§ 42-4-228 — Restrictions on tire equipment

(1) Every solid rubber tire on a
vehicle shall have rubber on its entire traction surface at least one inch thick above
the edge of the flange of the entire periphery.

(2) No person shall operate or move on any highway any motor vehicle,
trailer, or semitrailer having any metal tire in contact with the roadway, and it is
unlawful to operate upon the highways of this state any motor vehicle, trailer, or
semitrailer equipped with solid rubber tires.

(3) No tire on a vehicle moved on a highway shall have on its periphery any
block, stud, flange, cleat, or spike or any other protuberances of any material other
than rubber which projects beyond the tread on the traction surface of the tire;
except that, on single-tired passenger vehicles and on other single-tired vehicles
with rated capacities up to and including three-fourths ton, it shall be permissible
to use tires containing studs or other protuberances which do not project more than
one-sixteenth of an inch beyond the tread of the traction surface of the tire; and
except that it shall be permissible to use farm machinery with tires having
protuberances which will not injure the highway; and except also that it shall be
permissible to use tire chains of reasonable proportions upon any vehicle when
required for safety because of snow, ice, or other conditions tending to cause a
vehicle to skid.

(4) The department of transportation and local authorities in their respective
jurisdictions, in their discretion, may issue special permits authorizing the operation
upon a highway of traction engines or tractors having movable tracks with
transverse corrugations upon the periphery of such movable tracks or farm tractors
or other farm machinery, the operation of which upon a highway would otherwise be
prohibited under this article.

(5) (a) No person shall drive or move a motor vehicle on any highway unless
such vehicle is equipped with tires in safe operating condition in accordance with
this subsection (5) and any supplemental rules and regulations promulgated by the
executive director of the department.

(b) The executive director of the department shall promulgate such rules as
the executive director deems necessary setting forth requirements of safe
operating conditions for tires. These rules shall be utilized by law enforcement
officers for visual inspection of tires and shall include methods for simple gauge
measurement of tire tread depth.

(c) A tire shall be considered unsafe if it has:

(I) Any bump, bulge, or knot affecting the tire structure;

(II) A break which exposes a tire body cord or is repaired with a boot or patch;

(III) A tread depth of less than two thirty-seconds of an inch measured in any
two tread grooves at three locations equally spaced around the circumference of
the tire, or, on those tires with tread wear indicators, a tire shall be considered
unsafe if it is worn to the point that the tread wear indicators contact the road in
any two-tread grooves at three locations equally spaced around the circumference
of the tire; except that this subparagraph (III) shall not apply to tires on a
commercial vehicle as such term is defined in section 42-4-235 (1)(a); or

(IV) Such other conditions as may be reasonably demonstrated to render it
unsafe.

(6) No passenger car tire shall be used on any motor vehicle which is driven
or moved on any highway if such tire was designed or manufactured for nonhighway
use.

(7) No person shall sell any motor vehicle for highway use unless the vehicle
is equipped with tires that are in compliance with subsections (5) and (6) of this
section and any rules of safe operating condition promulgated by the department.

(8) (a) Any person who violates any provision of subsection (1), (2), (3), (5), or
(6) of this section commits a class A traffic infraction.

(b) Any person who violates any provision of subsection (7) of this section
commits a class 2 misdemeanor traffic offense.

Legislative History

Source: L. 94: Entire title amended with relocations, p. 2262, � 1, effective January 1, 1995.