Virginia oversize load permits
Virginia 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. Virginia calls these hauling permits: the Virginia DMV issues them through its EZ Haul system.
Virginia 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 Virginia and the load needs a permit. No overall cap where the trailer is 53' or less and KPRA is 41' or less — statewide. 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 Virginia 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
Escorts by road type
Police escort at the state’s discretion.
Superload above
Allow about 10 business days for review.
Movement windows
| Situation | Window |
|---|---|
| Baseline | Sunrise → sunset; speed = posted ≤55 mph; superloads may be ordered to move at night |
| Weekends | No statewide ban (locality rules only — Harrisonburg bans, South Boston allows 24h) |
| Holidays | New Year's, Memorial, Independence, Labor, Thanksgiving, Christmas: invalid from noon the preceding weekday through the holiday (Monday holidays: from noon Friday through Monday) |
| City/town curfew (statewide) | No permitted travel inside corporate limits 7–9 AM + 4–6 PM — except overweight-only and overlength-only ≤85' incl. rear overhang |
| Regional curfews (M–F 7–9 + 4–6, over-width/length) | NoVA interstates (I-495/395/95, I-66 inside Fairfax–PW) · Richmond–Petersburg · Tidewater (I-64 NN→I-264, I-564/464/264) · Roanoke · Albemarle |
| NoVA non-interstate window | >15' W / >15' H / >150' L: travel only 9 AM–2:30 PM in Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun, Prince William |
| Weigh stations | Permitted loads may not bypass; exceptions w/ 15-min call-ahead: Alberta I-85, Dahlgren US-301; MMMBT loads stop at the inspection station |
| Weather | No operation when hazardous; 'Law enforcement judgment shall prevail' |
Travel restrictions
Other published tables
Facility caps
| Facility | Limits / rules |
|---|---|
| HRBT | 10'6" W / 13'6" H; over-width ≤10'6" only Tue–Thu 9:30–3:30; wider → MMMBT |
| MMMBT | 23' W / 15'8" H; OS window 9:30 AM–3 PM; authorized nights M–Sat 9 PM–4:30 AM w/ ≥2h ahead; stop at inspection station |
| Elizabeth River Tunnels (private ERC) | Downtown 9'0" W · Midtown 10'4" W · both 13'6" H; >8' stops for inspection; >10' banned 5:30–9 AM + 3–6:30 PM M–F + ERT escort |
| CBBT | 14' W / 13'6" H; >80,000 lb needs CBBT approval; >10'6" W or >100' L = 24-hr notice x40; wind Level 2 bars empty tractor-trailers/towed/exterior cargo |
| I-77 tunnels (Big Walker / East River Mtn) | 14' W / 16' H |
| James River Drawbridge | Permitted loads banned — 'not authorized to cross drawbridge' |
| Narrow bridges (Coleman US-17 + Clarksville, South Boston, Tappahannock) | Police escort required >12'–14' W; 24-hr notice |
| Richmond area | Powhite (RMTA) 12'W/14'H · I-95 downtown 12'W/14'H · I-95/85 Rich–Pet 14'W/14'H · Norris Bridge 10'W/14'H |
| Express Lanes | >2 axles banned — permitted OS/OW effectively excluded |
| Separate authorities | Chesapeake Expressway US-168 = city permit · Dulles Access = MWAA · Jordan Bridge = SNJB advance travel permit (no size caps) |
Primary source: Virginia DMV — hauling permits ↗
Every figure on this page was checked against it on August 4, 2026.
Get Virginia priced and filed
Send the route and a permit agent calls you back with Virginia’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 Virginia
Limits change at the line. One order covers every state on your route.
Virginia oversize permits, answered
Do I need an oversize permit in Virginia?
You need a permit in Virginia 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 — 20,000 lb on a single axle and 34,000 lb on a tandem.
When does Virginia require an escort?
Virginia 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 Virginia?
Daylight hours only. There is no general weekend blackout. Holiday movement is restricted.
What counts as a superload in Virginia?
A load over 15' wide, over 15'0" high, over 150' long, over 115,000 lb is handled as a superload in Virginia. Allow about 10 business days for review.
How much does a Virginia oversize permit cost?
Permigo charges a flat $20 service fee per state permit. Virginia'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 Virginia permit?
Moving above Virginia'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 Virginia 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 Virginia 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 Virginia 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 Virginia itself charges is on the cost guide.
Is a Virginia oversize permit the same as a Virginia truck permit?
No. A "truck permit" usually means the paperwork a truck needs to cross Virginia 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 Virginia's legal size or weight, and that is what Permigo files.
Is a Virginia hauling permit the same as an oversize permit?
Yes. The Virginia DMV calls an oversize or overweight permit a hauling permit and issues it through its EZ Haul online system. Permigo files the same hauling permit for a flat $20, with the state's own fee billed at cost.
Also useful: when you need a permit, pilot car requirements by state, and the interactive map of all 48 states.
Moving through Virginia?
$20 flat per state permit, the state's fee at cost. A permit agent answers, 7am–7pm CT.