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

A Louisiana oversize or overweight permit packs a lot onto a few lines: the dates the move may run, the exact dimensions and axle weights allowed, the highways you may use, and a “Restrictions” or “Remarks” block that can change everything about when and how you move. Louisiana’s rules also put a long list of standing conditions on permitted loads, from daylight-only travel to rush-hour curfews in five metro areas.

This guide walks through what a Louisiana permit holds and the state rules behind each part, so a driver or dispatcher knows what to check before rolling. Every rule below links to its source, mainly Louisiana Regulations for Trucks, Vehicles, and Loads (2026), which DOTD publishes on its DOTD’s Oversized and Overweight Truck Permits page. Where the rules leave something open, the answer is the same: read your permit and call the Truck Permit Office.

MI 01

Who issues Louisiana oversize permits

Louisiana OS/OW permits come from the Truck Permit Office of the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) in Baton Rouge. DOTD’s 2026 regulations book says permits must be obtained from that office before the load moves or before it enters the state, and that DOTD weigh station personnel do not issue them.

Online permits run through LaGeaux, DOTD’s permit system, which is linked from the DOTD’s Oversized and Overweight Truck Permits page. The same regulations book also lists walk-in, mail, and wire or permit services as ways to get a permit, plus prepaid oversize forms (“A-forms”) and control forms (“C-forms”) that are validated with a permit number from the office.

Two other groups come up, and neither issues the permit:

• DPS Weights and Standards Police and the Louisiana State Police enforce permit and escort rules, check permits at the scales, and provide State Police escorts for the largest loads (DOTD’s 2026 regulations book).
• Parishes and cities may require their own escorts or local permits for travel through metro areas. The regulations book makes contacting them the hauler’s job.

MI 02

The top of the permit: number, dates and permit type

Start at the top. Find the permit number (for example LA-XXXXXXX; we never show real ones), the permittee it was issued to, and the movement dates. Louisiana’s enforcement rules in LAC 73:I.311 tell officers to compare the trip against the permit’s “Date Movement Begins” and “Date Movement Ends,” and to verify any date change with the Truck Permit Office, so those two dates are the window you have.

Check the permit type, because it sets how long the permit lasts. According to DOTD’s single trip permit page:

• Oversize single-trip permits authorize loads over legal length, width, height or projection, generally one trip per day per permit. Some over-length-only combinations hauling the same product all day may make more than one trip.
• Overweight single-trip permits cover indivisible loads over legal axle or gross weight, are active for 5 days, and also cover oversize dimensions when those dimensions are listed on the permit.
• Mobile home oversize permits are active for 3 days, with no extensions.

DOTD also issues monthly, semi-annual and annual permits for specific uses, each with its own limits. Since September 2, 2025, the DOTD’s Oversized and Overweight Truck Permits page says new annual oversize/overweight heavy equipment permits need a registered route approved before each move.

Keep the permit with you. DOTD’s 2026 regulations book says the driver, or the escort driver when there is one, must have the permit in written or electronic form during the move and show it on demand. The permit is valid only for the named permittee and is not transferable.

MI 03

Vehicle, load, dimensions and weights

The middle of the permit describes what is moving. Officers are told in LAC 73:I.311 to match the permit to the truck: the mover’s name against the cab and registration, the truck make, license plates on the power unit and trailers, serial numbers on off-road equipment, the number and type of axles, each axle weight and gross weight, and every dimension, including front and rear overhang.

The rule for reading those numbers is simple: the real load must be equal to or less than what is printed. LAC 73:I.311 says scale weights must be at or below the permitted weights, and all dimensions must be at or below the permitted dimensions. DOTD’s 2026 regulations book also requires make, model and serial numbers for construction equipment such as cranes and dozers.

Context for those numbers, from DOTD’s 2026 regulations book:

• Legal limits are 102 inches wide; 14'0" high on Interstates and 13'6" on other highways; and 80,000 pounds gross for most vehicles without a tridum or larger axle group. A permit is needed above them.
• Typical maximum permit weights for vehicles other than off-road equipment are 24,000 pounds per single axle and 48,000 per tandem when gross weight is 120,000 pounds or less, with lower axle limits above 120,000 pounds, and 60,000 pounds per tridum.
• Axle distribution: when an axle group is permitted above its legal weight, no axle in a tandem may carry more than 60% or less than 40% of the group’s permitted weight. Tridum and quadrum groups have their own percentages.
• Very heavy loads over 232,000 pounds on non-designated highways or 254,000 pounds on any highway need detailed information submitted four to six weeks ahead.

The vehicle must also be licensed for its maximum allowable license weight before it can get an overweight permit (LAC 73:I.701). Our guide to reading overweight permit axle weights covers axle groups and spacings in more detail.

