain Vehicles Not Subject to Inspection
502.0025
Extended Registration of Certain County Fleet Vehicles
502.0026
Extended Registration of Certain Rental Vehicles
502.040
Registration Required
502.041
Initial Registration
502.042
Title Required for Registration
502.043
Application for Registration and Certain Permits
502.044
Registration Period
502.045
Delinquent Registration
502.046
Evidence of Financial Responsibility
502.047
Registration-based Enforcement of Motor Vehicle Inspection Requirements
502.048
Refusal to Register Unsafe Vehicle
502.055
Determination of Weight and Seating Capacity
502.056
Disputed Classification of Vehicle
502.057
Registration Receipt
502.058
Duplicate Registration Receipt
502.059
Issuance of Registration Insignia
502.060
Replacement of Registration Insignia
502.061
Registration by Owner with Condition that Impedes Effective Communication
502.090
Effect of Certain Military Service on Registration Requirement
502.091
International Registration Plan
502.092
Nonresident-owned Vehicles Used to Transport Farm Products
502.093
Annual Permits
502.140
Certain Off-highway Vehicles
502.141
Off-highway Former Military Vehicles
502.142
Manufactured Housing
502.143
Other Vehicles
502.144
Vehicles Operated on Public Highway Separating Real Property Under Vehicle Owner’s Control
502.145
Vehicles Operated by Certain Nonresidents
502.146
Certain Farm Vehicles and Drilling and Construction Equipment
502.156
Statement Required for Rebuilt Vehicles
502.168
Fee: Motor Bus
502.189
Donor Registry Information
502.190
Schedule of Registration Fees
502.191
Collection of Fees
502.192
Transfer Fee
502.193
Payment by Check Drawn Against Insufficient Funds
502.194
Credit for Registration Fee Paid on Motor Vehicle Subsequently Destroyed
502.195
Refund of Overcharged Registration Fee
502.196
Deposit of Registration Fees in State Highway Fund
502.197
Registration by Mail or Electronic Means
502.198
Disposition of Fees Generally
502.199
Electronic Funds Transfer
502.00211
Design of Registration Insignia
502.251
Fee: Motorcycle or Moped
502.254
Fee: Trailer, Travel Trailer, or Semitrailer
502.255
Truck-tractor or Commercial Motor Vehicle Combination Fee
502.256
Fee: Road Tractor
502.356
Automated Registration and Titling System
502.357
Financial Responsibility Programs
502.358
Texas Emissions Reduction Plan Surcharge
502.359
Additional Fee for Certain Vehicles Using Diesel Motor
502.360
Additional Fee for Electric Vehicles
502.401
Optional County Fee for Road and Bridge Fund
502.402
Optional County Fee for Transportation Projects
502.403
Optional County Fee for Child Safety
502.404
Voluntary Assessment for Texas Agricultural Finance Authority
502.405
Voluntary Contribution to Donor Registry
502.407
Operation of Vehicle with Expired License Plate
502.410
Falsification or Forgery
502.411
Bribery of County Officer or Agent
502.412
Operation of Vehicle at Weight Greater than Stated in Registration Application
502.413
Voluntary Contribution to Special Olympics Texas Fund
502.414
Voluntary Contribution for Evidence Testing Grant Program
502.415
Voluntary Contribution to Ending Homelessness Fund
502.416
Voluntary Contribution for Trafficked Persons Program Account
502.431
Fee: Motor Vehicle Used Exclusively to Transport and Spread Fertilizer
502.432
Vehicle Transporting Seasonal Agricultural Products
502.433
Fee: Commercial Farm Motor Vehicle
502.434
Farm Vehicles: Excess Weight
502.0435
Online Registration Renewal
502.435
Certain Soil Conservation Equipment
502.451
Exempt Vehicles
502.452
Limitation on Issuance of Exempt License Plates
502.454
Vehicles Used by Nonprofit Disaster Relief Organizations
502.455
Trailers and Semitrailers Owned by Religious Organizations
502.456
Emergency Services Vehicles
502.457
Persons on Active Duty in Armed Forces of United States
502.458
Vehicles Used by Nonprofit Food Banks
502.471
General Penalty
502.472
Operation of Vehicle Under Improper Registration
502.473
Operation of Vehicle Without Registration Insignia
502.474
Operation of One-trip Permit Vehicle
502.475
Wrong, Fictitious, Altered, or Obscured Insignia
502.476
Annual Permits
502.477
Nonresident-owned Vehicles Used to Transport Agricultural Product
502.478
Commercial Motor Vehicle Used Primarily for Agricultural Purposes
502.479
Seasonal Agricultural Vehicle
502.480
Violation by County Assessor-collector
502.491
Transfer of Vehicle Registration
502.492
Temporary Transit Permit for a Vehicle Purchased
502.1515
Outsourcing Production of Renewal Notices
502.1746
Voluntary Contribution to Veterans’ Assistance Fund
502.1747
Voluntary Contribution to Parks and Wildlife Department
502.1748
Disposition of Certain Voluntary Contributions
502.1911
Registration Processing and Handling Fee
502.1931
Disputed Payment by Credit Card or Debit Card
502.1983
Deposit of Fees in Interest-bearing Account
502.1984
Interest on Fees
502.1985
Use of Registration Fees Retained by County
502.1986
Contingent Provision for Distribution of Fees Between State and Counties
502.4755
Deceptively Similar Insignia

Accessed:
Mar. 23, 2024

§ 502.001’s source at texas​.gov