{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-json\/46.2-1044.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-text\/46.2-1044.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-xml\/46.2-1044.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-html\/46.2-1044.html"}],"law_id":364636,"edition_id":2,"section_id":364636,"structure_id":52056,"section_number":"46.2-1044","catch_line":"Cleats, etc., on tires; chains; tires with studs","history":"Code 1950, \u00a7 46-300; 1958, c. 541, \u00a7 46.1-296; 1968, c. 1; 1970, c. 263; 1972, c. 39; 1974, c. 368; 1976, c. 315; 1978, c. 259; 1989, c. 727; 2009, c. 118; 2015, cc. 502, 503.","full_text":"No tire on a vehicle moved on a highway shall have on its periphery any block, stud, flange, cleat, spike, or any other protuberance of any material other than rubber which projects beyond the tread of the traction surface of the tire. It shall be permissible, however, to use on the highways farm machinery having protuberances which will not injure the highway and to use tire chains of reasonable proportions when required for safety because of snow, ice, or other conditions tending to cause a vehicle to slide or skid. It shall also be permissible to use on any vehicle whose gross weight does not exceed 10,000 pounds tires with studs which project no more than one-sixteenth of an inch beyond the tread of the traction surface of the tire when compressed if the studs cover no more than three percent of the traction surface of the tire.\n\nThe use of studded tires shall be permissible only from October 15 to April 15.\n\nThe provisions of this section shall not apply to any (i) law-enforcement vehicle operated by or under the direction of a federal, state, or local law-enforcement officer; (ii) vehicle used to fight fire, including publicly owned state forest warden vehicles; (iii) emergency medical services vehicle; or (iv) vehicle owned or operated by the Virginia Department of Transportation or its contractors in maintenance and emergency response operations.\n\n","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":1358534,"text":"No tire on a vehicle moved on a highway shall have on its periphery any block, stud, flange, cleat, spike, or any other protuberance of any material other than rubber which projects beyond the tread of the traction surface of the tire. It shall be permissible, however, to use on the highways farm machinery having protuberances which will not injure the highway and to use tire chains of reasonable proportions when required for safety because of snow, ice, or other conditions tending to cause a vehicle to slide or skid. It shall also be permissible to use on any vehicle whose gross weight does not exceed 10,000 pounds tires with studs which project no more than one-sixteenth of an inch beyond the tread of the traction surface of the tire when compressed if the studs cover no more than three percent of the traction surface of the tire.","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1,"next_prefix":""},"1":{"id":1358535,"text":"The use of studded tires shall be permissible only from October 15 to April 15.","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1,"prior_prefix":"","next_prefix":""},"2":{"id":1358536,"text":"The provisions of this section shall not apply to any (i) law-enforcement vehicle operated by or under the direction of a federal, state, or local law-enforcement officer; (ii) vehicle used to fight fire, including publicly owned state forest warden vehicles; (iii) emergency medical services vehicle; or (iv) vehicle owned or operated by the Virginia Department of Transportation or its contractors in maintenance and emergency response operations.","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1,"prior_prefix":""}},"ancestry":[{"id":52056,"edition_id":2,"name":"Tires","identifier":"4","label":"article","depth":4,"order_by":4,"parent_id":52052,"metadata":{"child_laws":7,"child_structures":0},"date_created":"2026-08-02 02:52:35","date_modified":"2026-08-02 12:34:11","permalink":{"id":1456565,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":52056,"identifier":"4","token":"46.2\/III\/10\/4","url":"\/46.2\/III\/10\/4\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":52052,"edition_id":2,"name":"Motor Vehicle and Equipment Safety","identifier":"10","label":"chapter","depth":3,"order_by":2,"parent_id":52051,"metadata":{"child_laws":265,"child_structures":23},"date_created":"2026-08-02 02:52:29","date_modified":"2026-08-02 12:34:11","permalink":{"id":1455601,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":52052,"identifier":"10","token":"46.2\/III\/10","url":"\/46.2\/III\/10\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":52051,"edition_id":2,"name":"Operation","identifier":"III","label":"subtitle","depth":2,"order_by":3,"parent_id":52048,"metadata":{"child_laws":589,"child_structures":55},"date_created":"2026-08-02 02:52:29","date_modified":"2026-08-02 12:34:07","permalink":{"id":1455599,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":52051,"identifier":"III","token":"46.2\/III","url":"\/46.2\/III\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":52048,"edition_id":2,"name":"Motor Vehicles","identifier":"46.2","label":"title","depth":1,"order_by":101,"parent_id":null,"metadata":{"child_laws":1830,"child_structures":157},"date_created":"2026-08-02 02:52:29","date_modified":"2026-08-02 12:34:02","permalink":{"id":1452291,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":52048,"identifier":"46.2","token":"46.2","url":"\/46.2\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":364632,"structure_id":52056,"section_number":"46.2-1041","catch_line":"Restrictions as to solid rubber tires","url":"\/46.2-1041\/","token":"46.2\/III\/10\/4\/46.2-1041","metadata":false},{"id":364633,"structure_id":52056,"section_number":"46.2-1042","catch_line":"Standard for vehicle tire; sale of certain tires prohibited; penalty","url":"\/46.2-1042\/","token":"46.2\/III\/10\/4\/46.2-1042","metadata":false},{"id":364635,"structure_id":52056,"section_number":"46.2-1043","catch_line":"Tire tread depth","url":"\/46.2-1043\/","token":"46.2\/III\/10\/4\/46.2-1043","metadata":false},{"id":364634,"structure_id":52056,"section_number":"46.2-1043.1","catch_line":"Tire loading","url":"\/46.2-1043.1\/","token":"46.2\/III\/10\/4\/46.2-1043.1","metadata":false},{"id":364636,"structure_id":52056,"section_number":"46.2-1044","catch_line":"Cleats, etc., on tires; chains; tires with studs","url":"\/46.2-1044\/","token":"46.2\/III\/10\/4\/46.2-1044","metadata":false},{"id":364637,"structure_id":52056,"section_number":"46.2-1045","catch_line":"Sale of tires having cleats, etc., prohibited; studded tires excepted","url":"\/46.2-1045\/","token":"46.2\/III\/10\/4\/46.2-1045","metadata":false},{"id":364638,"structure_id":52056,"section_number":"46.2-1046","catch_line":"Traction engines and tractors","url":"\/46.2-1046\/","token":"46.2\/III\/10\/4\/46.2-1046","metadata":false}],"previous_section":{"id":364634,"structure_id":52056,"section_number":"46.2-1043.1","catch_line":"Tire loading","url":"\/46.2-1043.1\/","token":"46.2\/III\/10\/4\/46.2-1043.1","metadata":false},"next_section":{"id":364637,"structure_id":52056,"section_number":"46.2-1045","catch_line":"Sale of tires having cleats, etc., prohibited; studded tires excepted","url":"\/46.2-1045\/","token":"46.2\/III\/10\/4\/46.2-1045","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/46.2-1044\/","history_text":"

