Insufficient Tire Tread Depth
A CVC 27465 citation means one or more of your tires had tread depth below the legal minimum. Vehicle Code 27465(b) bars using a tire with less than 1/32 inch of tread depth in any two adjacent grooves at any location of the tire. Replacing the tires and having the correction certified resolves this violation.
Correction Window
The deadline is printed on your citation. Replace the tires and certify before that date.
Fee After Correction
These steps apply when your ticket was issued as correctable. An officer does not issue it that way if there is evidence of fraud or persistent neglect, the violation presents an immediate safety hazard, or you cannot promptly correct it (Vehicle Code 40610(b)). When the court accepts your proof of correction, the court clerk collects a $25 fee for each corrected violation (Vehicle Code 40611). There is no fee if the agency that cited you handles the correction and nothing is sent to the court (Vehicle Code 40611(c)). Without proof of correction, you may owe the full fine. Check your notice or ask your court for the amount.
Who Can Certify
A police department, the CHP, a sheriff, a marshal or another agency that enforces the Vehicle Code can certify this correction after the tires are replaced. A tire shop can do the work, but the sign-off comes from law enforcement.
The court must dismiss a corrected violation when you deliver proof of correction on or before the date on your ticket (Vehicle Code 40522). After that date it may not accept the correction, and you may owe the full fine. If you fail to appear without good cause, the court may add a civil assessment of up to $100 after mailing you a warning notice (Penal Code 1214.1). Willfully failing to appear, or willfully failing to deliver proof of correction, is a misdemeanor (Vehicle Code 40508 and 40616). If you need more time, ask the court before the date passes.
Step by Step
How to Correct This Violation
- 1
Have a tire shop inspect all four tires and confirm which ones are below the legal tread depth minimum.
- 2
Replace any tires that do not meet the minimum tread depth requirement.
- 3
Have a law enforcement officer sign the certificate of correction.
- 4
Submit the signed citation and $25 fee to the court before your deadline.
Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
- How do I measure tire tread depth?
- The easiest method is the penny test. Insert a penny into the tread groove with Lincoln's head facing down. If you can see the top of Lincoln's head, the tread is below 2/32 inch, a common rule of thumb for replacing a tire. The legal minimum for a passenger vehicle is 1/32 inch in any two adjacent grooves (Vehicle Code 27465(b)(1)); snow tires used instead of chains in posted chain-control areas need 6/32 inch (27465(b)(3)). A tire shop can measure precisely with a tread depth gauge.
This guide covers passenger vehicles. Some rules differ for commercial vehicles and truck tractors (for example, where registration tabs go under Vehicle Code 5204(a)). If you were driving one, check with your employer or a licensed attorney.
This guide provides general procedural information only. It is not legal advice. For questions specific to your citation, contact the court listed on your ticket.
Also have a moving violation on your ticket?
Speeding and moving violations follow a different process. TicketClear prepares your written declaration.
See how TicketClear worksYour ticket has a deadline. Tell your side today.
Most California citations have a 60-day deadline. Write what happened in your own words, then review, edit and sign your declaration.
Start my declarationFree to start · $49.99 when you're ready to download