How to Read an Indiana Oversize Permit: Field-by-Field Guide

An Indiana oversize or overweight permit is issued by the Indiana Department of Revenue’s Motor Carrier Services Division, under rules set by the Indiana Department of Transportation, and it travels with a separate conditions sheet every driver has to carry: Form M-204. In many cases Form M-204S rides along too. Authority to grant the special permit sits in IC 9-20-6-2, and most everyday applications now run through the Indiana OSOW permitting system.

A few Indiana rules catch drivers out: loads up to 110 feet long / 10 feet wide / 13 feet 6 inches high and under 200,000 pounds can run continuous travel seven days a week; escorts start at 12 feet 4 inches wide, 110 feet long, or 14 feet 6 inches high; holiday bans begin at noon on the last weekday before the named holiday; and the general permit does not apply to I-65 or I-70 inside I-465, or to county roads and city streets. This guide walks through what an Indiana permit holds and the published rule behind each part. Neither DOR nor INDOT publishes a sample issued permit PDF, so where a detail depends on your own permit, read the face of the permit, Form M-204 and any Form M-204S attached to it, and ask Motor Carrier Services.

MI 01

Who issues Indiana oversize permits

Under IC 9-20-6-2, INDOT or the local authority that has jurisdiction over a highway or street and is responsible for its repair and maintenance may grant a permit for vehicles and loads that do not conform to Indiana Code Title 9, Article 20 (2026). In practice, DOR’s Oversize/Overweight (OSOW) page is clear that most Indiana OSOW permits are issued by DOR Motor Carrier Services (MCS), under INDOT’s guidance and in accordance with Indiana law. MCS also issues and collects civil penalties for OSOW violations written by the Indiana State Police.

DOR’s Ordering an Oversize/Overweight Permit page says you need an Oversize/Overweight Transporting Account before you can buy a permit. Set one up online through Indiana Motor Carrier Applications (“Apply for OSW Account”), or mail Form M-203 (permitting services use Form M-201) to Motor Carrier Services, Oversize/Overweight Vehicle Permitting, 7811 Milhouse Rd., Suite M, Indianapolis, IN 46241. Then order online (“Login to OSW”) or complete Form M-233 and mail or bring it to the same address. MCS accepts Visa, Mastercard, Discover and checks; escrow accounts may be established. In-person service is at DOR’s Motor Carrier Customer Service Center.

DOR’s Oversize/Overweight (OSOW) page says customers can apply, pay and print permits online 24/7. Most requests are typically approved within a business day; permits that use a predetermined route fitting the load’s dimensions can issue automatically. Plan the route first on INDOT Truckers’ Info / 511in.org. MCS customer service is at 317-615-7200 (option 4), Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. ET, or IndianaOSW@dor.in.gov. The DOR July 1, 2017 DOR Oversize/Overweight Vehicle Permitting Handbook (July 1, 2017, PDF) still prints (317) 615-7320 for oversize/overweight and superload permits. Lead with the number on the current OSOW page, and ask MCS if you are not sure which line to use.

The state permit covers state-maintained roads. Form M-204 says it does not apply to county roads or city streets, and it does not apply to I-65 or I-70 inside I-465. Local roads need permission from the authority that maintains them (IC 9-20-6-2).

MI 02

The top of the permit: type, dates and fees

DOR and INDOT do not publish a blank sample of an issued Indiana permit, so start with the blocks on Form M-233 (R8 / 5-13) — the official application whose general and special provisions are incorporated by reference into the permit — and with the type and fee list on DOR Oversize/Overweight Vehicle Permit Fees sheet (revised July 2026, PDF). Find the permit number (shown here only as a placeholder, IN-XXXXXXX; we never show real ones), the company name, FEIN, trip start date, permit type, origin, destination, mileage and the described vehicle and load. Then check:

