SD
South Dakota oversize permit rules
What South Dakota 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 2023-05-01.
Oversize permit
$25
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 $25
Scales with distance and weight and axle count — there is no single figure.
A load that is both oversize and overweight pays this fee only, not both.
+ $20 Permigo service fee per permit, state fees at cost.
Legal limits
Exceed any one of these in South Dakota and you need a permit for this state.
| Limit | Interstate |
|---|---|
| Width | 8'6" |
| Height | 14'0" |
| Length | 85'0" |
| Gross weight | 80,000 lbs |
| Single axle | 20,000 lbs |
| Tandem axle | 34,000 lbs |
| Trailer length | 53'0" |
What the permit costs
South Dakota 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.
Interstate / divided
| Width | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Over 10'0" | Marking requiredOver 10' wide: DAYLIGHT ONLY (ARSD :07 — one of NINE daylight triggers) + on the 12 enumerated Black Hills corridor routes an escort starts here (front). >12' wide (or >95' long, or ANY night move): 'OVERSIZE LOAD' sign 18"×84" required (:14.01). Lane rule (:20.01): ≥10' must remain for traffic — a load reaching >2' into the adjacent lane or blocking passage takes special handling (flagpersons/escorts front and/or rear). |
| Over 16'0" | 1 rear escortOver 16' wide on the interstate: ONE escort — 'in front on two-lane highways or in the rear on divided highways' (ARSD 70:03:01:20 preamble, eff. 2023-05-01) — i.e. REAR on the interstate |
| Height | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Over 14'6" | Marking requiredOver 14'6" high: DAYLIGHT ONLY (ARSD :07 trigger (4)). All vertical clearances are the permit holder's responsibility (:13; height-restriction list on sdtruckinfo). No height escort or pole rule exists in SD. |
| Over 16'0" | Conditions applyOver 16' high: extended review — 'loads more than 16 feet high may take longer' than the typical two working days (Handbook Ch. 6 verbatim). No extra fee; free DOT pre-trip route analysis available (605) 773-3704. |
| Weight | Requirement |
|---|---|
| 200,001 lbs and over | Marking requiredOver 200,000 lb GVW triggers extended permit review by the SDHP Permit Center (internal route review, longer processing). SD has NO formal superload tier and NO additional superload fee — the permit remains $25 + the OW ton-mile charge. Modeled as an alert only (not superload:true, not a police/survey flag), since no codified threshold mandates a survey or law-enforcement escort. |
State & local highways
| Width | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Over 10'0" | Marking requiredOver 10' wide: DAYLIGHT ONLY (ARSD :07 — one of NINE daylight triggers) + on the 12 enumerated Black Hills corridor routes an escort starts here (front). >12' wide (or >95' long, or ANY night move): 'OVERSIZE LOAD' sign 18"×84" required (:14.01). Lane rule (:20.01): ≥10' must remain for traffic — a load reaching >2' into the adjacent lane or blocking passage takes special handling (flagpersons/escorts front and/or rear). |
| Over 16'0" | Marking requiredOver 16' wide on the 7 enumerated Black Hills-area routes (US16 Keystone Wye→WY, US14A, US385, SD89, SD85, SD71, SD471): FRONT escort (:20(3)) — route-conditional; the general two-lane trigger stays >20'. |
| Over 20'0" | 1 front escortOver 20' wide on non-interstate state trunk highways: ONE escort, FRONT on two-lane (:20(4)) — SD's general two-lane trigger is LOOSER than the interstate's 16'. TIGHTER BLACK HILLS CORRIDORS (:20(2)-(3), route-conditional — surfaced as alerts,) |
| Height | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Over 14'6" | Marking requiredOver 14'6" high: DAYLIGHT ONLY (ARSD :07 trigger (4)). All vertical clearances are the permit holder's responsibility (:13; height-restriction list on sdtruckinfo). No height escort or pole rule exists in SD. |
| Over 16'0" | Conditions applyOver 16' high: extended review — 'loads more than 16 feet high may take longer' than the typical two working days (Handbook Ch. 6 verbatim). No extra fee; free DOT pre-trip route analysis available (605) 773-3704. |
| Weight | Requirement |
|---|---|
| 200,001 lbs and over | Conditions applyOver 200,000 lb GVW triggers extended permit review by the SDHP Permit Center (internal route review, longer processing). SD has NO formal superload tier and NO additional superload fee — the permit remains $25 + the OW ton-mile charge. Modeled as an alert only. |
Movement restrictions
| Restriction | In South Dakota |
|---|---|
| Night travel | Daylight hours only |
| Weekends | No blanket restriction |
| Holidays | No blanket restriction |
Movement hours
| Situation | Window |
|---|---|
| Weekends & holidays | UNRESTRICTED — FAQ verbatim: 'South Dakota does not have weekend or holiday restrictions.' |
| Daylight-only (½hr before sunrise → ½hr after sunset) if ANY of the NINE :07 triggers | escort required · can't keep posted speed · >10' wide · >14'6" high · single unit >45' · combination >110' · 2-unit combo w/ unit >60' · 3+-unit combo w/ unit >48' · non-interstate travel beyond 2 mi of an interstate interchange |
| OS night travel | Effectively INTERSTATE-ONLY (+2-mi interchange radius), and only ≤10'W / ≤14'6"H within length caps at posted speed; DOT variance beyond = roof ambers + FRONT AND REAR escorts |
| Overweight-only, legal dims | Nights OK if unescorted (Handbook); single-trip OW permits only on the interstate (:08) |
| LCV (approved routes, ≤110'/≤129k) | 24 hours/day (:65); each permit one trip or 24 hr |
| Weather (:20.02) | OS permit VOID at visibility ≤½ mile; OS/OW void on slippery surfaces; troopers may restrict further |
| Spring load limits | Feb 15 – Apr 30 (SDCL 32-22-24, extendable); posted at sdtruckinfo.sd.gov/spring-load-restrictions; DOT variance possible |
| Sturgis Rally (Black Hills counties) | Thu before the 1st Fri of Aug → Sun after the 2nd Fri: DOT Rapid City approval for escorted/slow/>110'/over-width loads; travel ½hr-before-sunrise → 10:00 AM only; (605) 394-2244 |
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.
| South Dakota permit office | |
|---|---|
| Permit office | (605) 773-7364 |
| Filing notes | Self-issuing books of 10 exist ($250 OS/OW; $100 LCV) but every use must be phone-validated before travel |
ARSD 70:03:01 current texts via the sdlegislature API (:02 fees eff 2004-09-06 · law.cornell.edu · in effect since 2023-05-01. Fees and rules change; the linked document is always the authority.