Winter is a fact of life in Colorado. Not every vehicle with regular summer tires can navigate the Rocky Mountain snow. So the state legislature passed a law some are calling a “2WD ban,” with tickets up to $650. The law’s wording is unclear, but the Colorado State Patrol has shared when its police officers will ticket drivers. And when they won’t.

The confusing wording of Senate Bill 69

At first, Senate Bill 69 required all vehicles to have snow or mud-and-snow tires with at least 3/16 inch of tread depth. M+S tires are a subset of all-season tires. Legally, tires are “bald” at 2/32 inch of tread. So 3/16 inch is three times that depth. It is worn, but still enough tread to get you through a winter. So far, so good.

Lawmakers then asked, “What about 4WD and AWD cars? What about vehicles with tire chains installed?” The resulting law became so convoluted that the state legislature had to admit, “We recognize that the current statutory language has caused some confusion.”

Many have pointed out that according to the wording, 2WD cars will get fined unless they have “tire chains or an alternate traction device.” But that was never the legislature’s intention. At most, lawmakers want all Colorado drivers to swap to purpose-built snow tires every winter. And the Colorado State Patrol understands that.

How Colorado will actually enforce its ‘2WD ban’

The CSP announced it will not ticket 2WD cars—whether FWD or RWD—that have proper tires and proper tread depth. Summer-only tires or all-season tires that are not purpose-built “mud and snow” could earn you a ticket of up to $650. Letting your tire tread wear below 3/16 inch could land you the same fine. And it does not matter whether you drive a 2WD, 4WD, or AWD vehicle.

According to The Sun, installing a “traction device,” such as chains, also makes you compliant if your tires are not M+S or have less than 3/16 inch of tread. But that sounds like a lot of work when you could simply save money by investing in snow tires.