Steel beams, girders and precast often run longer than the trailer carrying them. In Maryland, a structural load like that can move with no permit, but how long it can be depends on whom you ask. MDOT SHA’s pages say 70 feet, by daylight. MDOT SHA told Permigo by phone on October 23, 2026 that it’s 75 feet. This guide sets out both, what the figure measures, and where a load needs a permit again.
The short version
A structural load, one that can’t be taken apart, needs no Maryland permit for its length or overhang up to a point. MDOT SHA’s published rule puts that point at 70 feet, by daylight. MDOT SHA told Permigo by phone on October 23, 2026 that structural loads up to 75 feet need no permit. Under both, a beam over 75 feet needs one, and so does a load too wide, too tall or too heavy. Every other load is held to 3 feet past the front and 6 feet past the rear. Permigo files the permit when a load needs one.
What counts as a structural load
A load that can’t be taken apart. Maryland’s law calls it an “indivisible load” (Transportation Article §24-105(a)). Permigo’s calculators use this list in their Structural material box:
- Steel beams, I-beams and girders
- Precast or prestressed concrete beams, girders and piles
- Steel columns and trusses
- Pipe
- Poles and pilings
Not structural:
- Machinery and equipment
- Anything that can be cut or taken apart into shorter pieces
70 or 75 feet: MDOT SHA’s two answers
MDOT SHA’s written rule allows 70 feet by daylight, and its answer to Permigo by phone was 75 feet. They differ in two places: between 70 and 75 feet, and at night.
MDOT SHA’s limits page lets an indivisible load up to 70 feet move by daylight without a permit, and its Hauling Permit Manual applies that to steel beams: “No permit required,” by daylight only. Maryland’s law says the same in §24-105(a) and §24-104.1(c).
On October 23, 2026, MDOT SHA told Permigo by phone that structural loads up to 75 feet are exempt from a permit, and that any other load not on the exempt list needs one past 3 feet in front or 6 feet behind.
| Beam length | By daylight | At night |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 70 feet | No permit, under both | Written rule: a permit. The phone answer named no hours |
| Over 70, up to 75 feet | Written rule: a permit. Phone answer: no permit | Written rule: a permit. The phone answer named no hours |
| Over 75 feet | A permit, under both | A permit, under both |
Permigo’s calculators follow the phone answer and add no daylight limit: tick Structural material and a load up to 75 feet passes Maryland without a permit, as long as its width, height and weight are legal. For a beam between 70 and 75 feet, or one moving at night, the written rule asks for a permit. If you’d rather have one in hand, Permigo files it.
What the 70 or 75 feet measures
The load. The manual gives its steel-beam line as 70 feet “not including the tractor-trailer,” so it measures the beam alone. Permigo’s calculators don’t ask for the load’s own length. They add the trailer and both overhangs instead, which is the longest the load can be when it spans the deck.
Take an invented rig: a 53-foot flatbed carrying a steel beam that reaches 4 feet past the front of the bed and 10 feet past the rear, 67 feet in all.
| Reading | Result |
|---|---|
| Front: 4 feet against 3 | Over by 1 foot |
| Rear: 10 feet against 6 | Over by 4 feet |
| Ordinary freight | A Maryland permit, for both overhangs |
| A steel beam: 53 + 4 + 10 = 67 feet | Under 70 feet: no permit by daylight, under both answers |
| The same beam at night | Written rule: a permit. The phone answer named no hours |
| Flags and lamps | Flags at all times: the tail is past 4 feet. Lamps in low light |
When a structural load needs a permit
| When | What happens | Where it says so |
|---|---|---|
| Over 75 feet | A Maryland permit, under both answers | MDOT SHA limits page; MDOT SHA by phone |
| Over 70, up to 75 feet, or moving at night | A permit under the written rule; the phone answer needs none (and named no hours) | MDOT SHA limits page and Hauling Permit Manual; MDOT SHA by phone |
| Wider than 8 feet 6 inches, taller than 13 feet 6 inches or over 80,000 lb | A permit for the width, height or weight. The exemption covers length and overhang only | Transportation Article §24-105(a), §24-104.1(c); MDOT SHA limits page |
| A load that can be cut or taken apart, or machinery | Not a structural load: past 3 feet in front or 6 behind, a permit | §24-105(b), (c); MDOT SHA by phone |
Maryland’s overhang limits for other loads
Every load the exemption doesn’t cover is held to §24-105 of the Transportation Article. On a tractor-trailer, front overhang is how far the load reaches past the front of the trailer bed, not past the truck’s grille or hood. The rear counts from the end of the bed or body, not the bumper.
