Oregon Studded Tire Ban Begins April 1, Violators Face $165 Fine

A $165 citation awaits any Union County driver still running studded tires after Wednesday, when Oregon's April 1 enforcement window opens and law enforcement can begin writing tickets statewide.

State law permits studded tires from November 1 through March 31. Once that window closes, officers can cite any motorist found using them on public roads. ODOT and regional outlets including Elkhorn Media Group pushed advisories to Eastern Oregon drivers in the final days of March, urging residents not to wait because tire shops in the region get overwhelmed at seasonal changeover.

Confirming whether your vehicle has studded tires is straightforward: metal studs protrude slightly from the tread face and are visible on close inspection. If you spot them, get on a shop's calendar now. With the deadline two days out, appointment slots across northeastern Oregon are going fast.

For those who commute over the Blue Mountains or other higher-elevation routes that can still see snow after April 1, ODOT recommends shifting to studless winter or all-weather tires and carrying chains for routes that require them. If conditions are genuinely dangerous after the cutoff, postponing travel until roads improve is the third option. Check TripCheck.com before any mountain-pass commute for current road and weather conditions.

ODOT state maintenance and operations engineer Elizabeth Papadopoulos acknowledged that the calendar and the weather don't always align. "Spring storms are always possible in Oregon," Papadopoulos said. Her agency's maintenance crews are monitoring conditions and will work to clear any late-season snow or ice from highways as soon as possible.

The April 1 line exists because studded tires, effective as they are on ice, act like sandpaper on bare asphalt once winter recedes. Metal studs accelerate surface wear and drive up highway maintenance costs that fall on Oregon taxpayers. Research cited by ODOT found that all-weather tires without studs cause no more road damage than standard tires while delivering better traction on bare pavement than their studded counterparts. Switching permanently to studless winter or all-weather tires, rather than maintaining a second seasonal set, is the long-term move ODOT has been urging drivers to consider.

Law enforcement is expected to apply the April 1 cutoff as weather conditions permit. At $165 per citation, waiting out the deadline is an expensive gamble.