Winter tires: here are the 83 municipalities in Alpes-Maritimes affected from November 1st, 2026

From November 1, 2026, motorists will need to have winter equipment to travel in certain municipalities in the Alpes-Maritimes. In total, 83 of the 164 municipalities in the department are subject to this obligation, which will remain in force until March 31, 2027.

The Mountain Law once again imposes winter equipment requirements on motorists in several French territories. From November 1, 2026 to March 31, 2027, this measure will apply in 34 departments located in mountainous massifs, including the Alps, the Pyrenees, the Massif Central, the Jura, the Vosges, and Corsica.

In the Alpes-Maritimes, more than half of the municipalities are affected. Drivers must therefore plan for approved winter or all-season tires, or have chains or snow socks to drive in areas subject to this regulation.

Which municipalities are affected in the Alpes-Maritimes?

In total, 83 municipalities out of the 164 in the department are subject to this obligation. Among the towns and villages affected are notably Amirat, Bairols, Belvédère, Beuil, Coaraze, Guillaumes, Ilonse, Isola, La Bollène-Vésubie, La Penne, La Tour, Lantosque, Le Mas, Les Mujouls, Levens, Puget-Rostang, Puget-Théniers, Revest-les-Roches, Rigaud and Rimplas.

The list also includes Roubion, Roure, Saint-Antonin, Saint-Auban, Saint-Dalmas-le-Selvage, Sainte-Agnès, Saint-Étienne-de-Tinée, Saint-Sauveur-sur-Tinée, Séranon, Sospel, Tende, Thiery, Toudon, Tournefort, Utelle, Valdeblore, Valderoure, Venanson, Villars-sur-Var and Villeneuve-d’Entraunes.

To verify if a municipality is affected, road safety has made available an interactive map on its website. The measure also applies to certain municipalities in Var and Alpes-de-Haute-Provence.

Motorists concerned must equip their vehicle with four approved 3PMSF winter or all-season tires, recognizable by their specific marking, or have chains or snow socks allowing at least two drive wheels to be equipped.

A measure to limit accidents in the mountains

This obligation applies to vehicles with four wheels or more, including cars, utility vehicles, buses and heavy trucks. Vehicles without a license and vehicles equipped with studded tires are not subject to this rule.

The objective is to limit accidents on snow-covered or icy roads, but also “to avoid situations of congestion in mountainous regions”, according to the Road Safety Delegation.

The regulation, established under the Mountain Law and applied since 2021, returns each year during the winter period. Drivers traveling in the affected municipalities must therefore anticipate their equipment before the beginning of November.

At this stage, the absence of winter equipment in a municipality subject to this obligation does not result in a fine. On February 12, 2026, the Ministry of the Interior reminded the Senate that a decree was necessary to allow the enforcement of a fine.

Motorists in the Alpes-Maritimes must check the rules applicable to their regular routes, particularly in the mountainous areas of the department, before November 1, 2026.