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Vehicle emissions testing is required in Bexar County starting Nov. 1, a major change that could mean longer lines at inspection stations and unexpected repair bills for some drivers.

Why it matters: The new program is designed to improve local air quality and help the region comply with federal Clean Air Act standards.

Bexar County is the last major Texas county to begin local emissions testing.

How it works: The testing equipment plugs into the vehicle and checks its computer for problems with the emissions system.

A passing vehicle can move forward with registration renewal. A failing vehicle will need to be repaired and pass the test before its registration can be renewed.

The new test is required for all vehicles in Bexar County with registration due in November or later.

What they're saying: Charissa Barnes, who owns seven local testing sites called Official Inspection Station, has been hosting free prescreening events so drivers can identify problems before the mandate begins. She says the number of cars failing prescreenings is higher than she expected.

"We do have a wall of demand that's going to hit us in our community come Nov. 1," Barnes tells Axios. "There is not a soft launch; it is a hard start."

Between the lines: Bexar County could have fewer places to get tested than it did under the old state safety inspection program.

Barnes says the county went from roughly 650-660 inspection stations to about 275-300 after Texas ended annual safety inspections.

Shops now have to recruit and certify new inspectors, while also investing about $9,000-$9,500 in emissions-testing equipment.

Barnes says that cost has left some smaller shops hesitant to participate.

The bottom line: "We are not only launching an emissions program in Bexar County," Barnes says. "We are literally rebuilding the inspection station network, and we are looking for and rebuilding the workforce that supports that."

Bexar County emissions testing starts soon: What to know

Bexar County emissions testing starts soon. Here's what drivers need to know.

Illustration of a car driving down a highway leaving behind a glowing trail that ripples out.

Vehicle emissions testing is required in Bexar County starting Nov. 1, a major change that could mean longer lines at inspection stations and unexpected repair bills for some drivers.Why it matters: The new program is designed to improve local air quality and help the region comply with federal Clean Air Act standards.

News

Why it matters: The studio is the final piece of The Gunter Hotel's $57 million-plus renovation and aims to turn the 117-year-old property into a destination for musicians and producers.

Flashback: Blues legend Robert Johnson held his first recording session in room 414 in 1936.

Big band musicians once held residencies at the Gunter, and live music and radio broadcasts regularly filled its halls.

Zoom in: The studio can accommodate groups of six to eight, with a sound engineer included in bookings.

Artists can also record in room 414 and pipe the audio into the studio.

The big picture: The hotel says the space will be available to Texas and visiting artists, as well as students and nonprofits.

What they're saying: "From the very start of this renovation, we felt that we had a duty to honor the music that has filled these halls for over a century," Jiwon Choi, owner and managing director of the hotel's owner, Axle Capital, said in a statement.

What's next: The public can take a look around the space Wednesday, Sept. 2 and Sept. 9, 6-7pm.

Gunter Studio opens in downtown San Antonio

The studio is the final piece of The Gunter Hotel's $57 million-plus renovation.

Music studio hallway with a drum kit visible in a pink-walled inner room, glass-walled guitar area to the left, a red keyboard front left, and a tall illuminated STUDIO sign on the right.

The hotel's new studio. Photo: Courtesy of Giant Noise

Gunter Studio is now open downtown.Why it matters: The studio is the final piece of <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="The Gunter Hotel&#x27;s" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/san-antonio/2025/09/24/gunter-hotel-san-antonio-jots-opening" data-vars-content-id="579e9249-b51f-4c55-93a0-82d907238619" data-vars-headline="Gunter Studio opens in downtown San Antonio" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/san-antonio/2025/09/24/gunter-hotel-san-antonio-jots-opening" target="_self">The Gunter Hotel&#x27;s</a> $57 million-plus renovation and aims to turn the 117-year-old property into a destination for musicians and producers.

Drivers can get ahead of Bexar County's Nov. 1 emissions testing requirement — and potentially avoid a registration headache.

Why it matters: Finding emissions problems early gives you more time to make (and budget for) repairs before your registration is due.

