For many winters, the language of Utah’s traction law bore a remarkable similarity to the bald-tire vehicles often found slipping down the Cottonwood Canyons after a big storm. You might be able to squeeze around it, but at what risk?
Utah Department of Transportation officials and officers charged with enforcing the law were equally stuck when they considered either preemptively enacting the law or citing a driver who had broken it. The way the rule was written, there was no clear path forward.
Now there is.
A bill passed by state legislators last month and signed by Gov. Spencer Cox on Wednesday clarifies the traction law. It specifies that the law — which requires vehicles be equipped with certain traction devices — can be activated when adverse weather is expected, not just when it is already snowing. It also expressly gives law enforcement agencies the ability to ticket those who violate the law. The ticket would be for an infraction, which carries a fine of up to $750.
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Jake Brown with the Utah Department of Transportation checks a tire at the entrance to Little Cottonwood Canyon on Friday, Mar 7, 2025.
The bill removes some of the roadblocks to improving traction compliance on all highways within the state. In particular, though, it is expected to aid efforts to improve the flow of ski traffic on State Routes 210 and 190, which serve Little and Big Cottonwood Canyon, respectively.
State Senate Majority Leader Kirk Cullimore, R-Cottonwood Heights, co-sponsored the bill with Rep. Gay Lynn Bennion, D-Cottonwood Heights. Cullimore said managers of some of the four Cottonwood Canyons ski areas — Alta Ski Area, Snowbird, Brighton and Solitude Mountain Resort — requested the change. UDOT’s lawyers, he said, agreed that the language around both issues was muddled.
“This bill simply makes clear the power of enforcement for law enforcement regarding traction devices and inclement weather,” Cullimore said while presenting the bill on the Senate floor. “It’ll increase safety, enhance traffic flow in the canyons and areas that UDOT identifies as having these types of severe conditions.”
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Grant Amjad Miller chats with Gay Lynn Bennion during floor time in the House of Representatives, at the Capitol on Wednesday, Jan 29, 2025.
The bill passed the House with a vote of 48-24-3. It passed the Senate, 20-5, to send it to the governor’s desk
The traction law is actually not a law but a UDOT rule. The transportation agency will continue to be the rule maker when it comes to traction, Cullimore said. Jake Brown, UDOT’s district engineer for the Cottonwood Canyons, said a committee will review the language and decide if changes need to be made. He did not expect any changes to be implemented until the start of the 2025-26 ski season. The bill takes effect May 7.
The Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office and the Sandy and Cottonwood Heights police departments are responsible for enforcing the law in the Cottonwood Canyons at UDOT’s direction. The agencies have increased their morning traction checks this winter. Sandy Police Sgt. Michael Olsen said he thinks the changes, especially the preemptive activation of the traction law, will help with afternoon traffic.
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“If it looks like it’s going to snow super heavy in the afternoon, we’re going to be able to be out there in the morning,” he said, “to make sure that the afternoon commute coming out of the canyon is as seamless as possible.”
An avid skier, Sen. Nate Blouin, D-Millcreek, applauded the change and said it has been a long time coming.
“I’ve been complaining about not being able to enforce restrictions when we have predicted weather for probably years now,” he said prior to voting in favor of the bill. “So, I appreciate where this is going, and hopefully we can keep working on this and helping out the canyons.”
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