Texas drivers will have a little less clutter on their windshield next year when the familiar green inspection sticker goes away, but it comes at the price of requiring inspections in order to renew vehicle registrations.

As of March 2015, vehicles registered in Texas will no longer need separate vehicle inspection and registration stickers. Inspections and registrations will continue, but the single registration sticker will act as proof of both, Texas DMV director Whitney Brewster told a state senate committee on Monday. The deadline for passing state vehicle safety and emissions tests shifts to sometime in the 90 days before the vehicle's registration expires.

"This is a big impact on customers," Brewster told state senators, citing the need for an aggressive public awareness campaign.

Currently, inspection and registration operate largely independent of one another. The change puts them on one sticker, but also moves away from the grace period for inspections some people are accustomed to, and requires valid safety inspections to renew vehicles.

The new process, supporters of the change say, makes it more difficult to cheat the system by avoiding inspections.

State officials say Texas will save $2.1 million with the change - mostly in oversight and sticker costs - and improve law enforcement ability to police fraud and maintain up-to-date insurance records.

The rules and costs for vehicle owners do not change, though when the payments occur will. Owners in the Houston area will pay the station $25.50 when the inspection is done. The remaining $14.25 associated with Texas clean air programs and inspection oversight is paid when the person renews the vehicle registration.

The owner will get a printout when they submit for the inspection, then that information is relayed into the state database. The owner can go online prior to their registration expiring and renew. Officials can check the insurance and inspection databases for the information and issue the registration renewal.

For in-person renewals, the owner can take the proper insurance and inspection certificates and present them to the county tax assessor.

The change means a break from annual inspections for some drivers, because of the timing for inspections and registrations expiring. If someone's registration expires in May and their inspection tag expires in June, for example, they will not have to get their car tested until prior to renewing their registration in May 2016.

Lawmakers last year nixed the inspection sticker, citing the potential to reduce fraudulent tags. Sen. Royce West, D-Dallas, argued for the change, which brings inspection information into a state database.

This way, West said last year, the state has a way to verify valid insurance, emissions compliance and registration through one database managed by the Department of Public Safety. The current method keeps emission and inspection information in separate places, managed between DPS, DMV and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.

Even with advanced notice, however, lawmakers said they expect some irate calls, as Texans bid adieu to a sticker they're accustomed to receiving.

"We'll be right in session, and I bet we get a lot of complaints," said Sen. Robert Nichols, chair of the Senate Transportation Committee.