What is a “studded tire use permit?
In keeping with the philosophy to charge user fees to pay for road needs, the task force explored the damage caused by studded tires to road surfaces in the state. The task force learned that the use of studded tires reduces the useful life of road surfaces in the amount of $11 million per year. The task force found that currently, under Oregon’s cost allocation policy, the cost of studded tire damage repair is spread across all passenger vehicles whether they use studded tires or not. The task force prefers that this subsidy should end. The task force recommends an annual studded tire use permit, loosely based on the Sno-Park Permit Program, to raise sufficient revenue to cover the annual cost of repairing Oregon roads for studded tire damage. The studded tire permit rate would differ between northwestern Oregon and southern and eastern Oregon. The task force believes regional variation in the permit rate is justifiable for the reason that studded tire use in the northwestern western
