How to Read a Colorado Oversize Permit: Field-by-Field Guide

A Colorado oversize or overweight permit, which Colorado’s rules call a transport permit for an extra-legal vehicle or load, comes from the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), through its Office of Freight Mobility & Safety (the Permit Office). CDOT says you “must obtain OSOW permits through COOPR, our online permitting system,” at COOPR (coopr.codot.gov) (CDOT permitting page). The rules sit in C.R.S. § 42-4-510 and 2 CCR 601-4, CDOT’s Rules Pertaining to Transport Permits for the Movement of Extra-Legal Vehicles or Loads (PDF).

The short version: a single trip permit lasts up to five days, normal travel is sunrise to sunset, loads over 14 feet wide may not move at night, the number of pilot cars depends on the color of the highway on CDOT’s Pilot Escort and Oversize Restriction Map, Denver bans most permit loads on listed roads from 6 to 9 a.m. and 3 to 6 p.m. on weekdays, the I-70 mountain corridor has weekend and seasonal bans, and the statewide holiday bans cover only Memorial Day, Independence Day and Labor Day. Every pilot car driver must be certified.

This guide walks through what a Colorado transport permit holds and the published rule behind each part, so a driver or dispatcher knows what to check before rolling. Every rule below links to its source. CDOT does not publish a filled-in sample of an issued permit, so where a detail depends on your own permit, the answer is the same: read the permit and its conditions, and ask the Permit Office. Where CDOT’s own documents disagree, we say so.

MI 01

Who issues Colorado oversize permits

Under C.R.S. § 42-4-510(1)(a), CDOT, the Colorado State Patrol for highways under its jurisdiction, and local authorities for their own roads may each issue a single trip, special, or annual permit to move a vehicle or load bigger or heavier than Colorado law allows. On the state highway system that means CDOT. A CDOT permit covers only the state highways listed on it: CDOT says it is the permittee’s job to get permission or permits from cities and counties to use their roads (CDOT permitting page).

Permit types. Rule 300 lists them. The ones most drivers see:

• Single trip: one move, valid for no more than five days, “as determined by the Department,” over designated state highways (Rule 300.1). CDOT’s page caps the single trip at 200,000 pounds gross and says “routing is stated on the permit” (CDOT permitting page).
• Annual: valid one year from issue on all state highways, for loads within the annual maximum limits (Rule 300.3). The carrier routes the load itself using CDOT’s maps (see the route section below).
• Chapter 6 Special: a single one-way trip for a load over the maximum limits (Rule 300.2; Rule 602). CDOT’s page lists it for 200,000 to 500,000 pounds, with at least one pilot car in front and one in the rear (CDOT permitting page).
• Super Load: a sub-permit of the Chapter 6 Special (Rule 300.10). Under Rule 609 it covers a combination of 500,000 pounds or more that occupies two lanes (more than 15 feet wide), or an empty expandable dual-lane trailer. CDOT’s page words it a little differently (over 500,000 pounds, “or has a double dolly and is greater than 15 feet wide”), so if your load is near that line, ask the Permit Office which permit it needs.
• Divisible-load permits. Non-interstate overweight divisible permits (quad-axle and two/three-axle trailer) are weight-only permits, and a non-interstate divisible permit may not be used on the interstate (Rule 407.1). CDOT lists I-25, I-70, I-76, I-225 and I-270 as off limits for them (CDOT permitting page).

Non-divisible loads only. All CDOT extra-legal permits are for nondivisible vehicles or loads unless the rule says otherwise (Rule 103.1.1). CDOT treats a load as divisible if it can be taken apart in less than eight work hours without ruining its purpose, and the applicant must prove the hours needed to dismantle it (CDOT permitting page). See also what a nondivisible load is.

How to apply. Create an account and apply in COOPR (coopr.codot.gov). In many cases COOPR lets you self-issue the permit without a permit technician, depending on the load and route. Pay by Visa, Mastercard or Discover (a $4 service charge per permit) or from an escrow account (CDOT permitting page). The rule allows applications in person, electronically or by mail, but not over the phone (Rule 301). Buy the permit before you enter Colorado or move the load (CDOT permitting page). The COOPR FAQ sheet (PDF) says you can apply up to five days ahead for a single trip.

