1. (a) Used school buses purchased or operated by a school district in Texas shall meet or exceed all Federal and State requirements for public school buses that were in effect in Texas on the date the vehicle was manufactured. Prior to the sale, the dealer selling the used school bus must provide the buyer (school district) with:

   1. (1) Documentation of the dealer's general distinguishing number required by Texas Transportation Code, §503.029.
   2. (2) Documentation of the original manufacturing state of the school bus.
   3. (3) A copy of the original manufacturing specifications for the school bus.
   4. (4) Documentation of all modifications made to each school bus to bring it into compliance with Texas School Bus Specifications in effect on the original date of manufacture.

2. (b) School districts or contractors must notify the department in writing within 30 days of purchasing any used school bus. The notification must include:

   1. (1) The date of purchase and delivery.
   2. (2) The name of the dealer and the dealer's general distinguishing number for the seller of the used school bus.
   3. (3) Who manufactured the school bus, date of manufacture, and to which states' specifications the school bus was manufactured.
3. (c) Used school buses purchased by school districts that were not originally manufactured to Texas specifications at the time the school bus was manufactured may be inspected by the department to verify compliance with the applicable federal and state specifications.
4. (d) Any used school bus, as described in subsection (a) of this section, found out of compliance with the specifications that were in effect in Texas on the date the vehicle was manufactured will be placed out of service by the vehicle's owner until it is brought into compliance with the applicable specifications.

Source Note:The provisions of this §14.53 adopted to be effective March 18, 2009, 34 TexReg 1879; amended to be effective October 29, 2025, 50 TexReg 7019.