For a k-subset X of Z n , the set of differences on X is the set X = {i − j (mod n): i, j ∈ X, i = j } . A conflict-avoiding code CAC of length n and weight k is a collection C of k-subsets of Z n such that X Y = ∅ for any distinct X, Y ∈ C. Let CAC(n, k) be the class of all the CACs of length n and weight k. The maximum size of codes in CAC(n, k) is denoted by M(n, k). A code C ∈ CAC(n, k) is said to be optimal if |C| = M(n, k). An optimal code C is tight equi-difference if X∈C X = Z n \ {0} and each codeword in C is of the form {0, i, 2i, . . . , (k − 1)i}. In this paper, the necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence problem of optimal tight equi-difference conflict-avoiding codes of length n = 2 k ± 1 and weight 3 are given. C 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Combin. Designs 21: 223-231, 2013