Guide to Oregon Chain Laws

With the onset of winter in Oregon and the increased driving hazards caused by cold weather conditions, the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) released its “Winter Travel News Packet” for 2025–2026. This document contains pages worth of information for Oregon drivers on how to stay safe and follow legal mandates during the cold season. Many of these tips are general, actionable insights on how to handle Oregon winter driving conditions. But one topic in the packet that can be a bit harder to grasp is Oregon’s chain law for tire traction.

The law in question exists to ensure that drivers have access to proper traction devices for their tires during snowy weather, and to outline when and where those devices should be used. The exact chain requirements in Oregon span multiple different state codes, so figuring out if your vehicle meets these standards can be tricky. That’s why we’ve put together a quick summary of Oregon’s tire chain laws, so you can stay safe and drive responsibly this winter season.

Are Tire Chains Required in Oregon?

Tire chains are required in Oregon, but only under certain circumstances. We’ll break down the specific circumstances where Oregon’s chain law takes effect, but as a general rule of thumb, you should keep tire chains in your vehicle from at least the beginning of November until the end of March.

You don’t have to have them equipped to your tires for this full duration—in areas where tire chains are required, signage will be posted to alert you. However, in order to be prepared for this possibility, Oregon law mandates that you have chains or other approved traction devices on hand when snow or ice is possible. Failing to do so is a Class C traffic violation and could result in a fine of up to $500.

When Are Tire Chains Required in Oregon?

There isn’t a fixed system drivers can use to infer which roads will require tire chains—instead, you must look for official information. If you are legally required to carry or use chains, there should be a posted sign on the road to indicate this. In addition, you can use ODOT’s online TripCheck feature to see what the chain requirements are on your route. Requirements posted for Oregon roads can include:

• Requirement to carry chains OR traction tires.
• General requirement to use chains OR traction tires.
• Conditional requirement to use chains, depending on vehicle weight and other relevant factors.
• General requirement to use chains OR traction tires, with specific conditional requirements for certain vehicles which must use chains.

Even when you don’t think the weather is bad enough to warrant any kind of traction devices, you may come across signage during the winter months necessitating them. This is one of the reasons it’s important to be prepared, stocking your vehicle with chains, traction tires, or other traction devices during the colder months.

Who Decides When Chains Are Required in Oregon?

According to state law, the responsibility to determine chain requirements in Oregon falls to the relevant road authority, who must post signage to indicate said requirements. The road authority is the governing body with jurisdiction over a specific stretch of roads. For instance, on all state highways the ODOT is the road authority responsible for determining and posting chain requirements, but on city roads, this responsibility may lie with a more specific local department.

Who Is Exempt From Chain Requirements in Oregon?

While Oregon’s chain law can broadly be assumed to apply to all drivers, there are certain exceptions listed under state law. These exceptions are as follows:

• Vehicles operated by ODOT and used for road maintenance may be exempt.
• Utility vehicles providing emergency response service may be exempt.
• Buses that are not towing or being towed may be exempt from weight-based chain requirements provided that the only reason the bus exceeds the weight limit is due to disability-accessible modifications (such as a wheelchair ramp).
• Motorcycles may be exempt from the requirement to carry chains, but cannot travel in areas where use of chains is required.

Very few drivers are meaningfully exempt from Oregon’s chain laws and should be sure to follow posted signs. Even if you think you might be exempt, it is wise to follow signage when possible.

What Types of Traction Devices Are Approved in Oregon?

While we generally refer to the laws we’ve discussed here as tire chain laws, there are actually a few different types of traction devices that can be suitable for use on Oregon roads during winter weather. Each comes with its own considerations, and some may be more potent than others. Before wrapping up, let’s discuss the various types of traction devices specifically recognized by ODOT’s chain requirements.

