Colorado State Patrol issues first winter chain law citations on I-70

The Colorado State Patrol has issued its first citations of the winter driving season, ticketing two commercial vehicles for failing to carry chains on Interstate 70 near Avon and Vail.

Under Colorado’s “must-carry” law, commercial vehicles weighing over 16,000 pounds are required to carry chains at all times on mountain roadways between September 1 and May 31. Recent legislative updates have expanded the scope of this law to include additional routes, such as parts of Colorado Highway 9 and U.S. Route 50.

State troopers conduct checks during traffic stops, while port of entry officers perform proactive inspections approximately twice a month at weigh stations. During the previous winter, enforcement increased significantly, with the number of citations issued by both state troopers and port of entry officers nearly doubling compared to prior periods.