Michigan oversize load permits
Michigan caps at 13'6", the federal baseline and the limit in 26 states. 20 states allow 14'0" and two allow 14'6", so a load that ran legally elsewhere can be over-height here.
Michigan 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 Michigan and the load needs a permit. No overall length limit on a tractor-semitrailer — the semitrailer binds: 53' on designated highways, 50' elsewhere. 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 overhang is capped at 3'. Exceed it and Michigan requires a permit.
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
| Axles | Gross weight |
|---|---|
| 4 axles | 67,500 lb |
| 5 axles | 86,000 lb |
| 8 axles | 109,000 lb |
| 11 axles | 164,000 lb |
Escorts by road type
Police escort at the state’s discretion.
Superload above
Allow about 10 business days for review.
Movement windows
| Load | Window |
|---|---|
| Overweight-only (legal dims) | 7 days a week, 24 hours a day (live provision 1 — printed on permits, in no published document) |
| Oversize — standard | daylight (±½ hr), Monday–Friday |
| Oversize ≤10'W · ≤14'H · ≤90'L | weekends too: Saturday daylight + Sunday daylight until 3:00 p.m. (select in MiTRIP; not mobile homes) |
| 6 holidays | noon the day before → daylight the day after (mobile homes: noon); Fri/Mon holidays block the whole 3-day weekend |
| 11 metro counties | no movement 7–9 a.m. / 3–6 p.m. (Genesee…Wayne; Saginaw except I-75) |
| Wind / bridges | >25 mph invalid; Mackinac + 3 other bridges need 24-hr advance contact |
| Spring frost law | 2026: Feb 17 → May 15 by zone — no OW single-trips, ≤14'W / ≤11 axles / ≤150'L in restricted zones; extended permits oversize-only |
Travel restrictions
Other published tables
Michigan axle-law gross anchors
| Axles | Legal gross (no permit) |
|---|---|
| 4 axles | 67,500 lb (bridge-formula example) |
| 5 axles | 86,000 lb (18k + 16k/16k designated tandem + 18k + 18k) |
| 8 axles | 109,000 lb (7×13k + 18k) |
| 11 axles (the 'Michigan train') | 164,000 lb — the de-facto maximum; more than 11 axles requires a permit |
Primary source: MDOT — maximum legal truck loadings and dimensions (T-1, PDF) ↗
Every figure on this page was checked against it on August 4, 2026.
Get Michigan priced and filed
Send the route and a permit agent calls you back with Michigan’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 in FleetLynk, the filing app behind Permigo — or send the form and we set it up for you.
States that border Michigan
Limits change at the line. One order covers every state on your route.
Michigan oversize permits, answered
Do I need an oversize permit in Michigan?
You need a permit in Michigan once the load exceeds any one of these: 8'6" wide, 13'6" 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 — 18,000 lb on a single axle and 32,000 lb on a tandem.
When does Michigan require an escort?
Michigan requires no escort below 12' wide. Above that the requirement depends on the road type as well as the dimension, which is why the same load can need a front escort on a two-lane and a rear escort on a multilane.
Can I move an oversize load at night in Michigan?
Daylight hours only. Weekend restrictions apply. Holiday movement is restricted.
What counts as a superload in Michigan?
A load over 16' wide, over 15'0" high, over 150' long is handled as a superload in Michigan. Allow about 10 business days for review.
How much does a Michigan oversize permit cost?
Permigo charges a flat $20 service fee per state permit. Michigan'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 Michigan permit?
Moving above Michigan'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 Michigan 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 Michigan 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 Michigan 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 Michigan itself charges is on the cost guide.
Is a Michigan oversize permit the same as a Michigan truck permit?
No. A "truck permit" usually means the paperwork a truck needs to cross Michigan 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 Michigan's legal size or weight, and that is what Permigo files.
Also useful: when you need a permit, pilot car requirements by state, and the interactive map of all 48 states.
Moving through Michigan?
$20 flat per state permit, the state's fee at cost. A permit agent answers, 7am–7pm CT.