Turnaround. CDOT targets two hours for a single trip, but does not guarantee same-day issue for applications received after 3 p.m. Mountain Time, and Mondays and Fridays are the busiest days. Chapter 6 Specials normally take three to five business days, but CDOT warns they may take two to three weeks because of a bridge-section staff shortage (CDOT permitting page).

MI 02

The top of the permit: type, dates and fees

Colorado’s statute requires every application to describe the vehicle and load, the highways requested, whether it is a single trip, special or annual permit, and the time of the movement (C.R.S. § 42-4-510(1)(b)(I)). Those are the same blocks to check on the issued permit:

• Permit type and dates. A single trip runs up to five days, but CDOT sets the window, so read the dates on your own permit (Rule 300.1). Annual permits run one year from issue (Rule 300.3).
• Vehicle. The application lists the make, model and full VIN of the power unit, the USDOT number, and the start date (Rule 303). Make sure the truck in the permit is the truck you are driving. A permitted vehicle may not be rebuilt or altered except to bring it within legal limits (C.R.S. § 42-4-510(6)).
• Fees. Since July 1, 2009, single trip and special permits carry a surcharge equal to the permit fee (CDOT FYI legal load and permit sheet (PDF)). CDOT lists these totals (CDOT permitting page):

The base amounts are set in C.R.S. § 42-4-510(11). Fees change; COOPR shows the price before you pay.

MI 03

Vehicle, load, dimensions and axle weights

The application, and so the permit, carries the maximum total weight, axle weights and spacings (if overweight), number of axles, height, width, length, front and rear overhang, and a description of the load (Rule 303). Colorado’s legal limits, without a permit:

Annual permit ceiling. An annual oversize/overweight permit tops out at 16 feet high, 17 feet wide, 200,000 pounds gross, 130 feet long on four-lane highways, 120 feet on non-mountainous two-lane highways and 110 feet on mountainous two-lane highways, with a 25-foot front and 35-foot rear overhang (Rule 304.2). Each is also capped by CDOT’s maps: height by the Height Restriction Map, width by the Pilot Escort and Oversize Restriction Map, and axle weight by the Bridge Weight Limit Map. Anything bigger needs a Chapter 6 Special (Rule 304.1; Rule 608).

• Route surveys. Loads over 17'6" high or over 130 feet long must send a route survey with the application (Rules 303.16 and 303.17).
• Heavy loads and bridges. Over 200,000 pounds, you must hold 10 mph on the bridges listed on the permit, drive in the center of the lane on bridges, and, if any bridge on the route needs the 10 mph crossing, carry a rear sign reading “CAUTION: THIS VEHICLE MAY SLOW TO 10 MPH TO CROSS BRIDGES” (Rule 407.3). Axle weights over the Bridge Weight Limit Map limits for a highway need a Chapter 6 Special (Rule 407.2).
• Super Load paperwork. The driver must carry a copy of the third-party weight certification (manufacturer’s certification, certified scale ticket, law enforcement clearance or third-party bill of lading) that was sent to CDOT (Rule 609.2–609.3).

MI 04

The route section

For single trip and Chapter 6 Special permits, the applicant lists the preferred route by highway number (Rule 303.15), and CDOT states the routing on the permit (CDOT permitting page). Stay on it: the CDOT permit covers only the designated highways listed, not city streets or county roads (CDOT permitting page). If COOPR will not build your route, CDOT says the cause is likely a weight, vertical clearance or construction restriction (COOPR FAQ sheet (PDF)).

Annual permits route themselves. An annual permit holder must keep the permit (or a legible copy, or electronic access) in the truck, know the rules, and route each move around the Bridge Weight Limit Map, the Pilot Escort and Oversize Restriction Map, the Height Restriction Map and every highway restriction. CDOT points to the “Annual Permit Route” link on the COOPR dashboard for those layers (Rule 309).