MI 04

The route section

The route is the list of highways the load may use. Under the escorting procedures in DOTD’s 2026 regulations book, movement is allowed only on the highways designated on the permit, and alternate routes may not be used unless the Truck Permit Office approves them in advance. LAC 73:I.311 tells officers to check the highway numbers on the permit against where the load actually is.

Louisiana does allow reasonable access off an assigned route for fuel, repairs, food or rest. Even then, DOTD’s 2026 regulations book says you may not travel under overpasses, exceed posted bridge limits or drive through construction zones, and every other permit condition still applies.

Other route rules to read for:

• Tunnels: oversize and overweight permit loads are barred from both of Louisiana’s tunnels, in Harvey (US 90 Business) and Houma (LA 3040) (DOTD’s 2026 regulations book).
• Tall loads: loads over 16'5" high should get a pre-approved route from the Truck Permit Office at least 48 hours before the move, and LAC 73:I.716 calls for a district authorization number from each DOTD district on the route. Loads over 18' high need each district’s procedures and utility approvals first.
• Wide loads: a DOTD district representative may need to approve or accompany loads over 18' wide.

Before you roll, DOTD links a DOTD route planner and a Trouble Board report from its permit page, which can help you spot problems on the roads your permit lists.

MI 05

Escorts, pilot cars and pole trucks

Louisiana’s escort thresholds are in DOTD’s 2026 regulations book:

Your permit can require more than this table, so treat its escort lines as the final word. Position matters too: escorts run behind overwidth loads on multi-lane highways and in front of them on two-lane highways, and always behind overlength loads. A load that needs both an escort and a pole truck on a multi-lane highway needs two vehicles, because the pole truck runs ahead and the escort runs behind (DOTD’s 2026 regulations book).

• One escort may cover two overlength loads but only one overwidth load.
• Private escort vehicles need a Louisiana Escort Vehicle Permit, which expires every December 31, and proof of insurance the DOTD’s Oversized and Overweight Truck Permits page describes.
• Escort equipment, including an amber warning lamp, two 18-inch red or fluorescent orange flags, door signs, radios and “Oversize Load” signs, is set out in LAC 73:I.1901.
• Escorted loads must pass through DOTD’s stationary weigh stations with their escorts, and escorted load speed is set by the Truck Permit Office and never above 55 mph under the regulations book.

Travel through metro areas may also need city or parish police escorts. For how escort lines read across permits generally, see oversize permit escort requirements.

MI 06

Travel times and metro curfews

DOTD’s 2026 regulations book says loads that need permits are generally barred from moving at night, in inclement weather and on certain designated holidays, and that normal hours of operation are sunrise to sunset, as determined by the National Weather Service. Night moves of escorted loads need prior approval from the Truck Permit Office and the State Police.

The regulations book then adds weekday (Monday through Friday) curfews:

• Loads over 12 ft wide on certain Interstates, 7:00 to 9:00 a.m. and 3:30 to 5:30 p.m.: Shreveport (I-20 between its I-220 junctions), Monroe (I-20 between the Monroe and West Monroe city limits), Lake Charles (all of I-210, and I-10 from LA 397 to LA 108), Baton Rouge (all of I-110, I-10 from Bluebonnet to the Mississippi River, and I-12 from O’Neal Lane to I-10), and New Orleans (all of I-610, and I-10 from Paris Road to Williams Boulevard).
• New Orleans Mississippi River bridges, 6:30 to 9:00 a.m. and 3:30 to 6:00 p.m.: permitted vehicles may not cross, or be within two miles of, any bridge over the river in New Orleans.
• City of New Orleans, 7:00 to 9:00 a.m. and 3:30 to 6:00 p.m.: loads over 12 ft wide may not travel in the city, except on the Interstate and the stretch of US 90 Business between the Crescent City Connection and I-10.
• US-190 Mississippi River Bridge in Baton Rouge, 6:30 to 9:00 a.m. and 3:30 to 6:00 p.m.: barred for loads that project beyond the vehicle, or are over 8'6" wide, 14'4" high or 70' long, or over 120,000 pounds gross.

The book notes an exception: permitted loads that do not project beyond the vehicle, are legal in width and length, are 14'4" or lower and weigh 120,000 pounds or less are typically not barred from moderate weather, night or holiday travel. Your permit says which case you are. Our curfew and travel restriction checklist shows how to mark these windows on a trip plan.

MI 07

Holidays, weekends and weather

Holidays. Louisiana’s rules bar most permitted loads from moving on “certain designated holidays,” but neither DOTD’s 2026 regulations book nor LAC 73:I.309 lists which ones. The Truck Permit Office itself is closed on weekends and certain holidays. If your trip touches a holiday, read the permit’s restriction text and call the office before you plan the move. Mobile home permits get extra days added when holidays fall inside their 3-day window.