• Validity. IC 9-20-6-2 says a single-trip permit is valid for five days from the date it is issued, or ten days if the tractor-semitrailer and load require a law enforcement escort. DOR Oversize/Overweight Vehicle Permit Fees sheet (revised July 2026, PDF) (revised July 2026) matches that: oversize, overweight and combined OS/OW single-trip permits are listed as “Single Trip (5 Days),” and “any permits that require a police escort are valid for 10 days.” The same Code section also allows a definite time not exceeding 30 days, a 90-day permit and a one-year permit. The July 1, 2017 DOR Oversize/Overweight Vehicle Permitting Handbook (July 1, 2017, PDF) still describes an ordinary oversize/overweight trip permit as valid for 15 days. That older handbook figure does not match the current statute or the July 2026 fee sheet. Follow the dates printed on your permit, and confirm with MCS if they differ.
• Permit type. DOR Oversize/Overweight Vehicle Permit Fees sheet (revised July 2026, PDF) lists twelve categories, including oversize single-trip / 90-day / annual; overweight single-trip; combined oversize and overweight; special weight; 12-foot-4-inch, 14-foot-4-inch and 16-foot mobile-home rig permits; toll-road gate; divisible-load (single-trip 7 days, or annual if the move meets the 2.4 ESAL test); annual ocean-sealed container; annual bulk milk; and a no-cost LNG/CNG overweight annual permit for fuel-usage weight only. Form M-233 uses a shorter check-box list of those types.
• Fees. Statutory oversize bases in IC 9-20-6-13 are $20 for a standard special permit, $30 if the move exceeds 95 feet overall length, 148 inches overall width, or the height limit, $100 for a 90-day permit and $405 for a one-year permit. DOR Oversize/Overweight Vehicle Permit Fees sheet (revised July 2026, PDF) and 105 IAC 10-1.5-3 (filed May 16, 2025) fill in the current single-trip detail: oversize $20 / $30 / $40 by size band; overweight $20 plus $0.35 / $0.60 / $1.00 per mile at the 108,000- and 150,000-pound breaks; combined OS/OW charged at whichever calculated fee is greater; special weight $25 annual company registration plus $42.50 per one-day multiple-trip permit; ocean-sealed container $800 a year. 105 IAC 10-1.5 (final rule, filed May 16, 2025) also lists administrative charges of $3 to amend, $10 per bridge, $35 to cancel, $25 design, $25 executive, $10 review, $13 to amend a superload and $6 to extend travel time. Two current official sources do not describe the $10 “executive fee” the same way: 105 IAC 10-1.5 (final rule, filed May 16, 2025) defines it as an overweight-permit charge when the vehicle weighs more than 108,000 pounds, while DOR Oversize/Overweight Vehicle Permit Fees sheet (revised July 2026, PDF) says vehicles over 120,000 pounds are charged a $10 executive fee (and vehicles over 200,000 pounds pay that plus a $25 design-and-review fee plus bridge fees). Confirm the total the OSOW system quotes before you pay.
• Amendments. DOR’s Oversize/Overweight (OSOW) page allows some already-issued permits to be amended within 72 hours of the permit start date. A “Self Service Amend” can extend the date, change the middle of an unrestricted route, or change vehicle information. A “Request Amend” is used to change origin or destination, axle weights or spacings, plate or tractor, move the start date earlier, or increase or decrease weight. Not every permit type is amendable.
• Signatures. Form M-233 is not valid unless signed by an authorized company owner or officer and by the driver or drivers. The driver’s signature attests that the vehicle and load description is accurate and that the general and special provisions have been read and understood. All drivers who will haul the load must sign before departure.

Carry it right. IC 9-20-6-11 says the permit shall be carried in or on the vehicle and be open to inspection by a police officer. DOR’s Oversize/Overweight (OSOW) page adds that a paper or electronic copy of Form M-204 and, if it applies, Form M-204S must be kept with the OSOW permit. Form M-233 says the general and special provisions are as binding as if they appeared on the face of the permit, and that the permit is void if those provisions are omitted or not attached.

