Truck Weight Limits by State
The legal weight you can gross in each state, how high it goes with a permit, and how a posted "WEIGHT LIMIT X TONS" sign overrides that maximum. Covers all 50 states and DC. Reference only, not legal advice.
80KFederal GVW (lb)
164KHighest (Michigan)
20/34Single / Tandem Axle
51Jurisdictions
01
Posted signs
The sign on the bridge beats the law in the book
Before the state numbers, the one rule that outranks all of them: a posted weight limit. A bridge or local road posted "WEIGHT LIMIT 10 TONS" is a hard cap set by the structure, and it applies even if you are legal at 80,000 pounds. Read it right and route around it.
WEIGHTLIMIT10TONS
A posted limit overrides your legal max. "Tons" on a sign means short tons of 2,000 lb, so WEIGHT LIMIT 10 TONS = 20,000 lb. Even if you are legal at 80,000, you cannot cross a bridge or road posted below your gross weight. Some signs post separate single / tandem / combination limits. Ignore one and you are into overweight-on-a-posted-structure territory, which is a steeper, separate charge.
02
The federal floor
Federal limits on the Interstate
On the Interstate system three federal numbers apply everywhere: 80,000 pounds gross, 20,000 on a single axle, and 34,000 on a tandem. On top of those you have to satisfy the Federal Bridge Formula, which limits the weight on any group of axles by how far apart they are, so axle spacing matters as much as axle weight. That formula is why a standard 5-axle semi tops out at 80,000 even though its axles could carry more.
Off the Interstate, states set their own limits and issue permits, and a handful go much higher. Michigan is the outlier at 164,000 pounds on 11 axles. The table shows each state's Interstate max, how high it goes with a permit, and the overweight fine.
03
By state
Weight limits for all 50 states and DC
Tap a state for the full picture: the Interstate and off-Interstate maxima, single and tandem axle limits, the permit ceiling, how posted signs are handled, and the overweight fine schedule.
| State | Interstate max | Highest with permit | Overweight fine |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama AL | 80,000 lb | 84,000 lb for a 5- or 6-axle combination with 44+ ft between the first and last axle | A weight violation is a misdemeanor: $100 to $500 per offense, with 30 to 60 days possible |
| Alaska AK | 80,000 lb nominal, but Alaska is grandfathered and applies its axle/bridge-formula table on Interstates too, so weights above 80,000 are legal with proper axle spacing | No fixed statutory ceiling; allowable weight rises with axles and spacing under the bridge-formula table | Per pound over the limit: 1,001-2,000 over = $100; 2,001-4,000 = 7 cents/lb; 4,001-6,000 = 9 cents/lb; 6,001-10,000 = 12 cents/lb; 10,001 lb and over = 15 cents/lb |
| Arizona AZ | 80,000 lb | Up to about 129,000 lb for longer combination vehicles on designated routes | Civil penalty by bracket |
| Arkansas AR | 80,000 lb | 85,000 lb for a 5-axle rig hauling unprocessed farm, forest, or soil products on non-Interstate highways, by statute | Graduated per-pound on the excess under Ark |
| California CA | 80,000 lb | - | CVC 42030 graduates by pounds over the limit: minor overloads start near $20 and rise |
| Colorado CO | 80,000 lb | 110,000 lb for longer combination vehicles on designated Interstate/state segments | Graduated, rising with the overage |
| Connecticut CT | 80,000 lb | No standing tier above 80,000 lb | CGS 14-267a, graduated by how far over legal weight you are |
| Delaware DE | 80,000 lb | 90,000 lb for live-haul poultry within 150 mi off the Interstate | First offense: 2 |
| District of Columbia DC | 80,000 lb | - | 18 DCMR 2600: up to 5,000 lb over the limit = $250; over 5,000 lb = $100 base plus $16 for each additional 100 lb over 5,000 |
| Florida FL | 80,000 lb | No fixed high divisible-load ceiling | Fla |
| Georgia GA | 80,000 lb | 88,000 lb for covered agricultural/forest/mining loads on state and county roads | O |
| Hawaii HI | 80,000 lb | - | HRS 291-37: minimum $250 for up to 100 lb over; over 100 lb adds 11 cents per pound |