Weekends. The 2026 regulations book sets no general Saturday or Sunday ban, and the metro curfews above apply Monday through Friday. The older administrative code still mentions Sunday-afternoon limits for some loads in LAC 73:I.309, and LAC 73:I.311 tells officers to check “Sunday movement” against the permit’s Restrictions and Remarks. So the permit text decides.

Weather. Permitted loads may not move in physically severe weather such as extremely heavy rain, heavy fog, ice, heavy snow or any condition that creates low visibility. Wet pavement, light drizzle and wind do not count as inclement weather unless the move would create a hazard, such as a 14-ft-wide load in rain or a mobile home in wind. If bad weather hits mid-trip, the load must get to a safe place off the roadway and park until it clears (DOTD’s 2026 regulations book).

MI 08

Signs, flags and lights

DOTD’s 2026 regulations book sets the marking rules:

• “OVERSIZE LOAD” signs: at least 7 feet long and 18 inches high, black letters at least 10 inches high on yellow. Loads over 10 ft wide show one on the front of the vehicle and one on the rear of the load. Over-length loads and loads with rear overhang over the legal limit show two on the sides of the overhang, and front overhang over the limit needs one on the front. No overhang sign is needed if the overhang clears the pavement by 6 feet or more.
• Warning flags: red or fluorescent orange, at least 18 inches square. Overwidth loads get four flags at the widest front and rear edges, with fewer allowed for some one-side or short projections. Over-length loads, and rear overhangs over 4 feet that do not clear the pavement by 6 feet, get one or two flags at the extreme rear.
• Lights at night and in inclement weather: overwidth loads need amber lights at the widest front edges and red lights at the widest rear edges. Over-length loads and rear overhangs over 4 feet need red side and rear lights plus red reflectors. All must be visible from 500 feet and approved by the Department of Public Safety.

MI 09

The Restrictions and Remarks block

Read the “Restrictions” and “Remarks” sections as carefully as the route. LAC 73:I.309 says the Truck Permit Office can add restrictions there, and LAC 73:I.311 lists what officers compare against them: night movement, inclement weather movement, Sunday movement, holiday movement, warning flags, lights and signs, speed, escorts, and any other limits the office added.

A few other rules shape what you can do with the permit:

• Changes are discretionary. DOTD’s 2026 regulations book says all cancellations and revisions are granted only at the Truck Permit Office’s discretion.
• Conditions cost you. DOTD may impose added axles, routing, dates, times, speed limits, escorts or bucket trucks, and the applicant pays for them.
• Police can stop a move. Under LAC 73:I.301, State Police can stop permitted loads or override permit office instructions in hazardous conditions or emergencies.
• Insurance comes first. The DOTD’s Oversized and Overweight Truck Permits page says OS/OW loads need a certificate of insurance of at least $100,000 on file, uploaded in LaGeaux.

MI 10

Where to find the issuing office

The DOTD Truck Permit Office lists on its DOTD’s Oversized and Overweight Truck Permits page:

• Address: 1201 Capitol Access Road, Baton Rouge, LA 70802
• Phone: 225-343-2345 or 800-654-1433 (option 1)
• Hours: 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, with a 24/7 emergency on-call line

DOTD’s 2026 regulations book adds a mailing address (P.O. Box 94042, Baton Rouge, LA 70804-9042) and a business office for LaGeaux account questions at 800-654-1433, option 3, or dotdlageauxpermits@la.gov. Routine permits that need manual review are issued only during office hours. DOTD’s permit page also warns that superloads may take 6 to 8 weeks and route approvals 2 to 4 business days because of high volume, so plan ahead.

MI 11

A pre-trip checklist, and where JaloPermit fits

Before departure on a Louisiana permit, confirm:

1. The Date Movement Begins and Date Movement Ends cover the whole trip, and the permit is in the cab or escort vehicle, on paper or on a device.
2. Every dimension and axle weight on the permit is equal to or more than the actual load.
3. The route is marked highway by highway, with no tunnels and no unapproved alternates.
4. Escort and pole truck count and position match the permit for every road type.
5. The plan runs sunrise to sunset unless the permit says otherwise, and clears the weekday metro and bridge curfews.
6. No travel falls on a restricted holiday, and the plan allows for weather stops.
7. Signs, flags and lights are mounted to DOTD’s specs.

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, curfews, 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 Louisiana page in the JaloPermit Atlas. For a general walk-through of any state’s permit, see how to read an oversize load permit, and if you are coming from the north, our Oklahoma permit guide covers that state the same way. Running through more than one state? 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.

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FAQs