Height is on you. The permittee must check every overhead structure and utility on the route (Rule 409.1). State highway structures under 14'6" are on CDOT’s vertical clearances map (CDOT Rules & Regulations page). For Chapter 6 moves the applicant must find and resolve conflicts with structures, power lines and railroad crossings before moving (Rule 607). See our bridge clearance map guide for how to check low bridges.

Eisenhower-Johnson Memorial Tunnels (I-70, mileposts 213–214). A load over 11 feet wide must stop at the tunnel approach parking lot and get permission from the tunnel superintendent or portal attendant. Over 13'11" high may not use the tunnels at all. When one bore runs two-way traffic for construction, nothing over 8'6" wide may go through that bore, and loads are held until two-way operation ends (Rule 403).

Bad weather and road hazards. No extra-legal load may move when CDOT, the State Patrol or another officer gives notice of hazardous conditions, or when you know they exist: water, ice, snow, mud, wind, rocks or crash debris. The rule tells drivers to weigh visibility of under 1,000 feet. If a hazard blocks your route, single trip permittees must contact the nearest Port of Entry, State Patrol or CDOT office; only CDOT can approve an alternate route, and the permit must be changed before you use it. If no alternate is approved, you wait. Overweight-only loads up to 200,000 pounds may chain up and keep moving when the chain law is in effect (Rule 405). Check conditions on COtrip.org.

MI 05

Pilot cars (pilot escort vehicles) and height poles

Colorado’s official term is pilot escort vehicle; drivers call them pilot cars. In daylight, the pilot car count for width depends on the color of the highway on CDOT’s Pilot Escort and Oversize Restriction Map (Rule 408.2):

The rule does not say which highways carry which color; only the map does, and the map also marks the mountainous routes (with hash marks) that change the length rules (Rules 235 and 240). Check every highway on your route against the map, and follow your permit if it says more.

• Length: over 85 feet on mountainous two-lane highways, 1 front; over 110 feet on other two-lane highways, 1 front; over 115 feet on four-lane highways, 1 rear (Rule 410).
• Overhang: front overhang over 15 feet, 1 front; rear overhang over 25 feet, 1 rear (Rule 411).
• Height: over 16 feet, a front pilot car with a height pole; over 17 feet, a licensed signal contractor through every intersection with overhead traffic signals (Rules 409.2 and 409.4).
• At night: over 12 feet to 14 feet wide, 1 front on two-lane highways and 1 rear on four-lane highways (Rule 408.3.2).
• Chapter 6 Special and Super Loads: at least 1 front and 1 rear unless CDOT says otherwise, and CDOT may add State Patrol escorts, more pilot cars and flaggers (Rule 603).
• One load per pilot car. A pilot car may not escort more than one extra-legal load at a time unless a Chapter 6 Special allows it (Rule 506.1).

Certified drivers only. Every pilot car driver must hold a pilot escort certification (Rule 500.2), and the permit holder is responsible for checking that the pilot car driver’s certification is valid and current. To qualify, a driver must be 18 or older, hold a valid license, carry at least $1,000,000 of insurance that names pilot escort operations, and show a motor vehicle record from the last five years with no drug or alcohol convictions and no single violation of six points or more. Certification lasts four years, with one more four-year renewal by mail or online (Rules 500.4–500.7). CDOT says Colorado recognizes certifications from Arizona, Florida, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Utah, Washington and the Specialized Carriers and Riggers Association (CDOT permitting page). The rule says the reciprocity list is kept by CDOT (Rule 501.2), so confirm a certificate from any other state before the move.

The pilot car itself must be a passenger vehicle or two-axle truck no heavier than 16,000 pounds and at least 60 inches wide, may not tow a trailer, must have a two-way radio good for half a mile, and may not carry passengers under 16. It carries a roof-mounted “Oversize Load” (or “Wide Load” / “Long Load”) sign, side identification signs, one to three amber flashing lights visible 360 degrees for 500 feet, and headlights on. The driver keeps the certification card, proof of insurance and a copy of the permit in the vehicle (Rules 500.9 and 502–504).

