No Sign, No Rule: France's Situational Tyre Law, 2026-27

France has no national winter-tyre date. What it has is a map: from 1 November to 31 March, cars entering a listed mountain commune must either run on four 3PMSF tyres or carry chains or snow socks. Where the B58 sign stands, the rule applies whether the road is white or bone dry; thirty kilometres down the valley, past the B59, it does not apply at all. Tread must be at least 1.6 mm all year.

The obligation comes from the 2016 mountain law (“Loi Montagne II”) and Décret n° 2020-1264 of 16 October 2020, and has applied each winter since 1 November 2021. The 2026-27 season runs 1 November 2026 to 31 March 2027.

Where the rule applies

Prefects draw the lines, commune by commune, after consulting each mountain massif’s committee. Sécurité Routière counts 34 départements where the obligation applies, across the Alps, Pyrenees, Massif Central, Jura, Vosges and Corsica. Some communes are covered in full and some only on certain roads, which is why the official map shades “total” and “partial” obligation separately.

Prefects in 48 départements have published an order, and those orders are where the commune lists live:

Ain (01), Allier (03), Alpes-de-Haute-Provence (04), Hautes-Alpes (05), Alpes-Maritimes (06), Ardèche (07), Ariège (09), Aude (11), Aveyron (12), Cantal (15), Corrèze (19), Côte-d’Or (21), Creuse (23), Doubs (25), Drôme (26), Gard (30), Haute-Garonne (31), Hérault (34), Isère (38), Jura (39), Loire (42), Haute-Loire (43), Lot (46), Lozère (48), Meurthe-et-Moselle (54), Moselle (57), Nièvre (58), Puy-de-Dôme (63), Pyrénées-Atlantiques (64), Hautes-Pyrénées (65), Pyrénées-Orientales (66), Bas-Rhin (67), Haut-Rhin (68), Rhône (69), Haute-Saône (70), Saône-et-Loire (71), Savoie (73), Haute-Savoie (74), Tarn (81), Tarn-et-Garonne (82), Var (83), Vaucluse (84), Haute-Vienne (87), Vosges (88), Yonne (89), Territoire de Belfort (90), Corse-du-Sud (2A) and Haute-Corse (2B).

An order does not mean the whole département is covered; in several of them only a handful of upland communes are. Before a trip, open the order for the départements on your route from the Sécurité Routière list, or simply watch for the signs.

The signs that switch the rule on and off

• B58 marks the entry into a zone where winter equipment is compulsory. A panel below it states the 1 November to 31 March period.
• B59 marks the end of the zone.
• B26 is older and stricter: on a snow-covered road it requires chains to be fitted, not just carried, at any time of year. Cars on 3PMSF tyres are treated as meeting a B26 unless the panel says “chains only”.

The government’s own guidance says the signs are what make the obligation enforceable, so a commune on the list with no B58 at its boundary is, in practice, not yet a zone.

What counts as compliant equipment

For cars, light vans and motorhomes you choose one of two routes:

1. Four 3PMSF tyres, mounted so that each axle has at least two. The three-peak mountain snowflake is the only marking accepted. All-season and “4 saisons” tyres qualify only if they carry it.
2. Chains or textile snow socks for at least two drive wheels, kept in the vehicle and ready to fit whenever you drive into a zone. Chains grip better in deep snow; socks are lighter and quicker to fit but wear out sooner. Check that they fit your wheel size and the clearance under the wheel arch.

M+S is no longer enough. Since the 2024-25 winter only 3PMSF tyres are accepted as the tyre option. A car on M+S-only tyres must carry chains or socks as well.

Other cases:

• Studded tyres: exempt from the equipment obligation.
• Buses and coaches, and lorries without a trailer: the same choice, with the four winter tyres on at least two steering and two driven wheels.
• Lorries with a trailer or semi-trailer: must carry chains for two drive wheels even on winter tyres.
• Licence-free microcars (voitures sans permis): not covered.

Is there a fine?

Most French and foreign coverage quotes EUR 135. That figure has never been in force. The government’s written answer of 17 February 2026 states that the rule “has been applied in an educational way, without sanction” since it began, that a penalty requires a separate decree, and that this decree could not be published in 2025. Check again before travelling, because the government has said it intends to publish one.

Two things can already cost you:

• Ignoring a B26 sign on a snowy road is a second-class offence, with a fine of up to EUR 150 (National Assembly answer of 21 March 2023).
• Getting stuck. A car that cannot climb a snowy resort road without chains blocks everyone behind it, which is exactly the situation the rule was written to prevent.

Hire cars and cars from abroad

The obligation follows the vehicle, not the driver’s nationality or the registration plate. Foreign-registered cars need the same equipment.

For a hire car, spend thirty seconds on the sidewall at the desk:

• 3PMSF snowflake on all four tyres: compliant.
• M+S only, or nothing: ask for chains or snow socks that fit, and have the agent note them on the contract.

Cars collected at Geneva’s French sector, Lyon, Grenoble, Chambéry or Toulouse for a ski week are the usual cases where this matters.

Tread depth and the rest of the year

The legal minimum is 1.6 mm across the main tread grooves, all year. For a winter tyre that is a floor, not a target: grip in snow comes from the sipes, and it fades long before the tread reaches the legal limit.

Studded tyres are restricted in France and rarely used by visitors. Outside the Loi Montagne zones and period, France has no seasonal tyre requirement, so summer tyres are legal on the Paris ring road in January.

Plan the rest of the trip

• Winter tyres in France: the short answer
• Snow chain laws across Europe
• Ski-trip driving guide for Europe
• Driving in France for speed limits, alcohol limits and required equipment
• Tyre Pressure Calculator

Sources

• Sécurité Routière (Ministry of the Interior), Nouveaux équipements hivernaux: dates, 34 départements, 3PMSF-only tyre rule, equipment by vehicle category, B58/B59/B26 signs, studded-tyre exemption.
• Sécurité Routière, Équipements hivernaux : départements et communes: the prefectural orders for 48 départements.
• Service-Public.fr, Pneus hiver, chaînes : quelles sont vos obligations (29 October 2025): 3PMSF-only since the 2024-25 winter, vehicles covered, Décret n° 2020-1264.
• Assemblée nationale, written question 10745, answer published 17 February 2026: no sanction applied, penalty decree not yet published.
• Assemblée nationale, written question 3489, answer published 21 March 2023: B26 second-class fine, up to EUR 150.
• Ministère de la Transition écologique, Le vrai du faux sur la circulation en cas de neige ou de verglas (updated 8 January 2026).