Winter tire laws in Quebec and BC: dates, studs

In short. In Quebec, every tyre on a motor vehicle registered in the province must be a winter tyre from 1 December to 15 March; for winter 2026-2027 that runs from Tuesday 1 December 2026 to Monday 15 March 2027. Quebec accepts only a tyre carrying the three-peak mountain and snowflake pictogram, or a studded tyre: "M+S" alone does not count. British Columbia has no province-wide rule: winter tyres (or chains, depending on the vehicle) are required on highways marked by signs, from 1 October to 30 April, or to 31 March on some lower routes, and BC accepts either the mountain-snowflake symbol or M+S with at least 3.5 mm of tread. Studs are allowed from 15 October to 1 May in Quebec and from 1 October to 30 April in BC.

North American usage says "tire"; this guide uses the British "tyre" except in quotations and in the title. The Quebec quotations below are our translation of the French text published in the Quebec's official gazette (Gazette officielle): the consolidated English text on LégisQuébec refused us access, and the English and French versions of a Quebec regulation are both official.

The dates for winter 2026-2027

Weekdays and day counts are our calculation; the dates are fixed by text, not by the weather. The Quebec government still advises waiting "a few weeks after the end of this period" before refitting summer or all-season tyres, because spring conditions vary.

Quebec: what the law says

Section 440.1 of the Highway Safety Code

Section 440.1 of the Highway Safety Code, as amended by section 115 of a 2018 act (chapter 7), is restated in Décret 1118-2019 of 6 November 2019. In our translation: during the period from 1 December to 15 March, "the owner of a motor road vehicle registered in Québec, other than a heavy vehicle, a tool vehicle or farm machinery, may not put that vehicle into operation unless it is fitted with tires specifically designed for winter driving" to the standards set by government regulation, and the same ban "also applies to anyone who offers such a vehicle for rent in Québec, regardless of where it is registered".

Section 1 of the winter tyre regulation

The same decree replaced section 1 of the Regulation respecting the use of tires specifically designed for winter driving (C-24.2, r. 45), in force since 1 December 2019. Our translation: "From 1 December to 15 March, all the tires fitted to a motor road vehicle registered in Québec, other than a heavy vehicle, a tool vehicle or farm machinery, must be specifically designed for winter driving."

Two words matter. "All": two winter tyres on the front axle do not comply; only the spare is exempt. And "registered in Québec": a car from Ontario, Vermont or France passing through is not covered, but a rental car is, wherever it is registered.

Which tyre counts: the pictogram, not M+S

Section 7 of the regulation, as published in 2008, defines the accepted tyre. Until 14 December 2014 a sidewall word was enough ("Winter", "Snow", "Nordic", "Ice" and others), with one exclusion written into the text: "Snow" counted "except for 'mud and snow'". From 15 December 2014, only "a tire bearing the pictogram in Schedule A" counts. Studded tyres count too today: the Quebec government page (last update 5 October 2026) states that a tyre designed for winter driving "must be marked with the pictogram illustrated below or be studded", and the same applies to retreaded tyres for passenger vehicles.

The regulation describes the pictogram precisely: a mountain with a six-pointed snowflake superimposed on it, the snowflake at least half the height of the highest peak; the mountain profile at least 15 mm wide and 15 mm high, with three peaks, the middle one the highest. This is the symbol known as 3PMSF (three-peak mountain snowflake). Our guide to reading a tyre sidewall shows where the markings sit.

So an "all-season" tyre marked only M+S is not legal in Quebec in winter; an "all-weather" tyre carrying the pictogram is.

What the symbol actually means in Canada

The federal Motor Vehicle Tire Safety Regulations (SOR/2013-198, s. 5 (4), current to 21 September 2026) define a winter tyre: in the snow traction test of ASTM F1805, on medium-pack snow at 74 % of the test load, it must reach a traction index of at least 110 against the older reference tyre (ASTM E1136, a P195/75R14) or at least 112 against the newer one (ASTM F2493, a P225/60R16), and be marked with the Alpine Symbol on at least one sidewall. Put simply, roughly 10 to 12 % more snow traction than the reference tyre.

This is a pass mark on packed snow, not a grade: it says nothing about ice and does not rank two tyres that both pass. Transport Canada adds that all-season and summer tyres "begin to lose elasticity" below 7 °C, and advises against using tyres worn close to 4 mm on snow-covered roads.

Quebec: who is exempt

The Quebec government lists the exceptions as of 5 October 2026:

CAA-Quebec wrote in 2019 that, from 1 December to 15 March, the SAAQ can issue at most four such exemption documents for a given vehicle. The fine, according to the government, is $200 to $300; CAA-Quebec states that no demerit points apply. We could not read the consolidated code to confirm the article that sets this amount.