MI 03

Permit restrictions and the Form M-204 conditions

This is the part most worth slowing down for. Form M-204 (4-22) is titled “General Provisions of an Oversize/Overweight Vehicle Permit,” and Form M-233 incorporates those provisions — and any special provisions — by reference. Breaking them can void the permit: Form M-204 says any violation automatically causes the permit to be void, and a police officer or motor carrier inspector may withdraw it. Advise DOR as soon as possible after a withdrawal by calling (317) 615-7200 (Form M-204). The general limitations a driver is most likely to need on the road:

Read every restriction line on your own permit and every numbered item on any attached Form M-204S. Those special provisions can add police-escort, 8:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m., bucket-truck, route-survey or bridge-crossing conditions for a specific move, and they win over anything general in this guide.

MI 04

Vehicle, load, dimensions and weights

The vehicle and load block should match the truck exactly. Form M-233 collects VIN, tractor make, plate and state, year, vehicle type, overall length, width, height, total gross weight, trailer-and-load length, loaded axle weights and axle spacings (plus tire size, tires per axle and width between tires when gross weight exceeds 200,000 pounds). The driver’s signature attests that the description is accurate.

What makes a load oversize or overweight in the first place? DOR’s Oversize/Overweight (OSOW) page and DOR Oversize/Overweight Vehicle Permit Fees sheet (revised July 2026, PDF) say you need an Indiana OSOW permit before traveling on Indiana roads if the vehicle exceeds 13 feet 6 inches in height, 8 feet 6 inches in width, 53 feet (semi-tractor–semi-trailer combination) in length, or 80,000 pounds gross vehicle weight (subject to axle weights). Those figures track the statutes: width in IC 9-20-3-2, height in IC 9-20-3-3, a 40-foot single-vehicle length in IC 9-20-3-4, a 60-foot cap on most two-vehicle combinations in IC 9-20-9-1, a 53-foot semitrailer (vehicle and load) with no overall combination-length cap for a truck-tractor–semitrailer in IC 9-20-13-2, and the federal bridge formula with an 80,000-pound overall cap, 20,000-pound single axle, 34,000-pound tandem and 800 pounds per inch of tire width in IC 9-20-4-1. DOR’s Oversize/Overweight (OSOW) page also warns that two-vehicle combinations totaling 60 feet or more are not eligible for OSOW permits unless the vehicle is registered as a tractor-trailer or one of the vehicles is a fifth-wheel travel trailer.

Superload is a term Indiana’s own official sources do not define the same way. Follow the type printed on your permit and confirm with MCS:

• 105 IAC 10-1.5 (final rule, filed May 16, 2025) (filed May 16, 2025) defines a superload as a vehicle more than 15 feet high, more than 16 feet wide, or more than 110 feet long.
• DOR Oversize/Overweight Vehicle Permit Fees sheet (revised July 2026, PDF) (revised July 2026) says a superload permit is for a load that exceeds 15 feet high, 17 feet wide, 110 feet long, or 200,000 pounds.
• The July 1, 2017 DOR Oversize/Overweight Vehicle Permitting Handbook (July 1, 2017, PDF) describes a superload as exceeding 16 feet wide, 110 feet long, 15 feet high, or 120,000 pounds.
• Indiana State Police Superload Escorts page defines a superload as width exceeding 17 feet, height exceeding 15 feet, length exceeding 110 feet, or weight exceeding 108,000 pounds.

Special programs sit beside the everyday non-divisible permit. Special-weight (“Michigan Train”) permits for designated extra-heavy-duty highways in northern Indiana are the main statutory exception allowing a divisible load, with routes listed in IC 9-20-5-4 and DOR Special Weight Route Information (PDF): legal length, width and height, generally up to 134,000 pounds on routes 1–21 and 90,000 pounds on route 22, with the listed axle and spacing limits. INDOT Extra Heavy Duty Highway Information page says a single-trip special-weight permit is valid for one calendar day with no extensions and is not restricted to specific hours; that page still cites repealed IC 9-8-1-12 — the current listing is IC 9-20-5-4. DOR’s Oversize/Overweight (OSOW) page describes a divisible-load / overweight-commodity permit under IC 9-20-6-2.2 for tractor-semitrailers between 80,000 and 120,000 pounds that meet legal height, width and length. An annual sealed ocean-container permit (IC 9-20-6-2; DOR Oversize/Overweight Vehicle Permit Fees sheet (revised July 2026, PDF)) is limited to 95,000 pounds and legal dimensions, at $800 per truck per year, for a container sealed at origin and not opened except by a federal inspecting agent, moving to or from a distribution facility.

