Studded tire dates in HopTire's 9 states, 2026-27

The nine states HopTire serves split three ways: six set a fixed calendar window for studded tires, one (Georgia, for both Atlanta and Savannah) allows them only when weather actually requires it with no fixed dates, one (Texas) bans them outright, and one (Illinois) restricts them to rural mail carriers rather than the general public. Check your state below before you mount a studded set or leave one on past its date.

The dates, state by state

State (metro)	Studded tires permitted	Source
New York (New York City)	October 16 – April 30	NY Vehicle and Traffic Law §375
Pennsylvania (Pittsburgh)	November 1 – April 15, extendable by the Governor	75 Pa.C.S.A. §4525
Illinois (Chicago)	Not permitted for the general public	625 ILCS 5/12-401
Georgia (Atlanta, Savannah)	No fixed dates; permitted only "when required for safety because of snow, ice, or other conditions"	Ga. Code §40-8-74
Texas (Dallas)	Not permitted at any time	Tex. Transp. Code §547.612
Colorado (Denver)	Permitted year-round; stud protrusion capped at 1/16 inch	C.R.S. §42-4-228
California (Los Angeles)	November 1 – April 30	Cal. Vehicle Code §27454
Idaho (Boise)	October 1 – April 30	Idaho Code §49-948
Tennessee (Chattanooga)	October 1 – April 15	Tenn. Code §55-9-106

Read the specifics for your state below; several have a rule that a summary table cannot carry.

New York

Studded tires are legal from October 16 through April 30. Outside that window they have to come off, with an exception for school buses and government vehicles, which may run them year-round.

Pennsylvania

The window is November 1 through April 15. Pennsylvania's statute also lets the Governor extend the end date by executive order "when highway conditions are such that such tires would be a safety factor," so a hard late-season storm can push the legal date past April 15 in a given year. Check for a current executive order before assuming the fixed date is final in an unusual spring.

Illinois

This is the one that catches people out. Illinois Vehicle Code §12-401 does not give the general public a studded-tire season at all: the only codified exception is for rural mail carriers under contract with the U.S. Postal Service, and only while they are actually delivering mail, from November 15 through April 1. If you are not delivering the mail, there is no date on which a studded tire is legal to run in Illinois. Chicago drivers who want winter traction legally should look at a dedicated winter tire without studs, or All-Weather tires rated for the winter symbol: see all-season, all-weather, or winter tires.

Georgia

Atlanta and Savannah share one state law, and it is not date-based. Georgia Code §40-8-74 permits metal-studded tires "when required for safety because of snow, ice, or other conditions tending to cause a vehicle to skid," with no calendar window named. In practice this means studded tires are legal to mount ahead of a forecast winter storm and should come back off once the road is clear, rather than running on a fixed autumn-to-spring schedule the way New York or Idaho do.

Texas

No date makes a studded tire legal in Texas. Transportation Code §547.612 bars non-rubber studs, flanges, cleats or spikes projecting past the tread on any public road, at any time of year, with tire chains carved out separately for icy conditions. If you are driving a Dallas winter storm, chains are the legal traction option, not studs.

Colorado

Colorado's statute (C.R.S. §42-4-228) does not set a start or end date for studded tires on a standard passenger vehicle; it instead limits how far the studs can protrude, capped at 1/16 inch past the tread on single-tired vehicles up to three-quarter-ton capacity. Do not confuse this with Colorado's separate Traction Law, which runs September 1 through May 31 and requires a traction device (which can be chains, or tires already rated for snow) on specific mountain corridors like I-70 — that law is about what traction you must have, not about when studs specifically are legal.

California

Caltrans states studded tires are permitted from November 1 through April 30 statewide, under California Vehicle Code §27454, and are not a substitute for chains where chains are specifically required.

Idaho

Idaho Code §49-948 sets the window at October 1 through April 30, with studded tires prohibited on public highways between May 1 and September 30. Running them past the date has drawn a $67 fine in enforcement reported by Idaho media.

Tennessee

Tennessee Code §55-9-106 permits studded tires from October 1 through April 15, with two added limits: they are barred on vehicles over 9,000 pounds gross weight (except school buses and emergency vehicles), and the stud material touching the road cannot exceed 20% of the tire's contact area during the first 1,000 miles, dropping to 5% after that.

What this means if you book with us

HopTire's mobile puncture repair works the same way on a studded tire as any other: the wheel comes off, the tire comes off the rim, and the inside gets inspected before any repair. That part of the job does not change state to state. New-tire replacement is sold in three fixed categories, budget, mid and premium, rather than by named model, so we cannot guarantee a specific studded product is in a given tier; confirm what is available for your size before booking if a studded tire specifically is what you need. See mobile tire repair and what a tire repair costs for the numbers either way.

Questions people ask

• Can I get in trouble for having studded tires on past the date, even if I am not driving? The laws above cover operating a vehicle with studded tires on a public highway. A parked car is generally not the target of enforcement, but there is no reason to leave a set on once the legal window closes.
• My state has a fixed date, but there is a freak snowstorm outside it. Now what? Only Pennsylvania's statute names an executive-order extension in the sources above. Elsewhere, the calendar date controls regardless of the weather that day; a chain or a non-studded winter tire is the legal option outside the window.
• Does the studded-tire date differ between a state's DOT chain-control days and its studded-tire law? Yes, and Colorado is the clearest example: its Traction Law dates (Sept 1–May 31) are about carrying legal traction equipment on certain corridors, separate from the studded-tire statute, which sets no calendar date at all.
• Are studless winter tires covered by any of these dates? No. These laws are specifically about metal studs projecting from the tread. A studless winter tire, however aggressive its tread, is not restricted by any of the dates above.
• Does HopTire sell or store studded tires? We sell new tires in three price tiers rather than by named product, so stud availability depends on what is in stock in your size at the time. Puncture repair is available on a studded tire the same as any other. Seasonal changeover (swapping a studded winter set on and off) is paused; see tire storage for what that means today.