Catch up quick: Bexar County will become the 18th Texas county to require emissions testing after failing to meet federal air quality standards.

How it works: If your vehicle fails, get it repaired and return to the same inspection station within 15 days for a free retest.

Go somewhere else or wait longer than 15 days, and you'll have to pay for another test.

By the numbers: The initial emissions test costs a total of $26, including a state fee.

What's next: Official Inspection Station is offering a free prescreening on Aug. 27 at its 10480 Culebra Road location that can flag emissions problems. 

Drivers whose vehicles don't pass get the diagnostic codes to take to a mechanic.

How to prepare for Bexar County emissions testing

Here's how to avoid surprises when emissions testing begins Nov. 1.

Drivers can get ahead of Bexar County&#x27;s Nov. 1 emissions testing requirement — and potentially avoid a registration headache.Why it matters: Finding emissions problems early gives you more time to make (and budget for) repairs before your registration is due.

Data: Economic Policy Institute; Map: Danielle Alberti/Axios

Texas could pay an estimated $23 billion toward President Trump's mass deportation push — about $2,500 per taxpayer — according to a calculator from the Economic Policy Institute (EPI).

Why it matters: The estimate fuels debate over whether billions of federal dollars devoted to deportations should instead fund other public priorities, such as health care or housing.

How it works: EPI estimated each area's share of federal income taxes to calculate how much taxpayers in each state, county and city would contribute to deportation spending.

Context: The $269 billion the administration is slated to spend on deportations over the course of Trump's second term comes from a combination of money from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, regular appropriations and other repurposed funds.

The Department of Homeland Security told Axios in July that the government spends roughly $18,000 per non-voluntary deportation.

Zoom in: Bexar County taxpayers would contribute $1.13 billion, or about $1,786 per taxpayer, according to the calculator.

That amount could instead fund about 4,615 teachers or 4,653 firefighters locally, the calculator shows.

Zoom out: American taxpayers would broadly pay about $2,358 each for Trump's mass deportation push, per EPI's tool.

The other side: A DHS spokesperson told Axios that the Biden administration ignored the costs of illegal immigration and said the department's self-deportation program saves taxpayers roughly $13,000 per removal compared with traditional deportation.

How much Trump's deportation push could cost Texas taxpayers

A new calculator estimates how much Texans will pay for Trump's deportation push.

A choropleth map showing the estimated cost per taxpayer for federal immigrant deportation and detention funding across the U.S. states. The average cost is $2.4k. Washington, D.C., has the highest load, at $3.9k.

Texas could pay an estimated $23 billion toward President Trump&#x27;s mass deportation push — about $2,500 per taxpayer — according to a calculator from the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Economic Policy Institute" data-vars-click-url="https://link.axios.com/click/47042253.45/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZXBpLm9yZy9kZXBvcnRhdGlvbi1jYWxjdWxhdG9yLz91dG1fc291cmNlPW5ld3NsZXR0ZXImdXRtX21lZGl1bT1lbWFpbCZ1dG1fY2FtcGFpZ249c2VuZHRvX2xvY2FsbmV3c2xldHRlcnRlc3Qmc3RyZWFtPXRvcA/633dcc04d70fb9875101ab66Bb4c9cd23" data-vars-content-id="841d4f60-888f-4245-881c-a90955026689" data-vars-headline="How much Trump&#x27;s deportation push could cost Texas taxpayers" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://link.axios.com/click/47042253.45/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZXBpLm9yZy9kZXBvcnRhdGlvbi1jYWxjdWxhdG9yLz91dG1fc291cmNlPW5ld3NsZXR0ZXImdXRtX21lZGl1bT1lbWFpbCZ1dG1fY2FtcGFpZ249c2VuZHRvX2xvY2FsbmV3c2xldHRlcnRlc3Qmc3RyZWFtPXRvcA/633dcc04d70fb9875101ab66Bb4c9cd23" target="_self">Economic Policy Institute</a> (EPI).Why it matters: The estimate fuels debate over whether billions of federal dollars devoted to <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="deportations" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2026/04/15/ice-deportations-us-immigration-trump-biden-2025" data-vars-content-id="841d4f60-888f-4245-881c-a90955026689" data-vars-headline="How much Trump&#x27;s deportation push could cost Texas taxpayers" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2026/04/15/ice-deportations-us-immigration-trump-biden-2025" target="_self">deportations</a> should instead fund other public priorities, such as health care or housing.

