March 31 last day of season to use studded tires in Oregon, Washington

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) -- If you have studded tires on your car, you have until Sunday night to remove them or risk getting a ticket in both Oregon and Washington.

After that, you could be cited for $165 in Oregon and $135 in Washington.

If you're traveling over higher elevations where snow can still be a problem, chains may still be required for travel. Additionally, there are no restrictions on winter tires, as long as they don't have studs.

According to a 2014 study conducted by ODOT, studded tires cause about $8.5 million in damage to Oregon state highways each year. Meanwhile, Washington State Department of Transportation faces a much larger cost.

“We know that studded tires cause between $20 million to $29 million in damage to state-owned roads in Washington each winter and also damage city and county roads,” said WSDOT Maintenance Operations Manager James Morin. “We urge travelers to explore all their traction options, including non-stud, winter-tread tires which are different from all-season tires. These tires are legal year-round and don’t damage our highways.”