Ohio oversize load permits
Ohio 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.
Ohio 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 Ohio and the load needs a permit. No overall cap on a tractor-semitrailer — §(C)(6)’s 65' opens “except as provided in divisions (C)(3) and (4)”, which carve it out, so the 65' reaches only other combinations such as a straight truck pulling a trailer. The 53' semitrailer, measured with the load on it, is the trigger. A single unit caps at 50'. Permigo files it for a flat $20, with the state's own fee billed at cost.
Ohio publishes no separate overhang cap, but the tail is still capped — the 53' trailer figure above is measured with the load on it, so a rear overhang spends the trailer’s remainder rather than sitting outside it. A 48' trailer gets 5'; a 53' trailer gets none, and 1' of tail needs a permit. Marking rules still apply.
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
No separate superload class published — the permit thresholds above govern.
Movement windows
| Situation | Window |
|---|---|
| Over-dimension loads | daylight only (½ hr before sunrise → ½ hr after sunset), 7 days up to 12'W; over 12'W see the weekend rows below |
| OW-only, legal dimensions | Unrestricted hours and days |
| Holidays | 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 Ohio Turnpike permit — night ban >10'W/>90'L/OH>4'/>130k; hard caps 14' H, 12' W mobile homes; through Jan 2, 2027 a construction ban keeps anything >10'W or >13'6"H off the whole Turnpike |
Travel restrictions
Other published tables
No additional tables published for this state.
Primary source: ODOT — special hauling permit limits (OS-1A, PDF) ↗
Every figure on this page was checked against it on August 4, 2026.
Under Ohio Administrative Code rule 5501:2-1-04 (read October 8, 2026), the driver carries Form OS-1A, both pages, with every ODOT special hauling permit. Download Form OS-1A (PDF, 253 KB)
Get Ohio priced and filed
Send the route and a permit agent calls you back with Ohio’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 Ohio
Limits change at the line. One order covers every state on your route.
Ohio oversize permits, answered
Do I need an oversize permit in Ohio?
You need a permit in Ohio 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 is capped at 53' instead, measured with any rear overhang inside it. Axle limits apply too — 20,000 lb on a single axle and 34,000 lb on a tandem.
When does Ohio require an escort?
Ohio requires no escort below 13' wide. On two-lane roads it takes one escort (in front) over 13', two escorts (front and rear) over 14'6" and two escorts (front and rear) with a police escort over 16'. On multilane highways it takes one escort (behind) over 13', two escorts (front and rear) over 14'6" and two escorts (front and rear) with a police escort over 16'.
Can I move an oversize load at night in Ohio?
Daylight hours only. Loads 12' wide or less have no weekend ban. Over 12' wide, movement stops at 3 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, and from April 1 to November 30 at 3 p.m. on Friday, until half an hour before sunrise the next day. Holiday movement is restricted.
What counts as a superload in Ohio?
A load over 14' wide, over 14'6" high, over 120,000 lb is handled as a superload in Ohio.
How much does an Ohio oversize permit cost?
Permigo charges a flat $20 service fee per state permit. Ohio'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 an Ohio permit?
Moving above Ohio'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 Ohio 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 Ohio 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 Ohio 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 Ohio itself charges is on the cost guide.
Is an Ohio oversize permit the same as an Ohio truck permit?
No. A "truck permit" usually means the paperwork a truck needs to cross Ohio 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 Ohio's legal size or weight, and that is what Permigo files.
What must the driver carry with an Ohio permit?
Up to four documents, for the whole trip. Under Ohio Administrative Code rule 5501:2-1-04, in force since November 3, 2023, the driver must carry them and show them to any law enforcement officer, State Highway Patrol load limit inspector or Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) employee who asks. One: the permit, or a fax or electronic copy, legible, with nothing added but a fax header. Two: a complete copy of ODOT's two-page Form OS-1A (January 2018 revision). Three: a bill of lading or similar document, not required for farm equipment, government-owned vehicles, construction equipment or boats; if its shipper doesn't match the permit's origin, the permit is invalid. Four: a statement of gross vehicle weight.
Does an Ohio permit cover the Ohio Turnpike?
No. An ODOT permit covers Ohio’s state routes, not the Turnpike. The Ohio Turnpike and Infrastructure Commission issues its own permit, with its own limits and fees. Until sunrise on January 2, 2027, a 2026 restriction keeps anything over 10 feet wide or 13 feet 6 inches high off the Turnpike. Permigo files both permits. What the Turnpike permit covers and costs is in our guide.
Also useful: when you need a permit, pilot car requirements by state, and the interactive map of all 48 states.
Moving through Ohio?
$20 flat per state permit, the state's fee at cost. A permit agent answers, 7am–7pm CT.