Utah is expanding its canyon traction laws, including a new provision that allows state transportation officials to begin enforcement before a winter storm impacts either canyon roadway.
Traction laws — where only vehicles with four-wheel drive or chains are permitted to continue through a canyon pass — were typically enforced only after snow began accumulating during any given winter storm. However, under a new law passed this year, the Utah Department of Transportation may now enforce that law up to 24 hours before an arriving storm.
It also requires that all vehicles traveling into Big Cottonwood Canyon or Little Cottonwood Canyon must have at least 5/32 inch of tire tread when traction laws are enforced.
“These stricter standards will help to offset some of the conditions that we have in the canyons,” said UDOT Region 2 director Robert Stewart, as he stood near the mouth of Big Cottonwood Canyon on Thursday, adding that it should reduce the number of vehicles entering the canyons with unsafe equipment.
Utah lawmakers approved the changes through HB196, which allowed for advanced traction enforcement across all routes where laws are typically enforced. They pointed out that vehicles that don’t meet the traction law requirements may be in a canyon by the time the law is enforced, which then becomes a risk if they’re traveling down the canyon during snowy conditions.
That’s a safety concern, and it may cause a “big traffic jam,” said Rep. Kay Christofferson, R-Lehi, when the bill was being considered. By enforcing traction laws before a storm, lawmakers argued that it would reduce the number of vehicles in the canyons without appropriate winter gear.
The bill, which was initially rejected by the Utah House of Representatives before it passed after reconsideration, also created a “class three” designation for the Cottonwood canyons when it comes to traction laws. That new tire thread provision is tied to that. State and local officials hope that both measures will enhance canyon transportation safety this winter.
“We want the thrill of the experience of traveling ... to our canyons to be the greatest snow on earth, not a mountain slide off,” Sandy Mayor Monica Zoltanski said.
UDOT officials reminded people of the changes on Thursday, the same day that its Cottonwood Canyons Sticker Program returned. The state partnered with over 140 Utah tire shops this year that will offer free inspections between now and Feb. 28, 2026, for a sticker that essentially pre-approves a vehicle to enter a canyon when traction laws are enforced.
State officials launched the program in 2021 to help speed up the traction law inspection process at the mouth of the Cottonwood canyons. More than two-thirds of respondents in a recent survey reported that they believe overall travel has improved since the sticker program was implemented, UDOT officials said.
The program has also been great for local law enforcement, who would otherwise be faced with the “impossible” task of inspecting every vehicle traveling up the canyon during a snowstorm, said Cottonwood Heights Assistant Police Chief Chris McHugh. He believes the new changes may boost the program, which can improve traffic safety and congestion in the canyons and in the communities closest to the Cottonwood canyons.
“If we can cut down on the amount of slide offs and crashes, we cut down on the unexpected closures, which really affect Cottonwood Heights and Sandy. It really backs up the traffic,” he said. “The amount of people that are voluntarily (joining the sticker program) is amazing. If we can get more people doing it, it would really assist not only the cities, but the sheriff’s department (and) UDOT.”