British Columbia: signed routes, not a province-wide rule

What the Motor Vehicle Act says

BC's rule works through signs. Section 208 (2) of the Motor Vehicle Act lets the transportation minister, "by public notice or by placing signs", prohibit a vehicle from being driven on a highway unless it is "equipped with chains, winter tires or traction devices, or a combination of these" that the minister considers adequate, and section 208 (3) allows the notice or sign to vary with "specified dates, prevailing weather conditions or any other criteria". Driving past such a sign without the equipment is an offence under section 208 (4).

The ministry's own pages (updated 24 November 2025) set the dates: "Drivers must obey winter tire and chain signs throughout the province from October 1 to April 30. For select highways not located through mountain passes and/or high snowfall areas, tire and chain requirements end March 31." Regional maps (South Coast, Northern, Southern Interior, Southern Interior Border) show which routes carry which dates.

Where no sign or public notice applies, our reading is that the provincial requirement does not apply either, although the ministry also writes that summer tyres "are not permitted for driving during designated winter months". The ministry notes that drivers in the Lower Mainland and on south-eastern Vancouver Island are "not required to use winter tires in many areas along the coast", with exceptions such as the Malahat, and that cities, municipalities and private roads such as ski hills may set their own rules.

Which tyre counts in BC: M+S or 3PMSF, and 3.5 mm

Section 7.162 of the Motor Vehicle Act Regulations defines a winter tyre for section 208. It must have "at least 3.5 mm of tread depth"; it must either meet the federal traction index above or meet the specifications for the "M" and "S" marking; and it must be labelled on a sidewall with "the 3-peaked mountain and snowflake symbol" or "the letters 'M' and 'S'".

So BC accepts what Quebec refuses. The ministry calls M+S "the minimum legal requirement" and recommends 3PMSF tyres for cold-weather driving, with chains carried for extreme conditions. Two further points from its winter tyre page: at least two matching winter tyres must be on the primary drive axle "even when driving a 4X4 vehicle", and "Chains on summer tires are not an acceptable substitute for legal winter tires on signed B.C. highways."

Visitors, rentals, motorcycles and fines

Out-of-province drivers must follow the same signs. The ministry notes that most rental cars come on M+S tyres, which meet the minimum, and suggests asking for 3PMSF tyres when travelling beyond Greater Vancouver or Greater Victoria. Motorcycles are exempt from winter tyre and chain requirements, though police may turn any vehicle around when conditions are unsafe.

The fines published by the ministry are $121 for a passenger vehicle without winter tyres where required (charged under section 125 of the Act, obeying traffic controls), $598 for a commercial vehicle that bypasses an active chain-up area, and $196 for a commercial vehicle not carrying chains where required.

Quebec and BC side by side

Our table, from the texts and government pages listed under Sources.

Studded tyres: Quebec, BC and their neighbours

Quebec

Studs are governed by a separate regulation (C-24.2, r. 44, made under section 441 of the code). Section 1, in our translation: studs are allowed "from 15 October of one year to 1 May of the following year, on the tires of any commercial vehicle with a gross vehicle weight not exceeding 3,000 kg, any passenger vehicle and any taxi, on condition that the vehicle has studded tires at both ends of an axle and, if it has studded tires on the front axle, it also has them on the rear axle."

In practice: never one studded tyre alone; studs at the front oblige studs at the rear; with studs on the rear only, the front tyres must still carry the pictogram between 1 December and 15 March. The 1998 text we read sets no speed limit and no stud length; the Quebec government page, updated in October 2026, adds none.

British Columbia

Section 19.03 (3) of the regulations allows studs "between October 1 in one year and April 30 in the next year", subject to section 7.164, which requires that studs "do not protrude more than 2.0 mm" from the tread, "do not have a hollow centre", and are embedded by the manufacturer or a tyre business "so as not to cause damage to the roadway". Section 7.164 (2) adds the axle rule: no studs on the front wheels unless the back wheels have them too. Tyres made on or before 31 August 2016 may have studs protruding more than 2.0 mm but less than 3.5 mm, within a limit of 130 studs per tyre (vehicles of 4,600 kg or less) or 175 (heavier vehicles).

Ontario and Washington State

Ontario's government page says studded tyres "are allowed" on vehicles registered in Northern Ontario and "are not allowed" in Southern Ontario, "unless you're visiting from out-of-province or a resident of Northern Ontario". It gives no dates, and the Ontario regulation itself would not load for us, so we do not quote its season. Ontario has no winter tyre requirement on that page; it recommends four tyres with the mountain-snowflake symbol.