| Idaho ID | 80,000 lb | 129,000 lb on designated routes | Graduated by pounds over |
| Illinois IL | 80,000 lb | No routine LCV tier | Fixed ladder under 625 ILCS 5/15-113: $100 up to 2,000 lb over, $270 at 2,001-2,500, $330 at 2,501-3,000, $520 at 3,001-3,500, $600 at 3,501-4,000, $850 at 4,001-4,500, $950 at 4,501-5,000 |
| Indiana IN | 80,000 lb; the Indiana Toll Road is grandfathered for heavier LCV combinations | 120,000 lb by overweight-divisible-load permit | Graded infractions under IC 9-20-18 |
| Iowa IA | 80,000 lb | 96,000 lb legal for a 7-axle commercial vehicle off the Interstate | Scheduled fine by pounds over the axle/tandem/group limit |
| Kansas KS | 80,000 lb | 120,000 lb on the Kansas Turnpike | Scheduled fine under K |
| Kentucky KY | 80,000 lb | 120,000 lb | Under KRS 189 |
| Louisiana LA | 80,000 lb | Off-Interstate: timber-harvest season about 92,000 lb, forest products about 86,600 lb, and a sugarcane annual permit up to 100,000 lb gross | Per-pound ladder applied to the entire excess under La |
| Maine ME | 80,000 lb; 100,000 lb for a 3-axle tractor + tri-axle semitrailer | 100,000 lb for a 6-axle rig | 29-A MRS §2360, graduated by percent over legal weight |
| Maryland MD | 80,000 lb | Over 100,000 lb by superload/overweight permit; no standing divisible-load weight above 80,000 lb | Graduated per pound of excess: 1 cent/lb on the first 1,000 lb over; 5 cents/lb from 1,001-5,000; 12 cents/lb from 5,001-10,000; 20 cents/lb from 10,001-20,000; 40 cents/lb past 20,000 over |
| Massachusetts MA | 80,000 lb | 99,000 lb by Turnpike special permit | M |
| Michigan MI | 164,000 lb on an 11-axle combination | 164,000 lb on an 11-axle combination, statutory and requiring no overweight permit on designated trunklines and grandfathered interstates | Civil fine by cents-per-pound of excess under MCL 257 |
| Minnesota MN | 80,000 lb | 88,000 lb | Civil penalty on gross excess |
| Mississippi MS | 80,000 lb | Harvest permit up to 84,000 lb for unprocessed forest and farm products, valid off the Interstate only | Graduated per pound under Miss |
| Missouri MO | 80,000 lb | 109,600 lb for a local log truck and 85,500 lb for milk/livestock off the interstate | Per-pound scale under RSMo 304 |
| Montana MT | 80,000 lb | 131,060 lb | Flat brackets by excess weight |
| Nebraska NE | 80,000 lb; up to 95,000 lb with an Interstate Use Permit | 95,000 lb on the Interstate via an Interstate Use Permit | Percentage-over schedule |
| Nevada NV | 80,000 lb | 129,000 lb on 9+ axles | NRS 484D |
| New Hampshire NH | 80,000 lb | 99,000 lb / 6-axle combination on approved non-Interstate routes by permit; special/superload permits higher case-by-case | RSA 266:25 |
| New Jersey NJ | 80,000 lb | - | $0 |
| New Mexico NM | 86,400 lb | 86,400 lb is the legal ceiling; heavier loads only by single-trip non-divisible/oversize-overweight permit case-by-case | Flat penalty assessments by excess weight |
| New York NY | 80,000 lb | 120,000 lb gross on a statewide divisible-load overweight permit | Percentage-over-limit schedule |
| North Carolina NC | 80,000 lb | Annual/continuous divisible-load permits up to 112,000 lb; loads over 90,000 lb are barred from posted roads and bridges and need a specific route | N |
| North Dakota ND | 80,000 lb | 105,500 lb on 7+ axles under the 10% divisible-load or harvest permit | Graduated 'extraordinary road use' charge by pounds over |
| Ohio OH | 80,000 lb | No routine tier above 80,000 lb; heavier loads need an oversize/overweight permit | Graduated under ORC 5577 |
| Oklahoma OK | 80,000 lb | Up to 90,000 lb on non-Interstate state highways for a properly spaced six-axle combination under the 47 O | A weight violation is a misdemeanor: $5 to $500 |
| Oregon OR | 80,000 lb | 105,500 lb Extended Weight Permit for divisible loads on ODOT-designated routes; heavier movements by variance/superload permit | ORS 818 |
| Pennsylvania PA | 80,000 lb | 125,000 lb gross under a short-haul | Gross: $75 plus $75 for each 500 lb |
