AB 949 Used-Tire Checklist for California Shops
A free one-page check to run before any used tire goes on a customer’s vehicle.
No affiliate links and no sponsors on this page. It quotes official California sources and USTMA.
The law in one line: Since January 1, 2020, a California automotive repair dealer may not install an “unsafe used tire” on a vehicle for highway use. (Bus. & Prof. Code §9889.30(a)(1), added by AB 949, Stats. 2019, Ch. 266)
Do NOT install the used tire if ANY box is checked
The wording below is quoted from Bus. & Prof. Code §9889.30(a)(2). The law says a used tire is unsafe if:
- ☐ (A) “The tire is worn to two thirty-seconds of one inch tread depth or less on any area of the tread.”
- ☐ (B) “The tire has any damage exposing the reinforcing plies of the tire, through cuts, cracks, punctures, scrapes, or wear.”
- ☐ (C) “The tire has any repair in the tread shoulder or belt edge area.”
- ☐ (D) “The tire has a puncture that has not been both sealed or patched on the inside and repaired with a cured rubber stem through to the outside.”
- ☐ (E) “The tire has repair to the sidewall or bead area.”
- ☐ (F) “The tire has a puncture repair of damage larger than one-fourth of one inch.”
- ☐ (G) “The tire shows evidence of prior use of a temporary tire sealant to repair a puncture or damage to the tire without evidence of a subsequent proper repair.”
- ☐ (H) “The tire has a defaced or removed United States Department of Transportation tire identification number.”
- ☐ (I) “The tire has any inner liner damage or bead damage.”
- ☐ (J) “The tire shows indication of internal separation, such as bulges or local areas of irregular tread wear indicating a distortion in the tread area when compared to other areas of the tread, or belt separation.”
How to inspect: Measure the tread depth for (A). Except for (A), the law says an automotive repair dealer “shall use a visual inspection to determine whether a tire meets the criteria of an unsafe used tire” (§9889.30(c)). BAR notes that “the law is silent as to the method that should be used to measure the tread depth.”
Repairs on used tires
- What the law says: Under (D), a puncture must be “both sealed or patched on the inside and repaired with a cured rubber stem through to the outside.” A plug alone doesn’t meet this.
- Industry best practice (USTMA, not the statute):
- “A rubber stem, or plug, must be applied to fill the puncture injury and a patch must be applied to seal the innerliner. A common repair unit is a one-piece combination unit with a rubber stem and patch.”
- “A plug alone is an unacceptable repair.”
- “NEVER perform an outside-in tire repair or on-the-wheel repair.”
- Tires “must be removed from the rim/wheel assembly and inspected for all possible damage.”
Why it matters
- According to BAR, §9889.30 “makes it a misdemeanor for an automotive repair dealer (ARD) to install an unsafe used tire on a motor vehicle for use on a public roadway,” and “any licensee who violates the new law would be subject to BAR discipline.” (BAR, ARSC News, Fall 2019)
- Selling safe tires protects your customers and your good name.
Sources
- Business and Professions Code §9889.30, California Legislative Information
- Unsafe Used Tires, ARSC News, Fall 2019, Bureau of Automotive Repair
- Tire Repair Basics, U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association
For the full explanation, read our California Used Tire Law (AB 949) guide.
This checklist is a general summary, not legal advice. Check the current statute or a qualified attorney for your situation. Tire Shop Stack does not certify shops.