Studded Tire Dates 2026-27 by State: When Studs Are Legal From Oct. 1 to May 31

Washington and Oregon allow studded tires from Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026, through Wednesday, March 31, 2027, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) and the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT). Other states differ by weeks: Idaho, Nevada and Montana opened Thursday, Oct. 1, and Pennsylvania and Ohio allow studs from Nov. 1 but only through April 15, 2027. The table below lists the season for each state we could confirm in the statute, with weekdays for 2026-27, and the corrections other lists get wrong follow it. A one-page glovebox card is at the end.

Studded tire dates by state for 2026-27

The sources are the Oregon Revised Statutes (ORS), Nevada Revised Statutes (NRS), New York’s Vehicle and Traffic Law (VTL), the Ohio Revised Code (ORC), the Maine Revised Statutes Annotated (MRSA) and the Montana Code Annotated (MCA), plus the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) in New York.

State	Studs allowed (as the law reads)	First legal day, 2026	Last legal day, 2027	Source
Washington	Nov. 1 to March 31	Sun., Nov. 1	Wed., March 31	WSDOT, March 30, 2026
Oregon	Nov. 1 through March 31	Sun., Nov. 1	Wed., March 31	ODOT Winter Snow Zone; ORS 815.165
Idaho	Banned May 1 to Sept. 30, so allowed Oct. 1 to April 30	Thu., Oct. 1	Fri., April 30	Idaho Code 49-948
Nevada	Oct. 1 to April 30	Thu., Oct. 1	Fri., April 30	NRS 484D.510
New York	Oct. 16 through April 30	Fri., Oct. 16	Fri., April 30	DMV Driver’s Manual, chapter 10; VTL 375
Pennsylvania	Nov. 1 to April 15 of the following year	Sun., Nov. 1	Thu., April 15	75 Pa.C.S. 4525(c)
Virginia	Oct. 15 to April 15	Thu., Oct. 15	Thu., April 15	Code of Virginia 46.2-1044
Ohio	Nov. 1 through April 15 of the succeeding year	Sun., Nov. 1	Thu., April 15	ORC 5589.081
Maine	Banned May 1 to Oct. 1	Ban lifts Thu., Oct. 1	Fri., April 30 (ban starts May 1)	29-A MRSA 1919
Montana	Oct. 1 to May 31	Thu., Oct. 1	Mon., May 31	MCA 61-9-406

Idaho and Maine write their rules as a ban window, so the legal season in the table is the days outside that window. Maine’s text says “Prohibited May 1st to October 1st”, and we list the first legal day as the day the ban lifts.

Which studded tire dates do other lists get wrong?

Three entries need care.

• Pennsylvania. Some older compilations list Oct. 1 to April 30. The statute text we read, 75 Pa.C.S. 4525(c), says studs “shall be permitted between November 1 of each year and April 15 of the following year.” It adds that the Governor may by executive order extend the time when highway conditions are such that the tires would be needed.
• New York. The state DMV’s Driver’s Manual says tires with metal studs “can be used in New York State only from October 16 through April 30.” The Vehicle and Traffic Law bars them “from the first day of May to the fifteenth day of October, inclusive”, with exceptions for school buses and state or municipal vehicles. Both give Friday, Oct. 16, 2026, as the first day.
• Oregon. ODOT says studded tires are “only legal for use in Oregon from Nov. 1 through March 31.” The statute, ORS 815.165, words the same window as “Between November 1 of any year and April 1 of the following year.” We use ODOT’s March 31 as the last legal day, because it is the agency’s own statement.

When do studded tires have to come off in Washington and Oregon?

WSDOT’s March 30, 2026, release says: “Studded tires are legal in Washington from Nov. 1 to March 31.” In 2027, March 31 is a Wednesday, so Washington drivers who want to avoid using studs outside the season should plan for that day. Mark it on the April 2027 printable calendar. Oregon’s ODOT date is the same.

What are the exceptions in Virginia, Ohio and New York?

Virginia’s Code says “The use of studded tires shall be permissible only from October 15 to April 15,” and exempts law-enforcement vehicles and some others. Ohio’s section 5589.081 exempts public safety vehicles and school buses from its November 1 to April 15 window. New York’s Vehicle and Traffic Law exempts school buses and state or municipal vehicles from its ban. Check the statute for your vehicle type before you rely on a date.

Does Minnesota have a studded tire season?

Minnesota Statutes 169.72 does not set a season. Subdivision 1(c) says no tire on a vehicle moved on a highway shall have on its periphery any block, stud, flange, cleat or spike, with limited exceptions. Vehicles registered in another state may use studs while “occasionally” in Minnesota, and the statute says 30 days in any consecutive six-month period is not occasionally. A rural mail carrier permit is valid from November 1 of a calendar year and expires April 15 of the following calendar year.

Which states are not confirmed?

We could not confirm Alaska, Wisconsin, Illinois, Connecticut, Utah, California, Massachusetts, Vermont, Michigan, Colorado or the other states on their official statute pages, so we give no dates for them. Check the state’s DMV or transportation department. Nov. 1 itself is on our November 2026 printable calendar, and Canadian readers can compare winter tire rules in Quebec and British Columbia. City parking limits during snow are in our winter parking bans by city list.

What goes on the glovebox card?

The printable lists each state’s opening date and its last legal day or ban date from the statutes above, and the states we could not confirm. Ohio’s dates are in the table above but not on the card, because its statute spells them out in words (first day of November through the fifteenth day of April) and the card needs dates as printed. Print it, keep it in the glovebox and check your state’s agency before the season ends.