MI 05

The route section, bridges and clearances

The route section lists each state road in order. Drive that route. IC 9-20-6-8 says a permit may designate the route to be traversed and contain other restrictions needed to protect traffic, the highway or a bridge, and IC 9-20-6-9 says the permit is not a defense if those restrictions are violated. Form M-204 and Form M-233 both state that the permit does not apply to closed or posted state roads or bridges, to any clearance that will not clear the load, to I-65 or I-70 inside I-465, or to county roads or city streets.

DOR’s Oversize/Overweight (OSOW) page explains how the current permitting system handles roads the state does not maintain. A split trip breaks the move into segments of state-maintained roads so you can leave the state system for city streets or county roads and then re-enter; Indiana does not hold jurisdiction over those local roads, so they are not part of the permitted state route. Return routes are allowed for travel inside Indiana, but not to or from a border crossing. Form M-233 instructions say origin and destination must be an Indiana city or the state line you will enter from or exit to; do not count Toll Road miles in the mileage box; if you use I-465 or I-469, give direction and the exit number; if you are over legal height on I-465 you must specify you will use the middle lane; and if you use the Toll Road, give the entering and exiting gate numbers.

Height and utilities can add homework before you roll. Form M-204S requires a pre-qualified signal contractor with a bucket truck, for each permitted load, whenever height exceeds 15 feet and the move leaves the interstate; any manipulation of a traffic-control device is at the applicant’s expense and must satisfy INDOT. When height exceeds 17 feet, the carrier or driver must complete a route survey and either sign an affidavit that no utility lines interfere or carry letters from the utility companies that overhead lines will be moved and replaced. A route survey is also required before issuance when width exceeds 18 feet and/or length exceeds 130 feet without a rear steerable axle (Form M-204S).

Check current detours and restrictions on INDOT Truckers’ Info / 511in.org before you apply and again before you move. DOR’s Oversize/Overweight (OSOW) page points applicants there, and to INDOT maps and the Indiana Toll Road map, to reduce delays and rejections.

MI 06

Civilian escorts and Indiana State Police escorts

Form M-204 sets the published civilian-escort triggers. Lead with what is printed on your permit and on M-204; the face of the permit wins if they differ.

One escort bullet on Form M-204 is printed with inch marks — “If between 14"4" and 17" wide” — while the hours-of-operation table on the same form uses 14 feet 4 inches and 16 feet for travel windows. Read that escort line as 14 feet 4 inches to 17 feet wide, which matches how the rest of M-204 talks about width, and confirm with MCS if your width sits near those cutoffs. Form M-204S separately requires at least front and rear police escorts when width exceeds 17 feet (more if required slowdowns make ISP ask for them).

Escort-vehicle equipment on Form M-204: a minimum of four wheels and a maximum gross registered weight of 11,000 pounds; a flashing amber light mounted on top; an oversize-load sign visible to approaching traffic; radio communication with the permitted vehicle or load; and no more than 500 feet from the permitted vehicle or load.

Form M-204S adds the police-escort and extra civilian-escort rules for larger or heavier moves:

• An Indiana State Police escort is required for all vehicles over 200,000 pounds GVW, unless the permitted route travels only on interstates, there are no required slowdowns, and the vehicle weighs less than 250,000 pounds GVW.
• When the permit lists weight restrictions, a minimum of two civilian escorts (front and rear) is required, with more if ISP decides they are needed. On dual-lane divided highways the load must travel in the center of the existing lanes on the structure at no more than 45 mph, and the civilian escorts detain trailing traffic. On multi-lane undivided highways the load travels in the center of its directional lanes at no more than 45 mph, and escorts detain trailing traffic only. After the structure, make every reasonable effort to let trailing traffic pass. Except on bridges, speed may increase at the ISP escort’s reasonable discretion up to legal posted truck speeds, not to exceed 65 mph, and only if conditions are safe.