The record of this law\u2019s original creation isn\u2019t available online. It has been modified 10 times. Those modifications are cataloged by \u201cThe Acts of Assembly,\u201d a state publication, by year and chapter. Those modifications that can be read on the General Assembly\u2019s website will be linked accordingly. Those modifications are as follows: in 1958, chapter 541; in 1968, chapter 1; in 1970, chapter 263; in 1972, chapter 39; in 1974, chapter 368; in 1976, chapter 315; in 1978, chapter 259; in 1989, chapter 727; in 2009, chapter 118<\/a>; in 2015, chapters 502<\/a> and 503<\/a>.<\/p>","references":false,"refers_to":false,"permalink":{"id":1456583,"object_type":"law","relational_id":364636,"identifier":"46.2-1044","token":"46.2\/III\/10\/4\/46.2-1044","url":"\/46.2-1044\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/46.2-1044\/","token":"46.2\/III\/10\/4\/46.2-1044","dublin_core":{"Title":"Cleats, etc., on tires; chains; tires with studs","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 46.2-1044","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

No tire on a vehicle<\/span> moved on a highway<\/span> shall have on its periphery any block, stud, flange, cleat, spike, or any other protuberance of any material<\/span> other than rubber which projects beyond the tread of the traction surface of the tire. It shall be permissible, however, to use on the highways<\/span> farm machinery having protuberances which will not injure the highway<\/span> and to use tire chains of reasonable proportions when required for safety because of snow, ice, or other conditions tending to cause a vehicle<\/span> to slide or skid. It shall also be permissible to use on any vehicle<\/span> whose gross weight<\/span> does not exceed 10,000 pounds tires with studs which project no more than one-sixteenth of an inch beyond the tread of the traction surface of the tire when compressed if the studs cover no more than three percent of the traction surface of the tire.<\/p>

The use of studded tires shall be permissible only from October 15 to April 15.<\/p>

The provisions of this section shall not apply to any (i) law<\/span>-enforcement vehicle<\/span> operated by or under the direction of a federal, state, or local law<\/span>-enforcement officer<\/span>; (ii) vehicle<\/span> used to fight fire, including publicly owned state forest warden vehicles<\/span>; (iii) emergency medical services vehicle<\/span>; or (iv) vehicle<\/span> owned or operated by the Virginia Department<\/span> of Transportation or its contractors in maintenance and emergency response operations.<\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nCLEATS, ETC., ON TIRES; CHAINS; TIRES WITH STUDS (\u00a7 46.2-1044)\n\nNo tire on a vehicle moved on a highway shall have on its periphery any block,\nstud, flange, cleat, spike, or any other protuberance of any material other than\nrubber which projects beyond the tread of the traction surface of the tire. It\nshall be permissible, however, to use on the highways farm machinery having\nprotuberances which will not injure the highway and to use tire chains of\nreasonable proportions when required for safety because of snow, ice, or other\nconditions tending to cause a vehicle to slide or skid. It shall also be\npermissible to use on any vehicle whose gross weight does not exceed 10,000\npounds tires with studs which project no more than one-sixteenth of an inch\nbeyond the tread of the traction surface of the tire when compressed if the\nstuds cover no more than three percent of the traction surface of the tire.\n\nThe use of studded tires shall be permissible only from October 15 to April 15.\n\nThe provisions of this section shall not apply to any (i) law-enforcement\nvehicle operated by or under the direction of a federal, state, or local\nlaw-enforcement officer; (ii) vehicle used to fight fire, including publicly\nowned state forest warden vehicles; (iii) emergency medical services vehicle; or\n(iv) vehicle owned or operated by the Virginia Department of Transportation or\nits contractors in maintenance and emergency response operations.\n\nHISTORY: Code 1950, \u00a7 46-300; 1958, c. 541, \u00a7 46.1-296; 1968, c. 1; 1970, c.\n263; 1972, c. 39; 1974, c. 368; 1976, c. 315; 1978, c. 259; 1989, c. 727; 2009,\nc. 118; 2015, cc. 502, 503.","edition":{"id":2,"name":"2026","slug":"2026","date_created":"2026-07-16 18:40:23","date_modified":"2026-08-02 15:14:36","current":1,"order_by":2,"last_import":"2026-08-02 12:37:30"}}