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Studded tire laws, South Carolina

Are studded tires legal in South Carolina?

South Carolina law sets no seasonal dates for studded tires.

No seasonal dates
Rule
S.C. Code Ann. § 56-5-5040
No seasonal dates
Seasonal window
conditions apply all year
Quoted below
Chain law
Tire chains permitted
2
Neighbouring states
NC, GA
The rule

The studded tire rule in South Carolina

No seasonal dates

South Carolina law sets no seasonal dates for studded tires.

South Carolina allows regular and snow tires with studs on any vehicle with no seasonal limit, as long as the studs stick out no more than one sixteenth of an inch beyond the tread when compressed.

It shall also be permissible to use upon any vehicle for increased safety, regular and snow tires with studs which project beyond the tread of the traction surface of the tire not more than one sixteenth of an inch when compressed.
Tires, S.C. Code Ann. § 56-5-5040, read September 22, 2026. Read it at the source
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Exceptions

Exceptions to the South Carolina rule

Studs may project no more than one sixteenth of an inch beyond the tread when compressed.

not more than one sixteenth of an inch when compressed
S.C. Code Ann. § 56-5-5040. Read it at the source

Farm machinery may use tires with protuberances that will not injure the highway.

it shall be permissible to use farm machinery with tires having protuberances which will not injure the highway
S.C. Code Ann. § 56-5-5040. Read it at the source
Chains and traction

South Carolina’s chain law

Tire chains of reasonable size may be used on any vehicle when snow, ice or other conditions make skidding likely.

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.
S.C. Code Ann. § 56-5-5040, read September 22, 2026. Read it at the source
Tire chains wrapped across a truck tire, with snow packed around the wheel hub
Chains on a truck tire, photographed by the Oregon Department of Transportation. Chain rules sit in their own sections of each state code, apart from the studded tire window. “Truck chains (5123859267)”, Oregon Department of Transportation, CC BY 2.0
Across the state line

Studded tire windows in neighbouring states

South Carolina studded tire questions

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Compiled September 22, 2026 from Tires, S.C. Code Ann. § 56-5-5040 and the other sources linked beside each quote. Statutes change between winters, and a transportation department can extend a window where its statute allows, so the linked source is the one to check before a trip. Every state is in the studded tire laws by state table.