Immigration

Activists and residents across the political spectrum — including in communities around San Antonio — are pushing back against license plate readers made by Flock Safety and similar companies, fueled by privacy concerns.

Why it matters: Advocates say the cameras help quickly track down criminals, making cities safer. Opponents say they're a form of constant surveillance that infringes on residents' civil liberties.

The big picture: Flock has more than 120,000 cameras nationwide, the company tells Axios.

How it works: Automated license plate readers are placed along streets and highways and capture license plates, vehicle makes and other features.

Zoom in: The Bexar County Sheriff's Office (BCSO) Flock network includes 35 cameras, though not all are currently operating, sheriff's deputy Joshua Hamby tells Axios. Some cameras have been vandalized, stolen or damaged, while other installations have faced permitting delays, he says.

BCSO can also receive images from privately owned Flock cameras when businesses and other users choose to share them with law enforcement.

Hamby says Flock-generated leads have helped identify suspects in armed robberies, homicides and stolen vehicle and narcotics cases in recent weeks.

By the numbers: BCSO's cameras recorded 707,606 license plates over the last 30 days, per the county's dashboard. Investigators can search those detections for vehicle characteristics, such as color and distinguishing features, to find potential matches, Hamby says.

The system generated 3,221 hotlist hits — alerts for plates associated with stolen or wanted vehicles, missing people, or other law enforcement notices.

State of play: Nearby Hill Country communities are pushing back.

Bandera canceled its Flock program in May after months of public opposition, while a petition calling for the removal of cameras in Kendall County has drawn hundreds of signatures.

Burnet County recently removed Flock cameras after repeated vandalism.

The latest: Flock said Thursday it's strengthening privacy, security and accountability features amid the backlash.

The company is making misuse detection mandatory and recommending seven-day data retention instead of 30-day retention.

Flock says its technology aided about 1 million police investigations last year and helped find about 10,000 missing people.

The other side: DeFlock, a national group advocating against the cameras, argues the technology amounts to unconstitutional surveillance.

"No guardrails. No regulations. No 'only if they really need to' pinky promises. It's a 4th amendment violation. Full Stop. They are coming down," the group posted on X in response to Thursday's announcement.

What we're watching: Whether BCSO changes its 30-day data retention policy as Flock rolls out its new safeguards.

Hamby says he is unsure if the agency plans to change it.

What to know about Flock cameras in Bexar County

Bexar County uses Flock cameras, while nearby Hill Country communities push back.

Animated illustration of a street surveillance camera. Red no signs appear in front of the lens and project outward from it in succession.

illustration of a street surveillance camera. Red no signs appear in front of the lens and project outward from it in succession.

Activists and residents across the political spectrum — including in communities around San Antonio — are pushing back against license plate readers made by <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Flock Safety and similar companies" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/douglas/2026/08/04/flock-ceo-douglas-county-sheriff-regret-axon-data" data-vars-content-id="9b94209f-516e-4ebb-b1f0-5f6de2a6bb68" data-vars-headline="What to know about Flock cameras in Bexar County" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/douglas/2026/08/04/flock-ceo-douglas-county-sheriff-regret-axon-data" target="_self">Flock Safety and similar companies</a>, fueled by privacy concerns.Why it matters: Advocates say the cameras help quickly track down criminals, making cities safer. Opponents say they&#x27;re a form of constant surveillance that infringes on residents&#x27; civil liberties.

Madalyn Mendoza

Featured stories

Bexar County emissions testing starts soon: What to know

How to prepare for Bexar County emissions testing

Gunter Studio opens in downtown San Antonio

What to know about Flock cameras in Bexar County

How much Trump's deportation push could cost Texas taxpayers