Jul 13, 2026 · 3 min · 3 segments
David Tullos, Grimes County Commissioner, discusses growing support among Texas county officials to increase the optional vehicle registration fee from $10 to $20, citing rising road maintenance…
This article is from the July issue of County Progress.
According to Texas Transportation Code Section 502.401, the Texas County Commissioner's Court may impose an additional fee not to exceed $10 for registering a vehicle in the county.
The $10 maximum was established in 1991.
Grimes County Commissioner David Telos said Grimes County collects the $10 fee, which is deposited into the county's road and bridge fund as required by statute.
The cost of road materials continues to rise, and the volatility in the cost of fuel also contributes to the increasing expense of maintaining our county roads, Tullos stated.
An increase in the fee collection rate would be a benefit to rural counties across Texas, as would an increase in the county allocation of the fuel tax collected by the state.
In a transportation funding analysis, the Texas Department of Transportation noted that higher construction costs and continued population growth have increased the cost of planning, building, and maintaining highway infrastructure.
Rising material and labor costs, evidenced by a 66.85% increase in the Highway Cost Index from August 2021 to August 2025, are creating daily challenges for the construction industry and the Texas Department of Transportation.
County commissioners are experiencing the same at the county level.
Road materials have gone up drastically, reported Cherokee County Commissioner Kelly Traylor.
Cherokee County, which collects the $10 fee, encompasses over 1,000 miles of county roads.
The money collected is spread across four precincts.
We are fighting an uphill battle on our roads because costs are going up, but our revenue source is decreasing because of inflation, Traylor explained.
The road budget must cover materials, labor, equipment, repair, maintenance, and replacement costs for roads, bridges, vehicles, culverts, and more.
Doubling the fee would be a tremendous help to Cherokee County, Traylor said, and is a fair revenue source as it is being paid by those who are using the roads every day.
Atascosa County also collects the $10 fee, reported County Commissioner Mark Gillespie.
We support the increase of the fee to $20 and could raise the fee gradually over time if necessary, Gillespie stated.
The cost of road materials, equipment, and labor to maintain rural county roads has doubled, he emphasized, and our rural population has altogether outgrown itself and our roads.
Members of Commissioner's Courts worked with the CJCAT to develop a resolution allowing counties to raise the fee to a $20 maximum.
The full resolution is available on the County Progress website homepage.
This article is from the July issue of County Progress.
According to Texas Transportation Code Section 502.401, the Texas County Commissioner's Court may impose an additional fee not to exceed $10 for registering a vehicle in the county.
The $10 maximum was established in 1991.
Grimes County Commissioner David Telos said Grimes County collects the $10 fee, which is deposited into the county's road and bridge fund as required by statute.
The cost of road materials continues to rise, and the volatility in the cost of fuel also contributes to the increasing expense of maintaining our county roads, Tullos stated.
An increase in the fee collection rate would be a benefit to rural counties across Texas, as would an increase in the county allocation of the fuel tax collected by the state.
In a transportation funding analysis, the Texas Department of Transportation noted that higher construction costs and continued population growth have increased the cost of planning, building, and maintaining highway infrastructure.
Rising material and labor costs, evidenced by a 66.85% increase in the Highway Cost Index from August 2021 to August 2025, are creating daily challenges for the construction industry and the Texas Department of Transportation.
County commissioners are experiencing the same at the county level.
Road materials have gone up drastically, reported Cherokee County Commissioner Kelly Traylor.
Cherokee County, which collects the $10 fee, encompasses over 1,000 miles of county roads.
The money collected is spread across four precincts.
We are fighting an uphill battle on our roads because costs are going up, but our revenue source is decreasing because of inflation, Traylor explained.
The road budget must cover materials, labor, equipment, repair, maintenance, and replacement costs for roads, bridges, vehicles, culverts, and more.
Doubling the fee would be a tremendous help to Cherokee County, Traylor said, and is a fair revenue source as it is being paid by those who are using the roads every day.
Atascosa County also collects the $10 fee, reported County Commissioner Mark Gillespie.
We support the increase of the fee to $20 and could raise the fee gradually over time if necessary, Gillespie stated.
The cost of road materials, equipment, and labor to maintain rural county roads has doubled, he emphasized, and our rural population has altogether outgrown itself and our roads.
Members of Commissioner's Courts worked with the CJCAT to develop a resolution allowing counties to raise the fee to a $20 maximum.
The full resolution is available on the County Progress website homepage.
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