Chains

First and foremost, we have standard tire chains. These are generally seen as the more robust option, but there are actually a few different types of chains you can use. Oregon law recognizes any of the following as chains:

• Link chains, more traditional chains built out of small metal parts linked together. These are generally the most heavy-duty option, making them the most reliable for travel on snowy and icy surfaces, and less likely to wear out quickly. However, because they are so tough they can also pose a risk of causing damage to the road surface or your vehicle, especially if they break. The bulkiness can also make them difficult to store and install, especially in smaller vehicles.
• Cable chains, which work very similarly to link chains, but are made out of cable instead of links, as the name suggests. This makes them more lightweight—on the one hand, that means they can’t handle conditions quite as tough as those link chains can, but on the other hand, they will likely not do as much damage in the event of a break. The more lightweight nature of these chains also can make them easier to install.
• Tire socks, the black sheep of the bunch. Though they are fitted over the tire much like traditional chains, they look more like a piece of fabric hugging the tire, almost like a fitted sheet. It might seem strange to consider these as chains, but Oregon law considers anything which “attaches to the wheel, vehicle or outside of the tire and that augments the traction of a vehicle” to count as chains. Though they are much thinner and they aren’t as robust as more standard types of chains, tire socks are specifically designed to improve traction through texturing on the surface. However, even moreso than cable chains, tire socks come with the advantage of being lightweight, so when they are sufficient to clear wintry conditions, they can be one of the most convenient options with minimal risk of damage to your tires or the road surface.

Traction Tires

In some cases, signage in Oregon may allow for traction tires as an alternative to tire chains. These are tires which are built to provide extra traction in snowy or icy conditions. Like chains, there are a few types of traction tires recognized by Oregon’s chain law:

• Studded tires, which have metal studs or spikes on them for built-in traction. These are approved as traction tires for snowy conditions, but driving with studded tires is not appropriate outside of these conditions, as the studs can easily damage the road surface. Some types of studded tires, known as retractable studded tires, can switch to having their studs out or retract them inwards.
• Approved tires for severe winter conditions, which can be identified by a specific icon on the tire: a mountain shape with a snowflake inside. This marking on the tire sidewall indicates that the tire has been approved as providing more traction than average mud and snow tires. As such, they are sufficient for when signage allows traction tires to be used in place of chains.

Exemptions Allowing for Mud & Snow Tires

Mud and snow tires are another type of tire designed to provide traction in muddy or snowy conditions. They can be identified by an “M&S” marking on the sidewall, but notably, they are less robust than tires marked with the mountain and snowflake symbol. As such, mud and snow tires can sometimes be used in place of chains, but only for certain vehicles. Specifically, the options listed below can be used by a passenger vehicle which:

• Is capable of and actively using four-wheel / all-wheel drive.
• Weighs less than 6,500 lbs. unloaded.
• Is not towing another vehicle or hitched to a trailer.
• Is carrying chains.
• Has mud and snow or stronger traction tires equipped to all of its wheels.
• Is consistently maintaining traction in the conditions it's driving in.

How to Comply with Oregon Chain Laws

One of the main reasons Oregon’s chain requirements can be difficult to grasp is because they are highly conditional. Though it’s a great idea to use Oregon’s TripCheck feature to understand road conditions and ODOT’s chain requirements before you go, these conditions can be highly variable, and it’s better to overprepare than to underprepare. Here are some additional recommendations to prepare to meet chain laws while driving on Oregon’s roads:

• Always carry suitable chains and/or traction tires in your vehicle from early November until late March,
• Check the “Minimum Chain Requirements” page on ODOT’s website to see how many tires will need chains so you know how many to carry.
• Practice putting chains or traction devices on your vehicle’s tires before heading out on wintry roads.
• When heading out into winter weather, leave yourself plenty of extra time to reach your destination, allowing time for you to put on traction devices as necessary, as well as letting you drive at a safe, steady speed on hazardous roads.

Although trying to comply with Oregon’s chain laws can feel stressful, it’s important to remember that these requirements exist to help ensure everyone on the road stays safe, even under extreme winter conditions. The relevant road authorities in Oregon take the responsibility of assessing conditions and establishing minimum requirements, but it falls to Oregon drivers to drive responsibly and equip their vehicles with the proper protections. When everyone does their part, it helps create a safer Oregon for everyone, even during harsh winters.

Sources

• Oregon Department of Transportation, Commerce and Compliance Division. "Chains and Traction Tires."
• Oregon Department of Transportation. "Winter Travel News Packet 2025–2026."
• Oregon Revised Statutes, Chapter 810.
• Oregon Revised Statutes, Chapter 815.
• Oregon State Archives, Delivery and Operations Division - Chapter 734.
• TripCheck.com.
• Wakelin, Nicole for NAPA Online. "Snow Chains vs Cables: Which Is Right For You?"