California oversize load permits
California allows 14'0" unpermitted, which 20 states do. The other 26 cap at 13'6" — so a 14-foot load legal here needs a permit the moment it crosses into most of them.
California permit requirements
The same seven sections for every state, so two states can be compared without re-learning the layout.
Permit required above
Exceed any one of these in California and the load needs a permit. No overall cap for STAA combinations on the National Network — the 53' trailer and 40' KPRA limits govern instead. A trailer longer than 53' re-activates the state's 65' overall cap. Permigo files it for a flat $20, with the state's own fee billed at cost.
Front and rear overhang are capped separately, not combined. Exceed either and California requires a permit. The rear cap depends on the rig. The load can hang past its last point of support by no more than two-thirds of the wheelbase (Vehicle Code §35410); on a semitrailer the wheelbase runs from the tractor's rearmost axle to the trailer's rearmost axle. On a combination, the front of the rig to the end of the load can't pass 75', and on one the code lets run longer than 75', such as a STAA rig, nothing may hang past the vehicles (§35411). Measure yours.
Filed from Houston, TX. A permit agent answers +1 (786) 494-6912, 7am–7pm CT, 7 days; no card needed for a quote.
Axle limits
Escorts by road type
Police escort required at the thresholds marked above.
Superload above
Allow about 30 business days for review.
Movement windows
| Load | Window |
|---|---|
| Unescorted permit loads | 24/7 on all route colors unless the permit face says otherwise |
| Escorted — Yellow routes | 24/7 up to 16' wide (CHP sets hours beyond) |
| Escorted — Green routes | daylight incl. weekends up to 15' wide; darkness only up to 14' |
| Escorted — Blue/Brown routes | daylight weekdays up to 15'; no darkness travel; weekends only sunrise−30 min → noon |
| Metro curfews (>10' wide) | LA 6–9 a.m./3–6 p.m.; SF, SD, Sacramento 7–9 a.m./4–6 p.m., Mon–Fri |
| 7 holidays (escorted loads only) | 4 p.m.–midnight the day before + noon–midnight on the holiday; Mon/Fri holidays extend over the weekend (New Year's, Presidents, Memorial, Independence, Labor, Thanksgiving, Christmas) |
Travel restrictions
Other published tables
Caltrans route colors — pilot-car and CHP thresholds
| Route color | 1 pilot — width | 2 pilots — width | CHP — width | Pilot — length | CHP — length | CHP — height |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow | >12' | >15' | >16' | >120' | >185' | |
| Green | >12' | >14' | >15' | >120' | >185' | |
| Blue | >11' | >13' | >15' | >100' | >135' | ≥17' |
| Brown | >10' | >12' | >15' | >85' | >135' | ≥17' |
| Red | Operational restriction — case-by-case per the Red Route Summary Table | |||||
| Dashed (any color) | KPRA advisory — pilot car when kingpin-to-rear-axle exceeds 38' |
Primary source: Caltrans — transportation permits ↗
Every figure on this page was checked against it on August 4, 2026.
Get California priced and filed
Send the route and a permit agent calls you back with California’s fee, any other state on the way, and one total. Filed from Houston, TX; we answer +1 (786) 494-6912, 7am–7pm CT, 7 days.
Already know the load? Start an order online — no account needed — or send the form and we set it up for you.
States that border California
Limits change at the line. One order covers every state on your route.
California oversize permits, answered
Do I need an oversize permit in California?
You need a permit in California once the load exceeds any one of these: 8'6" wide, 14'0" high, or 80,000 lb gross. There is no overall length cap on a normal tractor-semitrailer — the trailer itself is capped at 53' instead. Axle limits apply too — 20,000 lb on a single axle and 34,000 lb on a tandem.
When does California require an escort?
California requires an escort over 11' wide on two-lane roads and over 12' on multilane highways. On two-lane roads it takes one escort (in front) over 11', two escorts (front and rear) over 13' and two escorts (front and rear) with a police escort over 15'. On multilane highways it takes one escort (behind) over 12', two escorts (front and rear) over 15' and two escorts (front and rear) with a police escort over 16'. Some routes set their own widths by their color on California's route maps; the escort table on this page lists each.
Can I move an oversize load at night in California?
Daylight only above 14' wide. There is no general weekend blackout. Holiday movement is restricted.
What counts as a superload in California?
A load over 15' wide, over 17'0" high, over 135' long is handled as a superload in California. Allow about 30 business days for review.
How much does a California oversize permit cost?
Permigo charges a flat $20 service fee per state permit. California's own permit fee is billed at cost on the same invoice, itemised, with nothing added. Call +1 (786) 494-6912 and we will price your exact route.
What happens if I move without a California permit?
Moving above California's limits without a permit is a violation, not a paperwork gap. The load can be stopped at a scale or by a trooper and held until a permit is issued, the fine is set by California and the citing officer, and a pattern of violations follows the carrier's safety record. If you are not sure the load needs one, when you need an oversize permit walks through the triggers.
Which kind of California permit do I need?
Most moves take a single-trip permit: one load, one route, a set number of days. Many states also sell annual or blanket permits for loads that stay within routine dimensions; whether California does, and for which loads, is on the state's own permit page. A superload is permitted separately and reviewed by the state — the thresholds are in the answer above. Permigo files whichever kind the load needs at the same $20 flat fee; what California itself charges is on the cost guide.
Is a California oversize permit the same as a California truck permit?
No. A "truck permit" usually means the paperwork a truck needs to cross California at all — a trip permit, a fuel permit (IFTA) or IRP plates — which the state's motor-carrier office issues. An oversize or overweight permit covers one load that exceeds California's legal size or weight, and that is what Permigo files.
Do structural loads up to 80 feet need a California permit?
Not for length. Under Vehicle Code §35414, a truck carrying only poles, pipes, structural materials or other one-piece loads up to 80 feet long is free of California’s length limits, and Caltrans counts steel beams for building construction among them. Caltrans issues no permit for a load that qualifies. Width, height and weight must stay legal, and on a semitrailer the load can hang past its last point of support by no more than two-thirds of the wheelbase (§35410). Over 80 feet, the load needs a Caltrans permit, which Permigo files. Permigo’s guide to California’s structural load exemption has what qualifies and where the exemption stops.
Also useful: when you need a permit, pilot car requirements by state, and the interactive map of all 48 states.
Moving through California?
$20 flat per state permit, the state's fee at cost. A permit agent answers, 7am–7pm CT.