Texas motorcycle laws: helmets, lane splitting and more

This page explains Texas motorcycle laws in plain English so you know what to look up. It isn't legal advice and it doesn't cover every condition or exception. Laws change, often after the Legislature meets every other year. Before you rely on a rule here, read the current law, check with the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), and talk to a lawyer if you have a specific situation.

That makes Texas a partial helmet law state, but adults are not exempt by default. If you're over 21 and you haven't taken an approved course and don't have qualifying health coverage, the helmet requirement still applies to you.

Legal or not, a full-face helmet is the right tool for Texas. It keeps grasshoppers, hail and highway grit off your face, it cuts the wind noise on long West Texas straights, and it keeps the sun off you in July.

As of 2026, Texas law doesn't allow lane splitting (riding between lanes of moving traffic) or lane filtering (moving up between stopped cars at a light). Bills to allow filtering have been filed in past legislative sessions, but none has become law. Several states are changing their laws, so check before you ride.

Until that changes, hold your lane. At a stop, sit where the driver behind can see you, leave space ahead for an escape route, and watch your mirror for anyone who isn't slowing down. Some Texas highways are posted at 75 mph or higher, so give yourself more following distance than you think you need.

To ride on public roads in Texas you need a Class M license, or Class M added to your driver license, issued by DPS. Texas generally requires new applicants to complete an approved basic motorcycle operator training course, and that same course is one way riders 21 and over qualify for the helmet exemption. Check DPS for the current steps, ages and testing rules, since they change.

Experienced riders get something from an advanced course too. Texas asks a lot of a rider: gravel on Hill Country corners, deer at dusk, crosswinds on the plains and heavy traffic around Dallas, Houston, Austin and San Antonio. New to riding? See our guide to the motorcycle app for beginners.

Passengers under 21 must wear a helmet, and as we read Chapter 661, the operator can also be cited for carrying a passenger who isn't wearing one when the law requires it. Texas sets a minimum age for motorcycle passengers in the Transportation Code, so check it before you carry a child, and only carry a passenger on a bike built for two, on a real passenger seat.

Texas law doesn't require eye protection the way some states do. Wear it anyway. A bug or a pebble at highway speed is a real hazard, and a clear visor or riding glasses costs far less than an emergency room visit.

Keep your lights, horn and mirrors working, and check the Transportation Code before you change the exhaust or lighting. Loud pipes are a common reason riders get pulled over in Texas cities.

Texas requires liability insurance on registered vehicles, motorcycles included. The minimum is usually written as 30/60/25: $30,000 for injuries to one person, $60,000 for all injuries in one crash, and $25,000 for property damage. Those are minimums, not recommendations, and uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage is worth asking your insurer about. Check the Texas Department of Insurance for current rules.

Carry your license with the M, your registration and proof of insurance. Texas ended required annual safety inspections for most non-commercial vehicles starting in 2025, though registration rules and fees still apply. Check the Texas DMV for how that works for your bike.

Texas has banned reading, writing or sending electronic messages while driving statewide since 2017, and many cities have stricter hands-free rules. On a bike the simple rule is: don't touch the phone while you're moving.

Rippin' is built for that. Tap Record Ride once before you roll, pocket or mount the phone, and ride. Recording runs in the background, and you tap Stop at the end. Set up turn-by-turn on a loop builder route before you leave, and pull over to change anything.

Segments in Rippin' are stretches of road a rider added and our team checked. You're timed automatically when you ride one, but a segment board is about who owns the road and who rides it, not a race. Turf, poker cards and points come from riding, not from riding fast.

Popular roads like Devil's Backbone, RR 1431 and the Twisted Sisters see enforcement, and the Hill Country's blind crests and loose gravel punish speed. Our list of the best motorcycle roads in Texas says what to watch for on each one. And set a home privacy safe zone so the part of your rides near home stays hidden from other riders.