Default Test Execution in Production
When no test level is specified in the deployment options, the default test execution behavior depends on the contents of your deployment package. When deploying to production, all tests, except those that originate from managed packages, are executed if your deployment package contains Apex classes or triggers. If your package doesn’t contain Apex components, no tests are run by default.
In API version 33.0 and earlier, tests were run for components that required tests, such as custom objects, and not only for Apex components. For example, if your package contains a custom object, all tests are run in API version 33.0 and earlier. In contrast, starting with API version 34.0, no tests are run for this package. The API version corresponds to the version of your API client or the version of the tool you’re using (Ant Migration Tool).
You can run tests for a deployment of non-Apex components. You can override the default test execution behavior by setting the test level in your deployment options. Test levels are enforced regardless of the types of components present in your deployment package. We recommend that you run all local tests in your development environment, such as sandbox, before deploying to production. Running tests in your development environment reduces the number of tests needed to run in a production deployment.
https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/atlas.en-us.api_meta.meta/api_meta/meta_deploy_running_tests.htm