Legal Semitrailer Length by State
The semitrailer length every state must allow on the National Network without a permit, from 23 CFR Part 658 Appendix B, plus the grandfathered doubles and triples rights from Appendix C. 27 jurisdictions sit above the 48-foot federal floor. Covers all 50 states and DC. Reference only, not legal advice.
One federal floor, 27 states grandfathered above it
The Surface Transportation Assistance Act of 1982 stopped states from squeezing interstate freight with short trailer limits. Since then no state may hold a semitrailer in a tractor-semitrailer combination below 48 feet on the National Network (23 CFR 658.13). States that already allowed longer trailers kept that right, and those lengths are frozen in Appendix B — from 59'6" in Louisiana down to the 48-foot floor.
Read the number as a guarantee, not a ceiling. Appendix B says what the state has to let you do. What the state actually allows on its own roads is state law, and for most of them that is 53 feet. The two answers only ever meet on the National Network.
Three states where the number is not the whole rule
California, Indiana, Wisconsin appear at the 48-foot floor. A 53-foot trailer is still legal in all three without a permit — but only if the kingpin sits close enough to the rear axle.
- California: listed at 48'0", but a 53-foot semitrailer runs without a permit if the kingpin-to-rearmost-axle distance is 38 ft or less. A trailer consistent with 23 CFR 658.13(g) qualifies at 46 feet kingpin to the centre of the rear axle.
- Indiana: listed at 48'6", but a 53-foot semitrailer runs without a permit if the kingpin-to-rearmost-axle distance is 40'6" or less. A trailer consistent with 23 CFR 658.13(g) qualifies at 46 feet kingpin to the centre of the rear axle.
- Wisconsin: listed at 48'0", but a 53-foot semitrailer runs without a permit if the kingpin-to-rearmost-axle distance is 41 ft or less. A trailer consistent with 23 CFR 658.13(g) qualifies at 46 feet kingpin to the centre of the rear axle.
This is the detail that catches people. In California a standard 53-foot van with a long kingpin setting is not a long load needing a permit, it is an illegal one. Measure before you plan the run.
Semitrailer length and LCV rights for all 50 states and DC
Tap a state for the full Appendix B and Appendix C entry, the kingpin condition where one applies, and what it means for a standard 53-foot trailer.
| State | Appendix B length | Status | Tractor + 2 units | Tractor + 3 units |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama AL | 53'6" | Grandfathered longer | Not allowed | Not allowed |
| Alaska AK | 48'0" | Federal floor | 95' | 110' |
| Arizona AZ | 57'6" | Grandfathered longer | 95' 129K | 95' 129K |
| Arkansas AR | 53'6" | Grandfathered longer | Not allowed | Not allowed |
| California CA | 48'0" | 53 ft on a kingpin limit KPRA 38 ft | Not allowed | Not allowed |
| Colorado CO | 57'4" | Grandfathered longer | 111' 110K | 115.5' 110K |
| Connecticut CT | 48'0" | Federal floor | Not allowed | Not allowed |
| Delaware DE | 53'0" | Grandfathered longer | Not allowed | Not allowed |
| District of Columbia DC | 48'0" | Federal floor | Not allowed | Not allowed |
| Florida FL | 48'0" | Federal floor | 106' (2) | Not allowed |
| Georgia GA | 48'0" | Federal floor | Not allowed | Not allowed |
| Hawaii HI | 48'0" | Federal floor | 65' (2) | Not allowed |
| Idaho ID | 48'0" | Federal floor | 95' 105.5K | 95' 105.5K |
| Illinois IL | 53'0" | Grandfathered longer | Not allowed | Not allowed |
| Indiana IN | 48'6" | 53 ft on a kingpin limit KPRA 40'6" | 106' 127.4K | 104.5' 127.4K |