For other states’ escort rules, see pilot car requirements by state.

MI 06

Travel times, curfews, holidays and weather

Day and night. Hours of daylight are sunrise to sunset; darkness is sunset to sunrise (Rules 222 and 223). Colorado does let some wide loads run at night (Rule 408.3):

• Up to 12 feet wide: one flashing yellow light on the front and two or three on the extreme rear.
• Over 12 to 14 feet: the same lights, plus a front pilot car on two-lane highways or a rear pilot car on four-lane highways.
• Over 14 feet: no night travel unless a Chapter 6 Special allows it.
• Overlength or overhanging loads at night: a flashing yellow light on the front, and one to three cluster lights on the overhang (red at the rear, yellow at the front).

For how other states handle night moves, see can oversize loads travel at night.

City and canyon curfews. Unless a Chapter 6 Special or Super Load permit says otherwise, extra-legal loads may not travel on these listed segments (Rule 401):

The rule gives exact reference points for each segment. Overweight-only loads up to 110,000 pounds that are otherwise legal and can hold 40 mph on the flat and 30 mph on grades are exempt from these hours, as are emergency moves (Rule 400). CDOT also posts a Freight Curfew Restrictions layer on its CDOT freight maps page; if it or your permit shows a curfew not listed here, follow it.

I-70 mountain corridor. Between the Morrison exit (Exit 259) and the West Vail exit (Exit 173), extra-legal loads may not travel at these times unless a Chapter 6 Special or Super Load permit allows it (Rule 402):

• Winter, December 1 to March 31: westbound, no travel 3–8 p.m. Fridays and 7 a.m. to noon Saturdays and Sundays; eastbound, no travel 3–9 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.
• Summer, May 15 to September 15: westbound, no travel Fridays from 4 p.m. at Morrison (5 p.m. at East Idaho Springs, Exit 241) until 8 p.m., and 8 a.m. to noon Saturdays; eastbound, no travel 3–9 p.m. Sundays.

Holidays. Under Rule 404.3, extra-legal loads (other than longer vehicle combinations, which have their own rules) may not travel 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Memorial Day, Independence Day and Labor Day, or noon to 9 p.m. on the Friday before Memorial Day and Labor Day. If Independence Day falls on a Saturday, the ban adds the Friday before from noon to 9 p.m.; on a Sunday, the Monday after. There is no statewide Thanksgiving, Christmas or New Year’s ban. CDOT’s CDOT 2026 Holiday Schedule and Travel Restrictions (PDF) confirms “no holiday travel restrictions” for Thanksgiving (November 26, 2026) and Christmas (December 25, 2026), though the Permit Office is closed those days, so get the permit issued beforehand. The weekends around Memorial Day and Labor Day are unrestricted “unless otherwise noted on the permit.”

Cripple Creek area. On SH 24 between Divide and Woodland Park and SH 67 between Divide and Cripple Creek, extra-legal loads may not travel 3–7 p.m. on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday “for” Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day (Rule 404.4). The rule does not say which weekend applies when the holiday falls midweek. Christmas 2026 and New Year’s Day 2027 both fall on a Friday, so we read it as December 25–27 and January 1–3, but check with CDOT if you plan to use those roads. See our oversize load holiday restrictions by state for other states.

Weekends. Apart from the I-70 corridor and the holiday rules, we found no general weekend ban in the rules. Your permit can still add time limits (Rule 103.2), so read it.

