As temperatures rise and more people across Oregon head outdoors, spring brings the familiar clicking sound of studded tires grinding against bare pavement.
Research has shown that studded tires shorten road lifespan and cost the state millions in repairs. Several states, including Alaska, Florida, and Minnesota, have banned metal studded tires. In neighboring Washington, drivers must pay a $5 fee per studded tire — a policy designed to discourage the use of one of the most damaging tire types and help fund road maintenance.
So why hasn’t Oregon taken similar steps, especially as it struggles with road maintenance backlogs and ongoing transportation funding challenges?
Studded tires feature small metal spikes that cut through snow and ice, but that added traction comes at a cost — they carve grooves into pavement. Studies indicate that studded tires reduce asphalt lifespan by six to eight years. In 2014, fixing these ruts cost the state $98,000 per lane mile — nearly $300,000 per mile for a three-lane highway.
Oregon imposes a $165 fine on drivers who use studded tires outside the Nov. 1 to March 31 window. However, according to Patrick Brennan, an analyst with Oregon’s nonpartisan Legislative Policy and Research Office, the state has not seriously considered a full ban in the past 15 years. He told the Capital Chronicle that these tires remain essential for residents in mountainous and snow-prone regions.
Since 2013, lawmakers have introduced at least three proposals to add fees to studded tire purchases and installations, with most of the revenue intended for the State Highway Fund to support road repairs. Still, none of these proposals have advanced beyond committee review.
Rep. Susan McLain, a Democrat from Forest Grove and chair of the House Transportation Committee, said she has reviewed multiple such proposals since taking office in 2015. However, she noted that as more drivers switch to alternative winter tires, the revenue generated from studded tire fees would likely have only a minimal impact on the state’s road maintenance budget.
“It didn’t feel like it was a very large or ongoing possibility for that to be meaningful,” she said in a phone interview with the Capital Chronicle.
After Washington put its law in place, studded tire sales declined from nearly 171,000 in fiscal years 2018–19 to around 107,000 in fiscal years 2024 and 2025, according to the Washington Department of Revenue.
Even so, studded tires in Washington still cause an estimated $20 million to $29 million in damage each year to state and local roads, according to the Washington Department of Transportation.
The Oregon Department of Transportation does not track how many drivers use studded tires. However, its most recent study shows a sharp decline in usage — from 16% of drivers in 1995 to just 4% during the winter of 2013–14.
That same study found that damage from studded tires cost Oregon about $8.5 million in 2012, excluding damage to city and county roads. In more recent estimates, state transportation officials placed that figure closer to $4 million by 2022. Most of the damage occurred in the Portland Metro area, where more drivers use studded tires, followed by Central Oregon, where usage rates are also higher.
The state transportation department has not conducted any newer studies on studded tire use.
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