Indiana State Police Superload Escorts page tells carriers how to book the State Police piece: order the permit from DOR; when DOR notifies you, request a Superload Agreement Number from ISP Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division at 812-533-1100; fill out the escort agreement, attach a copy of the permit and any slowdowns, and fax it to CVED at 812-533-1344; CVED will set up an escort date within 72 hours. Remember that ISP’s own superload definition (over 17 feet wide, 15 feet high, 110 feet long, or 108,000 pounds) does not match the July 2026 DOR fee sheet or 105 IAC 10-1.5 (final rule, filed May 16, 2025). Follow the escort conditions on your permit and on any attached M-204S. For how escort triggers compare across states, see our guide to pilot car requirements by state.

MI 07

Travel times, weekends and holidays

Authorized times are printed in the hours-of-operation table on Form M-204 (4-22). Form M-204S repeats the tightest weekday window for the largest moves. Lead with M-204, M-204S and the face of your permit.

Form M-204S states the same 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. local-time, Monday–Friday window when width exceeds 16 feet, height exceeds 15 feet, and/or gross weight is over 200,000 pounds, and it adds that ISP, at its sole discretion, may approve movement at other times during the week or on weekends if conditions warrant that it is beneficial and can be performed safely. IC 9-20-6-2 says a permit granted under that section must authorize operation of an overlength tractor-semitrailer from one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset. Form M-204’s table is more specific by size — including continuous travel for the smallest permitted loads. Follow M-204 and the face of your permit.

Neither DOR nor INDOT published a separate dated 2026 or 2027 OSOW holiday travel-restriction calendar in the documents checked November 8, 2026. Form M-204 itself sets the rule: permitted vehicles, except those issued Overweight Commodity or Bulk Milk permits, may not operate on state highways from 12:00 noon the last weekday preceding and continuing until ½ hour before sunrise on the day following New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. Overweight Commodity and Bulk Milk permits are exempt and may travel continuously during holiday periods; M-204 describes those commodity permits as covering various commodities up to 120,000 pounds, including bulk milk up to 154,000 pounds. Applying that published M-204 rule to the named 2026 holiday dates on Indiana State Personnel Department 2026 state holidays list gives these windows — confirm each one with MCS before you move, especially when a holiday falls on a weekend:

DOR and INDOT also do not publish city rush-hour curfews in Form M-204 or on the current OSOW page. If your permit or an attached special provision adds a city or corridor window, follow that text. For how curfews and holiday bans read across states, see our guide to checking curfews and travel restrictions on an oversize permit.

MI 08

Signs, flags and lights

Form M-204 sets the marking and lighting rules, unless the permit says otherwise:

• OVER-SIZE LOAD signs. Oversize vehicles must be marked on the front and rear with a sign reading “OVER-SIZE LOAD.” The sign must be at least 18 inches high and between 6 and 8 feet long, with black letters 12 inches high and a 2-inch stroke on a yellow background. Color combinations or wording approved by other states are permitted when the trip originates outside Indiana.
• Flags. Vehicles must be marked with two red or orange flags, placed at the widest extremities of the vehicle or load. Flags must be in good condition, plain or orange with no figures, 18 inches square, and placed so approaching traffic can see them.
• Lights. All provisions of 49 CFR 393.11 apply. Permitted vehicles must run low-beam headlights while transporting a load. Mobile homes and sectionalized buildings 12 feet 4 inches wide or more must have four high-intensity amber flashing lights — two on the front and two on the rear of the combination — visible at 500 feet in normal sunlight. Lights mounted on the load go at the outer edges and not less than 6 feet above the roadway. Front lights may be mounted on the towing vehicle at the furthest extreme of any safety device, not extending beyond the mirrors, and must be double-faced so they are visible front and rear.
• Flagmen. The transporting company provides flagmen wherever traffic control is needed, including encroachment into opposing lanes and stops or blockages where existing traffic-control devices do not already require a stop. M-204 points to 105 IAC 9-2 for more on traffic-control regulation.