| Vehicle | Front | Rear | Where it says so |
|---|---|---|---|
| Any truck, trailer or car | 3 feet past the front of the vehicle | 6 feet past the rear of the bed or body | §24-105(b)(1), (c)(1) |
| Stinger-steered automobile transporter | 4 feet | 6 feet | §24-105(b)(3), (c)(1) |
| Other automobile or boat transporter | 3 feet | 4 feet, with a fluorescent flag at least 18 inches square on the vehicle that hangs out | §24-105(c)(2) |
| Garbage or recycling truck with front-end loading arms, while collecting | No front limit | 6 feet | §24-105(b)(2) |
MDOT SHA’s limits page says the same: “Load extensions- Max front 3’ Max rear 6’ (except for indivisible cargo).” The law leaves out a few other loads too:
| Load | How far it can run without a permit | Where it says so |
|---|---|---|
| An indivisible load on a combination | Up to 70 feet long, by daylight | §24-105(a)(2), §24-104.1(c)(2); MDOT SHA limits page |
| Piling, poles or mill logs on a single vehicle | No overhang limit | §24-105(a)(3) |
| Piling, poles or mill logs on a combination | Up to 75 feet long | §24-105(a)(4), §24-104.1(c)(1); MDOT SHA handbook |
| Wooden roof trusses, carried upside down | Up to 10 feet past the rear | §24-105(a)(1) |
| Nursery stock, or crew or racing shells | No overhang limit | §24-105(a)(3), (4) |
Since April 8, 2013, piling, poles and mill logs over 75 feet have needed a permit (MDOT SHA Motor Carrier Handbook).
Flags and lamps still apply
The exemption covers the permit, not the marking. A tail of more than 4 feet needs flags at all times and lamps in low light.
| When | What | Where it says so |
|---|---|---|
| A load more than 4 feet past the rear, or more than 6 inches past a side | Red or orange fluorescent flags at least 18 inches square, at all times, at each point a lamp is required | §22-213(d), (e) |
| A load more than 4 feet past the rear, in low light | A red lamp on each side marking the end, and two red lamps and two red reflectors on the rear. Low light is §22-201.1’s: whenever people and vehicles can’t be seen clearly 1,000 feet ahead | §22-213(a), (c) |
| A permit load longer than legal | Warning flags; a single flag at the extreme rear if the part that hangs out is 2 feet wide or less | COMAR 11.04.02.03 J |
| A permit load at night with a rear overhang over 4 feet | Two red lights at the end of the overhang and one on each side | COMAR 11.04.02.03 K |
Where Permigo comes in
A structural load inside the exemption has no permit to buy, so not every long load is a filing. Send Permigo the load: what it is, how long, the trailer and the tail, the width, height and weights, and the route. If the exemption covers it, Permigo tells you so from those details and charges nothing. If it doesn’t, Permigo files the Maryland permit with MDOT SHA for $20, with the state’s fee billed at cost. Maryland’s widths, heights, escorts and travel hours are on Permigo’s Maryland oversize permit page.
To check a load yourself, the limits check has a Structural material box that applies MDOT SHA’s 75-foot phone answer.
