Are passenger cars required to have chains in Colorado?
Passenger cars are not required to have chains in their car. On rare occasions road conditions may be so severe that law enforcement requires all vehicles use chains but occurrences are exceedingly rare. More common is the requirement for all vehicles to have adequate snow tires or tire chains. Adequate snow tires are defined as tires marked M/S (mud/snow) or studded snow tires with tread depth of 1/8th inch or greater. Four wheel drive engaged is considered an alternative to adequate snow tires or chains for passenger vehicles. Regardless of existing or reported conditions, CDOT highly recommends that all vehicles have tires suitable for traveling Colorado roadways in winter.