MI 09

Emergency moves and where to get help

IC 9-20-6-4 lets INDOT or another authorized agency issue emergency permits during a gubernatorial disaster emergency under IC 10-14-3-12, or a federal emergency declared for an area outside Indiana, when granting the permit can reasonably be expected to relieve the conditions that caused the declaration. Movements under those emergency permits are to be regulated to avoid undue hazards.

IC 9-20-6-5 covers a narrower utility emergency. If an electric, gas, water or telephone public-utility facility breaks down or is threatened, the utility may transport otherwise non-conforming heavy vehicles or loads without first securing a permit when that is reasonably necessary to restore or prevent interruption of service. The utility must report the transportation, no later than the second succeeding day that is not a Sunday or holiday, to the authority that would have issued the permit, and pay a fee equal to the permit fee that would have been due.

For anything else, start with the Indiana OSOW permitting system or call MCS at 317-615-7200 (option 4), Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. ET, or email IndianaOSW@dor.in.gov. Mail and walk-ins go to Motor Carrier Services, Oversize/Overweight Vehicle Permitting, 7811 Milhouse Rd., Suite M, Indianapolis, IN 46241 (DOR’s Ordering an Oversize/Overweight Permit page). For Indiana State Police superload escorts, call CVED at 812-533-1100 and fax the agreement to 812-533-1344 (Indiana State Police Superload Escorts page).

Civil penalties are separate from any court fine. Under IC 9-20-18-14.5, a carrier that violates the terms of a permit is subject to a civil penalty of not more than $1,000 for the first violation and not more than $1,500 for each subsequent violation — figures that match DOR’s Oversize/Overweight (OSOW) page. For running without a required permit, the statute itself authorizes a civil penalty of not more than $5,000 for each violation described in an ISP vehicle examination report, while DOR’s OSOW page, citing the same statute and 45 IAC 22-1-2, describes a schedule of not more than $2,500 for the first violation and not more than $5,000 for each subsequent violation. Additional amounts apply when no permit is available for the excess size or weight ($500 for excess dimension; $500 / $1,000 / $5,000 by excess-weight band). Follow the proposed assessment letter DOR sends you, and protest or ask about settlement within the 60 days that letter describes if you need to.

MI 10

A pre-trip checklist, and where JaloPermit fits

Before departure on an Indiana permit, confirm:

1. The DOR MCS permit is in the cab, a current Form M-204 (and Form M-204S if it was issued) is with it in paper or a clearly legible electronic copy, every driver who will haul the load has signed, and you have read every restriction line and special provision.
2. Every dimension, axle weight and spacing, plate and description on the permit matches the loaded truck, and any amendment (within 72 hours of the start date, when allowed) is attached.
3. You will drive the printed state route only, you have local permission for any city streets or county roads (using a split trip to leave and re-enter the state system), you are not treating I-65 or I-70 inside I-465 as covered by the general permit, and Toll Road gates are listed if you use the Toll Road.
4. Escorts match M-204 and any M-204S: civilian count and placement, four-wheel escort vehicles at no more than 11,000 pounds, amber roof light, oversize-load sign, radios, 500-foot spacing, and a height stick in front when height is over 14 feet 6 inches; ISP booked through CVED when M-204S or the permit requires it.
5. The move fits the time rules on M-204 (including any 8:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m. weekday window) and is outside the holiday window (including Thanksgiving 2026 from noon November 25 to ½ hour before sunrise November 27).
6. Weather is clear of the 500-foot visibility and 25 mph wind limits, posted bridges and clearances have been checked, flagmen are arranged if you will encroach on opposing lanes, and you have read each restriction line on the permit and on M-204.

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 Indiana page in the JaloPermit Atlas. For a general walk-through of any state’s permit, see how to read an oversize load permit, and for escort rules side by side, see pilot car requirements by state. Our Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wyoming, North Dakota, Kansas, Texas, Michigan, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Louisiana, New Mexico and Arkansas permit guides cover those states the same way, and if your trip crosses state lines, read multi-state oversize permit trips.

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 11

FAQs