MI 07

Signs, flags and lights

• Signs on the load. An extra-legal load must show “Wide Load” or “Wide,” “Long Load” or “Long,” or “Oversize Load” or “Oversize,” as applicable, visible from the front and rear. Signs are either 5 feet wide by 10 inches high with 8-inch letters or 7 feet wide by 18 inches high with 10-inch letters, black on yellow. Overweight-only loads and longer vehicle combinations do not need them (Rule 405.7).
• Flags. CDOT’s CDOT FYI legal load and permit sheet (PDF) says red flags are required in daylight at the end of rear projections greater than 4 feet, and a red light or lantern at night (citing C.R.S. § 42-4-209).
• Night lights. See the night rules above: flashing yellow lights front and rear for wide loads, and cluster lights on overhangs (Rule 408.3).
• Bridge slow sign. Loads over 200,000 pounds that must slow to 10 mph on a bridge carry the “CAUTION: THIS VEHICLE MAY SLOW TO 10 MPH TO CROSS BRIDGES” sign on the rear (Rule 407.3).
• Lane and spacing. Loads 13 feet wide or more must use the farthest right lane and stay close to the curb or shoulder line except to pass or turn left (Rule 408.1). Keep at least half a mile between extra-legal loads. One may pass another only with no other traffic nearby and after talking it over by radio (Rule 405.8).

MI 08

Carrying the permit, and contacts

• Carry it, or let it be checked electronically. The original or a copy of the permit must be in the vehicle and open to inspection, unless the officer or agent can verify the permit electronically at the stop (C.R.S. § 42-4-510(4)). CDOT’s rule says an electronically transmitted copy of a transport permit is acceptable (Rule 302). A paper copy is still a safe backup in mountain dead zones.
• Follow every condition. “No person shall violate any of the terms or conditions of such permit” (C.R.S. § 42-4-510(4)). The permittee answers for the rules, the permit conditions and other law, and for the safe movement of the load (Rules 103.3 and 103.4).
• Ports of entry. The Colorado State Patrol runs the ports of entry, which handle permits such as 72-hour laden weight and fuel tax trip permits. CDOT issues only oversize, overweight and hazmat permits (CDOT permitting page). Your permit may name port of entry stops; see our weigh station guide for oversize loads.
• Contacts. CDOT Office of Freight Mobility & Safety (Permit Office): phone 303-757-9539, toll-free 1-800-350-3765, email dot_cdot_permits@state.co.us (CDOT permitting page; COOPR FAQ sheet (PDF)). Mail: 2829 W. Howard Place, Denver, CO 80204 (CDOT FYI legal load and permit sheet (PDF)).

MI 09

A pre-trip checklist, and where JaloPermit fits

Before you roll in Colorado, confirm:

1. The permit is a CDOT transport permit for this exact truck, the dates cover the move (a single trip is five days at most, so check yours), and you proofed every field.
2. Width, height, length, overhangs, axle count, axle spacing and weights match the permit, and the load is nondivisible.
3. You know the route, including any city or county roads (those need their own permission), the Eisenhower-Johnson Tunnels limits, and every structure under 14'6".
4. Each highway on the route is checked against the color-coded Pilot Escort and Oversize Restriction Map, the pilot cars match, and every pilot car driver’s certification has been checked.
5. The move avoids the Denver, Colorado Springs, Pueblo, Aspen and Central City curfews, Clear Creek Canyon, and the I-70 corridor bans (winter rules start December 1), and does not run over 14 feet wide at night.
6. Signs, flags, flashing lights and any bridge slow sign are in place.
7. The permit is in the cab, or can be verified electronically, with a paper backup.

JaloPermit can speed up the reading part. Drop an already-issued, text-based permit PDF into the permit decoder on the JaloPermit homepage and it lays out the route, escorts, time limits, dimensions and limits on one route card, with weigh stations, truck stops and low-bridge alerts. Then compare it with the original. For the state rules at a glance, see the Colorado page in the JaloPermit Atlas. For a general walk-through of any state’s permit, see how to read an oversize load permit. Crossing the state line? See our guides for Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, New Mexico and Oklahoma, and reading each state’s permit on a multi-state trip.

JaloPermit, which publishes this guide, is a reading aid for issued permit PDFs. It is not a permit-filing service and it does not plan routes or provide navigation. The issued permit always wins.

JaloPermit reads text-based PDFs only, not scans or photos. Guests get three free decodes a day with no account and no card. Logged-in users get 10 free decodes a day. After those free decodes, each one is $3.50. There is no subscription.

Questions about how JaloPermit reads a permit? Email support@jalopermit.org.

MI 10

FAQs