South of the BC border, Washington's RCW 46.37.420 makes metal studs "unlawful" between 1 April and 1 November: a lawful season of 151 days this winter, from Sunday 1 November 2026 to Wednesday 31 March 2027, against 212 days in BC. A BC car on studs crossing into Washington in October is therefore outside the Washington season, unless the state transportation department sets an additional period, which the same section allows it to do.

We did not read the texts for Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba or the Atlantic provinces: their pages were missing or refused our access on 16 October 2026. Check the provincial transport ministry before fitting studs there.

If you are reading from the UK, the US or Australia

Visitors renting in Quebec get winter tyres from the rental company; on a BC mountain pass, every driver must meet the signs. No British law requires winter tyres; our UK guide sets out what the Department for Transport has said and what France, Germany and Austria ask of a British car, and our guide to snow chains and socks in Europe covers chain rules there. In the United States, winter equipment is a state matter, as the Washington example shows; our guide to chain and traction laws in California and Colorado covers those two states, Washington and Oregon. We have not covered Australian state rules.

A second set of wheels for winter

A second set of complete wheels saves having tyres dismounted twice a year. What matters is the diameter the brakes allow, the pressure sensors and a finish that resists salt; our guide to alloy and steel wheels for winter compares them. To compare two tyre sizes, the tyre size calculator shows the difference in diameter; the sizes allowed on your car are those in the vehicle maker's documents, and Onyx Forged does not recommend a size or an offset.

If you swap wheels yourself, lift the car at the maker's jacking point and set it on axle stands before putting a hand underneath. Tighten to the vehicle maker's torque and check again after a short distance (our wheel nut torque guide). Our storage guide covers the set you take off.

Frequently asked questions

When do I need winter tires in Quebec?

From 1 December to 15 March inclusive, every year. Before winter 2019-2020 the period started on 15 December. Nothing stops you keeping winter tyres on after 15 March; studs must come off by 1 May.

Are all-season or all-weather tires legal in Quebec in winter?

Only if they carry the three-peak mountain and snowflake pictogram. A tyre marked M+S without the pictogram is not a winter tyre under the Quebec regulation. Many all-weather tyres carry the pictogram; check the sidewall, not the product name.

Are M+S tires legal in BC?

Yes. Section 7.162 of the Motor Vehicle Act Regulations accepts M+S or the mountain-snowflake symbol, with at least 3.5 mm of tread, on signed highways. The ministry recommends the mountain-snowflake symbol.

Are winter tires mandatory everywhere in Canada?

No. Of the provinces whose rules we read, Quebec requires them on every road and BC on signed highways; Ontario's government page recommends them without requiring them. We did not read the rules of the other provinces and territories.

When can I use studded tires in Quebec and BC?

Quebec: 15 October to 1 May, on passenger vehicles, taxis and commercial vehicles of 3,000 kg or less, always on both wheels of an axle, and on the rear if they are on the front. BC: 1 October to 30 April, studs protruding no more than 2.0 mm, and on the rear if on the front.

Does a car from Ontario or the US need winter tires in Quebec?

No, unless it is rented in Quebec: the rule covers vehicles registered in Quebec and vehicles offered for rent there. In BC, every vehicle on a signed route must comply, wherever it is registered.

What is the fine?

Quebec: $200 to $300 according to the government, with no demerit points according to CAA-Quebec. BC: $121 for a passenger vehicle without winter tyres where required.

Can I fit only two winter tires?

Not in Quebec: the regulation says "all the tires", spare excepted. BC requires at least two matching winter tyres on the drive axle and recommends four. Transport Canada advises fitting winter tyres in sets of four.

Wheels for a winter set

To build a set of made-to-order forged wheels designed to JWL/VIA standards for a winter set, see how to customise a set; each wheel's dimensions are taken from your vehicle maker's documents.

Sources

• Quebec: Government of Quebec, Requirements for winter tires (last update 5 October 2026); Quebec's official gazette (Gazette officielle), in French: Décret 1118-2019 (13 November 2019), Décret 906-2008 (1 October 2008) and the regulation on non-skid devices (18 November 1998); CAA-Quebec, Mandatory winter tires: important clarifications (30 October 2019).
• British Columbia: Province of British Columbia, Winter Driving, Winter Tire and Chain-up Routes and Dates, About Winter Tires, Enforcement, Visitors and Motorcycles; BC Laws, Motor Vehicle Act Regulations, Division 7 and Division 19, Motor Vehicle Act, Part 5; TranBC, What is a Winter Tire? The Inside Scoop.
• Canada: Justice Canada, Motor Vehicle Tire Safety Regulations (SOR/2013-198), s. 5, current to 21 September 2026; Transport Canada, Using winter tires (modified 6 October 2025); Government of Ontario, Winter driving.
• United States: Washington State Legislature, RCW 46.37.420.

All pages were read on 16 October 2026.

The Onyx Forged design office.