Who to call
Permigo checked the contact details below on October 23, 2026.
| Question | Who answers it |
|---|---|
| Questions for MDOT SHA about a Maryland permit | MDOT SHA Hauling Permits Unit, Hanover: (410) 582-5734 |
| Maryland’s other permit and escort rules | The Maryland page |
| Whether a load is exempt, and filing the permit when it isn’t | Permigo: +1 (786) 494-6912, 7am–7pm CT, seven days a week, or send a message |
Common questions
Do structural loads like steel beams need a permit in Maryland?
It depends on the length and when the load moves. MDOT SHA’s limits page and Hauling Permit Manual treat a steel beam as an indivisible load: no permit up to 70 feet, by daylight only. MDOT SHA also told Permigo by phone on October 23, 2026 that structural loads up to 75 feet need no permit. Both agree that a beam up to 70 feet needs no permit by daylight and one over 75 feet needs one. Between 70 and 75 feet, or at night, the written rule asks for a permit; Permigo files one if you want it in hand.
What counts as a structural load in Maryland?
A load that can’t be taken apart: steel beams and girders, precast concrete beams and piles, steel columns and trusses, pipe and poles. That’s the list in Permigo’s calculators, and it follows Maryland’s own word for these loads, “indivisible” (Transportation Article §24-105(a)). Machinery doesn’t count, nor does anything that can be cut or taken apart into shorter pieces. Piling, poles and mill logs have their own line in the law, up to 75 feet on a combination.
What does the 70 or 75 feet measure?
The load. MDOT SHA’s Hauling Permit Manual gives its steel-beam line as 70 feet “not including the tractor-trailer.” Permigo’s calculators don’t ask for the load’s own length, so they add the trailer and both overhangs, the longest the load can be when it spans the deck: a 53-foot flatbed with a beam 4 feet past the front of the bed and 10 feet past the rear is 67 feet.
How far can other loads overhang in Maryland?
3 feet past the front of the vehicle and 6 feet past the rear of the bed or body (Maryland Transportation Article §24-105). On a tractor-trailer, the front counts from the front of the trailer bed, not the truck’s grille or hood. Past either, the load needs a permit unless it’s exempt. Besides structural loads, the law exempts piling, poles and mill logs, roof trusses carried upside down (up to 10 feet past the rear), nursery stock and racing shells.
Do structural loads need flags or lamps in Maryland?
Yes. The exemption covers the permit, not the marking. A load more than 4 feet past the rear, or more than 6 inches past a side, needs a red or orange fluorescent flag at least 18 inches square at each end point, at all times (Transportation Article §22-213). Past 4 feet at the rear, it also needs red lamps and reflectors whenever people and vehicles can’t be seen clearly 1,000 feet ahead (§22-201.1). A permit load at night with more than 4 feet of rear overhang shows two red lights at the end and one on each side (COMAR 11.04.02.03).
Does overhang count toward Maryland’s length limit?
Yes. Maryland counts any part of the load past the vehicle in its length (Transportation Article §24-104.1(b)). A truck tractor with one semitrailer has no overall cap; the semitrailer may be 48 feet, or up to 53 feet on the Interstates and Maryland’s truck route system (§24-104.1(i); MDOT SHA limits page). A truck pulling a trailer is capped at 62 feet and most other combinations at 55 feet (§24-104.1(j)). Piling, poles and mill logs up to 75 feet, and an indivisible load up to 70 feet, are outside these caps (§24-104.1(c)).
How much does a Maryland permit for a structural load cost?
A load the exemption covers has no permit to buy. For one that needs a permit, Permigo’s fee to file it is $20, and MDOT SHA’s own fee is billed at cost on top; Maryland’s figure is in Permigo’s cost guide. From the load details you send, Permigo also tells you, free, whether a long load is exempt.
Who do I call about Maryland hauling permits?
The MDOT SHA Hauling Permits Unit in Hanover: (410) 582-5734, the line MDOT SHA’s Motor Carrier Handbook gives for oversize and overweight permits (checked October 23, 2026). Permigo answers at +1 (786) 494-6912, 7am–7pm CT, seven days a week, says whether a load is exempt and files the permit when it isn’t. Maryland’s other rules are on Permigo’s Maryland page.