OH
Ohio oversize permit rules
What Ohio charges for a single-trip OS/OW permit, the limits that trigger one, and the escort thresholds — read from the state’s own publication. This rule has been in effect since 2019-01-02.
Oversize permit
$75
One price for a single-trip permit, whatever the dimensions. A 9-foot-wide load and a 16-foot-wide load pay the same.
Overweight permit
From $145
Scales with distance and weight — there is no single figure.
+ $20 Permigo service fee per permit, state fees at cost.
Legal limits
Exceed any one of these in Ohio and you need a permit for this state.
| Limit | Interstate |
|---|---|
| Width | 8'6" |
| Height | 13'6" |
| Length | 65'0" |
| Gross weight | 80,000 lbs |
| Single axle | 20,000 lbs |
| Tandem axle | 34,000 lbs |
| Trailer length | 53'0" |
What the permit costs
Ohio prices a single-trip permit as flat rate. One price for a single-trip permit, whatever the dimensions. A 9-foot-wide load and a 16-foot-wide load pay the same.
Escort requirements
Thresholds by road class. Where two classes differ, the road you are actually on governs.
Multilane
| Width | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Over 12'0" | Travel window appliesWider than 12': no movement Sat 3 PM → ½ hr before sunrise Sun, nor Sun 3 PM → ½ hr before sunrise Mon; SEASONAL: also Fri 3 PM → ½ hr before sunrise Sat from April 1 through November 30 (OS-1A Rev 01/18 — the Friday leg was missing).22-county weekday peak ban for >12' wide (OS-1A #3): no movement 6:30–9:00 a.m. + 4:30–6:00 p.m. Mon–Fri in Butler, Clermont, Cuyahoga, Delaware, Fairfield, Franklin, Geauga, Hamilton, Lake, Licking, Lorain, Lucas, Madison, Mahoning, Medina, Montgomery, Pickaway, Stark, Summit, Union, Warren, and Wood counties (Columbus/Cleveland/Cincinnati/Toledo metros included). |
| Over 13'0" | 1 rear escortOver 13 ft wide on multilane highways: 1 REAR escort follows. The position flips by road type — the same load on a 2-lane road is PRECEDED by a front escort (ODOT SHP Operational Guide pilot-car rule via inputs grid) |
| Over 14'0" | superload permitWidth over 14'0" = Superload tier (ODOT Fee Schedule: 'SUPERLOAD = Over 120,000 lbs; Over 14' wide or Over 14'6" high'). OS permit fee rises from $75 to $145 one-way; no per-foot charge applies. |
| Over 14'6" | 1 front escort + 1 rear escortOver 14'6" wide: IMMEDIATE front + rear escort on ALL road types (ODOT SHP Operational Guide via inputs grid) |
| Over 16'0" | 1 police escortOverall width exceeding 16': Ohio State Highway Patrol escort required IN ADDITION to private escorts — 'Law enforcement escort shall be required, in addition to private escorts, on any vehicle or vehicle/load with an overall width in excess of 16 feet' (SHP Operational Guide p.12-10 — RE-GROUNDED 2026-07-13: current ORC 4513.34 contains no escort language; the old statute cite was wrong). |
| Height | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Over 14'6" | 1 front escort · height pole · superloadHeight over 14'6": Superload fee class ($145 one-way) + ONE lead escort 'equipped with a height sensing device' (OS-1A #4 — a single front vehicle with the pole; NO police trigger exists at any height — the old police:1 was a grid artifact, deleted 2026-07-13). |
| Over 14'10" | 1 front escort + 1 rear escortHeight over 14'10": one lead AND one rear escort (OS-1A #5) — and the permittee 'must coordinate with owners of all overhead signs, signals, utilities' (OS-1A Operating Limitation #3). |
| Length | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Over 90'0" | 1 rear escortLength over 90': one REAR escort — 'One rear escort vehicle shall be required for the transportation of any vehicle/load with a permitted length in excess of 90 feet' (OS-1A #2 verbatim — the position IS codified: rear). |
| Weight | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Over 120,000 lbs | superload permitGVW over 120,000 lb = Superload: fee $145 + ((GVW−120,000)/2,000) × $0.04 × miles (return legs carry their own TM). ODOT runs the structural review itself — bridge analysis 'in house' to 250,000 lb, above that the Office of Structural Engineering ('normally within two weeks'), then 1–2 days to issue; a hauler ROUTE SURVEY is on-request only (the old always-on survey flag deleted). OSHP/ODOT accompaniment is a PER-PERMIT 'Special Limitations' item (48-hr notice; ODOT escort $1.00/mile round trip via escrow) — the old hard police:1 was a grid artifact, deleted. Axle tolerance: permit void only if an axle/group exceeds by MORE than 2,000 lb; gross has ZERO tolerance (ORC 4513.34(H)). |
| Rear overhang | Requirement |
|---|---|
| 4'0" and over | Marking requiredLoad extending 4' or more beyond the rear: red flag/cloth ≥16" square by day, red light or lantern at night (ORC 4513.09; OS-1A). Ohio has NO general overhang legal — the 3'-front/4'-rear figures are the automobile/boat-transporter allowance (5577.05(E)); overhang matters through overall length. |
2-lane
| Width | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Over 12'0" | Travel window appliesWider than 12': no movement Sat 3 PM → ½ hr before sunrise Sun, nor Sun 3 PM → ½ hr before sunrise Mon; SEASONAL: also Fri 3 PM → ½ hr before sunrise Sat from April 1 through November 30 (OS-1A Rev 01/18 — the Friday leg was missing).22-county weekday peak ban for >12' wide (OS-1A #3): no movement 6:30–9:00 a.m. + 4:30–6:00 p.m. Mon–Fri in Butler, Clermont, Cuyahoga, Delaware, Fairfield, Franklin, Geauga, Hamilton, Lake, Licking, Lorain, Lucas, Madison, Mahoning, Medina, Montgomery, Pickaway, Stark, Summit, Union, Warren, and Wood counties (Columbus/Cleveland/Cincinnati/Toledo metros included). |
