Colorado's Chain Law Starts at 16,001 Lb
Date Published
Colorado's commercial chain law sits in an administrative rule rather than the statute, and its threshold is higher than most drivers expect.
Who it reaches
2 CCR 601-14 applies to any vehicle of 16,001 lb gross vehicle weight rating or gross combination weight rating or more used in commerce, and to vehicles of that weight carrying sixteen or more passengers including the driver.
That is a notably higher line than Washington's 10,000 lb or Utah's 12,000 GVW. A vehicle can be over the threshold in one state and under it in the next on the same trip.
The rule also reaches beyond commerce. Non-commercial and recreational vehicles at or above 16,001 lb must comply as well, which catches large motorhomes that their owners would not think of as subject to a commercial rule.
What is required when it is in effect
When the chain law is in effect, the vehicle must carry chains or approved alternate traction devices, and fit them on at least four drive-wheel tires. If the vehicle has fewer than four drive-wheel tires, they go on all of them.
Four is more than most neighbouring states require. Wyoming asks for two on opposite ends of one drive axle; Idaho asks for one on each side of one drive axle. Colorado asks for four.
Where it applies
The rule applies across the State Highway System, which includes state, federal and interstate highways in Colorado. It is not confined to named passes in the way Idaho's is.
Conditional, not seasonal
The chain law binds when the Colorado Department of Transportation puts it in effect, not on a fixed date. That makes it conditional rather than seasonal, and it is the ordinary pattern: of the nine states with a chain law, only Washington attaches an obligation to the calendar.
A sourcing note
The rule text was read through a commercial mirror of the Colorado Code of Regulations rather than the Secretary of State's own system, which did not serve retrievable text. It is current through Register Vol. 48, No. 11, June 2025, and should be re-verified against the official CCR before being relied on.