Arkansas Oversize & Overweight Permits

When Arkansas needs a permit

In Arkansas the Arkansas Highway Police issue the permit, and it runs three days. Permit over 8'6" wide, 13'6" high, or 80,000 lb. A load over 15' high needs an escort running a clearance bar 6" above your height. Over 14' wide goes front and rear off the divided highways. Sunrise to sunset only, no movement through Little Rock at rush hour, and no rolling on the big holidays.

Thresholds, escorts, and curfews

• Legal max before a permit: Permit needed over 8'6" wide (8' for manufactured homes), 13'6" high, 80,000 lb gross, or the legal length for your combination. Buy it before you enter the state; a single-trip permit is good for three days.
• Escort / pilot car: Over 15' high: one escort running a clearance bar set 6" above your permitted height (over 17' high adds signed agreements from overhead-facility owners). Width 12' to 14': one front escort on ordinary highways. Over 14' on a controlled-access divided four-lane: one rear escort 200' back; on all other roads over 14': front and rear.
• Superload: Permit width tops out at 20' off the Interstate, so wider than that is superload territory. Loads over 16' wide or roughly over 120,000 lb draw special routing and bridge clearance from ArDOT, which adds review time. Confirm the route before you commit to dates.
• Travel curfew: Sunrise to sunset, seven days a week. No oversize movement through metro Little Rock during rush hours, 7-9 a.m. and 4-6 p.m., on I-30 (MM 138-143), I-40 (MM 151-155), and all of I-630. No travel on the major holidays: New Year's, Memorial Day, July 4th, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.
• Permit fee: Oversize single-trip permit $17 per §27-35-210. Overweight adds charges keyed to weight and axles. Arkansas has no general annual OS/OW permit; specialized annual permits run from about $500 (forestry $250 per zone, agronomic $800). The Arkansas Highway Police issues the permits.

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