| Over 13'0" | 1 front escortOver 13 ft wide on 2-lane roads: 1 LEAD (front) escort. The position flips by road type — the same load on a multilane highway is FOLLOWED by a rear escort (ODOT SHP Operational Guide pilot-car rule via inputs grid) |
| Over 14'0" | superload permitWidth over 14'0" = Superload tier (ODOT Fee Schedule: 'SUPERLOAD = Over 120,000 lbs; Over 14' wide or Over 14'6" high'). OS permit fee rises from $75 to $145 one-way; no per-foot charge applies. |
| Over 14'6" | 1 front escort + 1 rear escortOver 14'6" wide: IMMEDIATE front + rear escort on ALL road types (ODOT SHP Operational Guide via inputs grid) |
| Over 16'0" | 1 police escortOverall width exceeding 16': Ohio State Highway Patrol escort required IN ADDITION to private escorts — 'Law enforcement escort shall be required, in addition to private escorts, on any vehicle or vehicle/load with an overall width in excess of 16 feet' (SHP Operational Guide p.12-10 — RE-GROUNDED 2026-07-13: current ORC 4513.34 contains no escort language; the old statute cite was wrong). |
| Height | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Over 14'6" | 1 front escort · height pole · superloadHeight over 14'6": Superload fee class ($145 one-way) + ONE lead escort 'equipped with a height sensing device' (OS-1A #4 — a single front vehicle with the pole; NO police trigger exists at any height — the old police:1 was a grid artifact, deleted 2026-07-13). |
| Over 14'10" | 1 front escort + 1 rear escortHeight over 14'10": one lead AND one rear escort (OS-1A #5) — and the permittee 'must coordinate with owners of all overhead signs, signals, utilities' (OS-1A Operating Limitation #3). |
| Length | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Over 90'0" | 1 rear escortLength over 90': one REAR escort — 'One rear escort vehicle shall be required for the transportation of any vehicle/load with a permitted length in excess of 90 feet' (OS-1A #2 verbatim — the position IS codified: rear). |
| Weight | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Over 120,000 lbs | superload permitGVW over 120,000 lb = Superload: fee $145 + ((GVW−120,000)/2,000) × $0.04 × miles (return legs carry their own TM). ODOT runs the structural review itself — bridge analysis 'in house' to 250,000 lb, above that the Office of Structural Engineering ('normally within two weeks'), then 1–2 days to issue; a hauler ROUTE SURVEY is on-request only (the old always-on survey flag deleted). OSHP/ODOT accompaniment is a PER-PERMIT 'Special Limitations' item (48-hr notice; ODOT escort $1.00/mile round trip via escrow) — the old hard police:1 was a grid artifact, deleted. Axle tolerance: permit void only if an axle/group exceeds by MORE than 2,000 lb; gross has ZERO tolerance (ORC 4513.34(H)). |
| Rear overhang | Requirement |
|---|---|
| 4'0" and over | Marking requiredLoad extending 4' or more beyond the rear: red flag/cloth ≥16" square by day, red light or lantern at night (ORC 4513.09; OS-1A). Ohio has NO general overhang legal — the 3'-front/4'-rear figures are the automobile/boat-transporter allowance (5577.05(E)); overhang matters through overall length. |
Movement restrictions
| Restriction | In Ohio |
|---|---|
| Night travel | Daylight hours only |
| Weekends | No blanket restriction |
| Holidays | Restricted |
Movement hours
| Situation | Window |
|---|---|
| Over-dimension loads | daylight only (½ hr before sunrise → ½ hr after sunset), 7 days |
| OW-only, legal dimensions | UNRESTRICTED hours and days (OS-1A) |
| Holidays (6 + weekend shifts) | no movement noon-the-day-preceding → ½ hr before sunrise the day after the holiday/holiday weekend (New Year's · Memorial · July 4 · Labor · Thanksgiving · Christmas; Sat→Fri, Sun→Mon) |
| >12′ wide — weekends | banned Sat 3 PM → Sun sunrise−½hr and Sun 3 PM → Mon sunrise−½hr |
| >12′ wide — seasonal Fridays | banned Fri 3 PM → Sat sunrise−½hr, April 1 – November 30 |
| >12′ wide — 22-county peak | banned M–F 6:30–9:00 a.m. + 4:30–6:00 p.m. (Columbus, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Toledo, Dayton, Akron/Canton, Youngstown metros) |
| Weather / wind | no movement in adverse conditions; mobile homes parked at wind >25 mph (>15 mph on bridges) |
| Validity | single trip = 5 calendar days (return variant 5; emergency 1/3; continuing 90; annual 365) |
| Turnpike | separate OHTP permit — night ban >10′W/>90′L/OH>4′/>130k; hard caps 14′ H, 12′ W mobile homes |
Where these permits come from
If you file yourself, this is the office you are dealing with. Check the linked page — some states issue OS/OW permits through their highway patrol or revenue department rather than the DOT.
| Ohio permit office | |
|---|---|
| Permit office | 614-351-2300 |
| Filing notes | Portal: Ohio Hauling Permit System — haulingpermits.transportation.ohio.gov (permits.dot.state.oh.us is legacy) |
ORC 5577.04 (sole eff. 6/29/2001) / 5577.05 (sole eff. 7/1/2013) / 4513.09 / 4513.34 (eff. 6/30/2023 · transportation.ohio.gov · in effect since 2019-01-02. Fees and rules change; the linked document is always the authority.