North Dakota Oversize & Overweight Permits

When North Dakota needs a permit

Legal to 8'6" wide, 14' high, 80,000 lb on the Interstate; ND state highways allow more gross by axle formula. Over that, buy a single-trip permit (about $20) from the ND Highway Patrol before you enter. Run sunrise to sunset. Loads over 16' wide and 110' long park Saturday afternoon and Sunday. Past 150,000 lb it's engineering review with graduated fees, and over 200,000 lb adds a nickel per ton-mile.

Thresholds, escorts, and curfews

• Legal max before a permit: Permit needed over 8'6" wide, over 14' high, over 80,000 lb on the Interstate, or over your route's legal length. ND state highways allow more gross by axle formula (up to about 105,500 lb), so the weight trigger depends on your route.
• Escort / pilot car: Width 14'6"–16' needs one escort (or amber warning lights) on 2-lane; over 16' needs two escorts on 2-lane and one on 4-lane; over 18' wide requires an official/law-enforcement escort. Height over 18' needs a pole car plus written utility clearances. Length over 120' needs one escort.
• Superload: Over 150,000 lb gross triggers engineering review and a graduated overweight fee ($30–$70 on top of the base). Over 200,000 lb adds $0.05 per ton-mile plus route and bridge analysis. Loads over 18' wide need written utility clearances.
• Travel curfew: Oversize runs sunrise to sunset, weekends included. Loads over 16' wide and 110' long can't move Saturday afternoon or all day Sunday. Overweight-only loads at legal dimensions can run continuously. Holiday and holiday-weekend limits are printed on the permit. Night means before sunrise or after sunset.
• Permit fee: Single-trip about $20 (plus up to $15 e-permit service fee). Overweight over 150,000 lb: graduated $30–$70 added. Annual overwidth $150, annual overweight $100, full annual around $700. Ton-mile fee kicks in over 200,000 lb.

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