Washington oversize load permits
Washington allows 14'0" unpermitted, which 20 states do. The other 26 cap at 13'6" — so a 14-foot load legal here needs a permit the moment it crosses into most of them.
Washington 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 Washington and the load needs a permit. No overall cap on a tractor-semitrailer — the 53' semitrailer is the limit, and a rear load overhang counts inside it, so a 48' trailer with an 8' tail measures 56' and is overlength. The 125' figure is the permit line rather than a legal one: self-issue permits cap at 125' of trailing units plus load, jeeps and boosters included, and above that the move is a superload. A trailer longer than 53' loses that exemption, and the combination then has to sit inside the 125' self-issue ceiling. 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 Washington requires a permit — and on the rear, the 15' figure is rarely what binds. The 53' trailer measure above includes the load, so the tail spends the trailer’s remainder first: a 48' trailer gets 5', a 53' trailer gets none. The published 15' only governs on a trailer short enough to leave that much room — 38' or less.
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 30 business days for review.
Movement windows
| Situation | Window |
|---|---|
| Night envelope | ≤12' W × ≤14'6" H × ≤105' L (incl. legal overhangs) may move at night; beyond → 'Nighttime movement approved' must be stated on the permit; stop when visibility <500' |
| Overweight-only | Exempt from time restrictions if it 'can maintain posted speed limits' |
| Holidays | New Year's, Memorial, Independence, Labor, Thanksgiving + the day after, Christmas — prohibited from noon of the preceding day through the holiday; exemptions: ≤56' trailer incl. load / ≤68' doubles / ≤45' single / ≤7'F+≤15'R overhang / OW-at-speed / milk doubles |
| Weekends | No general rule (local exception: SR 20 MP 40.82–42.75 posts no weekend moves at 12–14' wide) |
| Peak-hour curfews (M–F) | Seattle–Everett, Tacoma, Olympia, Vancouver, Kelso + Spokane (I-90; 11'2" width trigger) — applies to loads displaying OVERSIZE LOAD signs; overweight-only at traffic speed exempt |
| Winter / chains | Permit movement prohibited where 'TRACTION ADVISORY OVERSIZE VEHICLES PROHIBITED' or chains-required signs are displayed |
| Speed / convoy | Permit-stated speed binding (violation voids the permit); ≤25 mph on shoulder; convoys banned for escort-required loads unless authorized |
Travel restrictions
Other published tables
Length by vehicle class
| Class | Limit |
|---|---|
| Semitrailer | 53', measured with any rear load overhang inside it |
| Twin trailers | 61' combined |
| Single unit | 40' |
| Truck and trailer | 75' |
Permit width caps
| Road | Maximum width under permit |
|---|---|
| Two-lane | 14', or 16' in daylight at 80,000 lb gross or less |
| Multilane with a median barrier | 20' |
| Multilane without a median barrier | 32' |
Facility caps & ferries
| Facility | Rule |
|---|---|
| SR 99 tunnel (Seattle) | No loads over 15'2" high (permanent) |
| SR 520 floating bridge | No overwidth loads (permanent) |
| Tacoma Narrows | Overwidth + >105,500 lb: use both lanes, straddle the steel-grate seam |
| SR 20 North Cascades (MP 134–171) | Closed ~November–April (avalanche); MP 331+ winter restrictions (Colville) |
| I-5 Seattle (NB MP 164.5–170) | Max 14'9" high; SB Exit 167 ≤10' wide / ≤100' long |
| SR 14 (MP 19–83.53) | Max 125' trailer/load; pilots required >14' wide |
| Columbia River crossings | Hood River Bridge + Bridge of the Gods: no permitted loads (legal weight only) into Oregon |
| WSF ferries | >80,000 lb / >8'6" W / >13'4" H / 8'6" wide = double fare; WSF permission needed on top of the WSDOT permit; deck clearances 13'6"–16' |
| I-5 reversible lanes (Seattle) | Flammable-liquid transports banned |
Primary source: WSDOT — commercial vehicle permits ↗
Every figure on this page was checked against it on August 4, 2026.
Get Washington priced and filed
Send the route and a permit agent calls you back with Washington’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 Washington
Limits change at the line. One order covers every state on your route.
Washington oversize permits, answered
Do I need an oversize permit in Washington?
You need a permit in Washington once the load exceeds any one of these: 8'6" wide, 14'0" 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 load overhang inside it. Axle limits apply too — 20,000 lb on a single axle and 34,000 lb on a tandem.
When does Washington require an escort?
Washington requires no escort below 14' 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 Washington?
Daylight only above 12' wide. There is no general weekend blackout. Holiday movement is restricted.
What counts as a superload in Washington?
A load over 16' wide, over 16'0" high, over 125' long, over 200,000 lb is handled as a superload in Washington. Allow about 30 business days for review.
How much does a Washington oversize permit cost?
Permigo charges a flat $20 service fee per state permit. Washington'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 Washington permit?
Moving above Washington'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 Washington 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 Washington 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 Washington 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 Washington itself charges is on the cost guide.
Is a Washington oversize permit the same as a Washington truck permit?
No. A "truck permit" usually means the paperwork a truck needs to cross Washington 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 Washington'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 Washington?
$20 flat per state permit, the state's fee at cost. A permit agent answers, 7am–7pm CT.