| Rhode Island RI | 80,000 lb | Special and divisible-load permits above 80,000 lb are issued case-by-case; superload weights beyond 104,800 lb | R |
| South Carolina SC | 80,000 lb | No routine tier above 80,000 lb | S |
| South Dakota SD | 80,000 lb; up to 129,000 lb with an LCV permit | 129,000 lb Longer Combination Vehicle on the Interstate and designated state routes; still 20,000 single / 34,000 tandem, four tires on every axle but the steer | Per-pound scale on the excess |
| Tennessee TN | 80,000 lb | Nothing routine above 80,000 | A weight violation is a Class C misdemeanor |
| Texas TX | 80,000 lb | No statewide divisible-load permit above 80,000 | Graduated brackets under Tex |
| Utah UT | 80,000 lb | 129,000 lb on designated routes | $50 base plus a per-pound charge |
| Vermont VT | 80,000 lb; 99,000 lb for a 6-axle combination | 99,000 lb / 6-plus axles / 51 ft between extreme axles, registered to 80,000 lb | 23 VSA §1391a, graduated per 1,000 lb over: $15 per 1,000 lb for the first 5,000 lb over; $30 per 1,000 lb from 5,001-10,000 over; $45 per 1,000 lb from 10,001-15,000; $60 per 1,000 lb from 15,001-20,000; $90 per 1,000 lb from 20,001-25,000; $150 per 1,000 lb when more than 25,000 lb over |
| Virginia VA | 80,000 lb | Statutory overweight permits | Va |
| Washington WA | 80,000 lb | 105,500 lb on the RCW 46 | RCW 46 |
| West Virginia WV | 80,000 lb | Coal Resource Transportation System | On Coal Resource Transportation System roads the schedule is steep |
| Wisconsin WI | 80,000 lb | No grandfathered LCV tier | Forfeiture plus a per-pound add-on under Wis |
| Wyoming WY | 80,000 lb base; up to 117,000 lb on the Interstate with a permit under Wyoming's own bridge formula | 117,000 lb on the Interstate; exceptional/superload permits up to about 160,000 lb on designated routes | Graduated by excess weight |
Sources: FHWA Compilation of Existing State Truck Size and Weight Limit Laws; 23 CFR 658 and 23 USC 127; MUTCD; the cited state statutes. Last reviewed July 2026. Permit ceilings depend on route and axle config and fines vary by county, so confirm with the state DOT before you haul.
Truck Weight Limit FAQ
What does a "WEIGHT LIMIT 10 TONS" sign mean for a truck?
Tons on a road sign are short tons of 2,000 pounds, so a WEIGHT LIMIT 10 TONS sign means 20,000 pounds. It is a hard limit on that bridge or road, and it overrides your legal maximum. Even if you are legal at 80,000 pounds, you cannot cross a structure posted below your gross weight. Some signs post separate single, tandem, and combination figures.
What is the federal truck weight limit?
On the Interstate system the federal limits are 80,000 pounds gross, 20,000 pounds on a single axle, and 34,000 pounds on a tandem axle, and you must also satisfy the Federal Bridge Formula, which caps the weight on any group of axles by how far apart they are. A standard 5-axle semi tops out at 80,000 because of the formula.
Which state allows the heaviest trucks?
Michigan. On designated routes an 11-axle "Michigan train" can gross up to 164,000 pounds, more than double the federal limit, because Michigan regulates by axle load rather than gross. Maine and Vermont run 100,000 and 99,000 pounds on 6 axles on their own Interstates, and a tier of western states permit around 129,000 pounds on designated non-Interstate routes.
Can I cross a bridge posted below my weight if I am legal?
No. A posted bridge or road limit is set by the structure or pavement, and it applies no matter what your legal gross weight is. Crossing a posted-under-capacity bridge is a separate and usually steeper charge than a plain overweight ticket, and it can carry liability for any damage. Plan a route around it.
How much is an overweight fine?
It varies enormously by state and by how far over you are. Most states use a graduated cents-per-pound schedule, and the rate climbs the further over you go, from a cent or two a pound near the limit to fifteen cents or more when you are thousands over. A few states run flat misdemeanor fines instead. The state page has the schedule.
04
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