| Iowa IA | 53'0" | Grandfathered longer | 100' 129K | 100' 129K |
| Kansas KS | 57'6" | Grandfathered longer | 109' 120K | 109' 120K |
| Kentucky KY | 53'0" | Grandfathered longer | Not allowed | Not allowed |
| Louisiana LA | 59'6" | Grandfathered longer | Not allowed | Not allowed |
| Maine ME | 48'0" | Federal floor | Not allowed | Not allowed |
| Maryland MD | 48'0" | Federal floor | Not allowed | Not allowed |
| Massachusetts MA | 48'0" | Federal floor | 104' 127.4K | Not allowed |
| Michigan MI | 48'0" | Federal floor | 58' 164K | Not allowed |
| Minnesota MN | 48'0" | Federal floor | Not allowed | Not allowed |
| Mississippi MS | 53'0" | Grandfathered longer | 65' (2) | Not allowed |
| Missouri MO | 53'0" | Grandfathered longer | 110' 120K(4) | 109' 120K |
| Montana MT | 53'0" | Grandfathered longer | 93' 137.8K | 100' 131.06K |
| Nebraska NE | 53'0" | Grandfathered longer | 95' 95K | 95' (2) |
| Nevada NV | 53'0" | Grandfathered longer | 95' 129K | 95' 129K |
| New Hampshire NH | 48'0" | Federal floor | Not allowed | Not allowed |
| New Jersey NJ | 48'0" | Federal floor | Not allowed | Not allowed |
| New Mexico NM | 57'6" | Grandfathered longer | 86.4K(3) | Not allowed |
| New York NY | 48'0" | Federal floor | 102' 143K | Not allowed |
| North Carolina NC | 48'0" | Federal floor | Not allowed | Not allowed |
| North Dakota ND | 53'0" | Grandfathered longer | 103' 105.5K | 100' 105.5K |
| Ohio OH | 53'0" | Grandfathered longer | 102' 127.4K | 95' 115K |
| Oklahoma OK | 59'6" | Grandfathered longer | 110' 90K | 95' 90K |
| Oregon OR | 53'0" | Grandfathered longer | 68' 105.5K | 96' 105.5K |
| Pennsylvania PA | 53'0" | Grandfathered longer | Not allowed | Not allowed |
| Rhode Island RI | 48'6" | Grandfathered longer | Not allowed | Not allowed |
| South Carolina SC | 48'0" | Federal floor | Not allowed | Not allowed |
| South Dakota SD | 53'0" | Grandfathered longer | 100' 129K | 100' 129K |
| Tennessee TN | 50'0" | Grandfathered longer | Not allowed | Not allowed |
| Texas TX | 59'0" | Grandfathered longer | Not allowed | Not allowed |
| Utah UT | 48'0" | Federal floor | 95' 129K | 95' 129K |
| Vermont VT | 48'0" | Federal floor | Not allowed | Not allowed |
| Virginia VA | 48'0" | Federal floor | Not allowed | Not allowed |
| Washington WA | 48'0" | Federal floor | 68' 105.5K | Not allowed |
| West Virginia WV | 48'0" | Federal floor | Not allowed | Not allowed |
| Wisconsin WI | 48'0" | 53 ft on a kingpin limit KPRA 41 ft | Not allowed | Not allowed |
| Wyoming WY | 57'4" | Grandfathered longer | 81' 117K | Not allowed |
Source: eCFR, 23 CFR Part 658 Appendix B (last amended 2007-02-20) and Appendix C (last amended 2019-08-22), title 23 as published 2026-07-23. Puerto Rico is also listed in both appendices at 48'0" with no LCV rights. Reference information, not legal advice.
Trailer Length FAQ
What is the legal semitrailer length without a permit?
Why does the table say 48 feet when everyone runs 53?
Which states put a kingpin condition on a 53-foot trailer?
Can I run doubles or triples?
How current is this table?
More for your route
Weight Limits
The legal GVW and axle limits in every state, and the overweight fine.
Open →Oversize Permits
What you need once you are past the legal length, width or height.
Open →Truck Route Bans
The roads that will not take your combination whatever its length.
Open →All Regulations
Every per-state rule we track, grouped the way you actually run.
Open →Know the road before you get there
Trucker Route shows weather, closures, and hazards along your route on one map.
Open Live Map