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

A Minnesota oversize or overweight permit has two parts that matter to a driver: the permit itself, with its dates, dimensions, weights and route, and a one-page sheet called the General Provisions for Oversize/Overweight Loads. MnDOT says plainly at the top of that sheet: “These provisions are part of the permit.” Moving the load on a MnDOT permit means you accept them. So reading a Minnesota permit means reading both.

This guide walks through what a Minnesota 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, mainly MnDOT’s General Provisions for Oversize/Overweight Loads (PDF) and MnDOT’s Oversize/Overweight Permits page. MnDOT does not publish a sample permit, so where a detail depends on your own permit, the answer is the same: read the paper permit and ask MnDOT’s permit office.

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Who issues Minnesota oversize permits

Minnesota OS/OW permits for state roads come from MnDOT’s Oversize/Overweight Permits unit, part of the Office of Freight and Commercial Vehicle Operations (OFCVO) in St. Paul (MnDOT’s Commercial Vehicle Operations contacts page). Under Minn. Stat. § 169.86, subd. 1, the commissioner issues permits for highways under state jurisdiction, and local authorities issue them for their own roads.

That split shows up on the permit. MnDOT’s “Find out if you need a permit” page says a MnDOT permit is not valid on county, municipal, township or other local roads, and MnDOT’s permit types page says permits are valid on state roads and highways and the Interstate system unless otherwise noted. General Provisions, item 4 says authorization for any other street or road must come from the local authority that has jurisdiction, and that local detours may need a local permit.

Permits are ordered online through MnDOT’s permitting and routing system, linked from MnDOT’s Oversize/Overweight Permits page. The MnDOT’s OSOW permit contacts page lists phone, email and mail options for questions.

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The top of the permit: number, type and dates

Start at the top. Find the permit number (shown here only as a placeholder, MN-XXXXXXX; we never show real ones), the permittee, the permit type and the dates. Then check:

• Permit type and validity. MnDOT’s permit types page lists the main types. A single trip permit is valid for 7 days and is issued for individual trips of non-divisible loads. A multi-trip job permit is valid for 60 days for like loads (same product, weight and dimensions) on a designated route with the same power unit. Annual permits cover specific uses such as mobile cranes, construction and farm equipment, manufactured homes and commercial boat hauling, each with its own maximum width, height, length and weight.
• Trip logs on annual permits. General Provisions, item 3 says you must route (trip log) each move in the permit system when you are over legal weight, or over 11 feet wide or 14'6" high, on annual permit types such as construction/farm, commercial boat, mobile home, mobile crane and baled farm products.
• Registration. A MnDOT permit does not change your registered weight. General Provisions, item 1 says an over-legal-weight vehicle must be licensed for its total gross operating weight, and MnDOT’s “Find out if you need a permit” page points to the Department of Public Safety for temporary weight increase permits.

Carry it right. Minn. Stat. § 169.86, subd. 4 says the permit must be in the vehicle it refers to, open to inspection, and may be carried electronically if it is easily read. General Provisions, item 2 adds that an electronic copy on a phone or other device works in place of paper if it is complete and legible.

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Vehicle, load, dimensions and weights

The middle of the permit describes the truck, the load and the permitted size and weight. Minn. Stat. § 169.86, subd. 2 says the application must describe the vehicles and loads, the particular highways and the time period, so those details are what the permit is built from. Read every number against the actual loaded truck.

Context for those numbers. According to MnDOT’s “Find out if you need a permit” page, you generally need a permit above:

The width and height limits are in Minn. Stat. § 169.80, subd. 2 (102 inches) and Minn. Stat. § 169.81, subd. 1 (13 feet 6 inches).

For axle weights, MnDOT’s allowable permit axle weights table sets permit limits on 10-ton roads in three columns: spring load restriction, middle-range restriction and unrestricted. In the unrestricted column, permit limits are 24,000 lbs. on a single axle, 46,000 lbs. on a tandem, 63,000 lbs. on a tridem, and 72,000 lbs. on a quad on an annual trip log or 80,000 lbs. on a single trip, with no one axle in a group over 24,000 lbs. The spring and middle-range columns are lower, so which column applies depends on the season and the road. Check MnDOT’s seasonal load limits page and the weights printed on your permit.

Two more lines worth reading:

• Side overhang. General Provisions, item 5 says centered loading is preferred, but offset loading is allowed. When it is necessary, most of the overhang should be on the right side.
• Divisible loads. General Provisions, item 11 says a load that can be reduced or positioned to fit legal limits is divisible. If taking it apart would compromise its use, destroy its value or take more than eight work hours, it is treated as non-divisible.

Very large moves are superloads: over 16 feet high, 16 feet wide, 150 feet long or 250,000 lbs. gross. MnDOT’s guide to transporting superloads (PDF) says processing can take from 5 business days to months and may involve a manual bridge review. Our guide to reading overweight permit axle weights covers axle groups and spacings in more detail.

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The route section

The route is the list of highways the load may use. MnDOT’s Oversize/Overweight Permits page says permits may include specific route instructions to avoid bridge tolerances, height clearances, weight limits, construction zones and other concerns. MnDOT’s guide to transporting superloads (PDF) is direct about what that means: permit vehicles may travel only on the routes in the approved permit, and you may not take an alternate route without prior authorization. If a closure, detour or obstruction blocks the permitted route, stop safely as soon as possible and call the phone number listed on the permit.

Other route rules to read for:

• Posted limits still apply. General Provisions, item 9 says you must obey all posted road and bridge restrictions.
• Route surveys for big loads. MnDOT’s route survey page says MnDOT requires a physical route survey, done by the driver or a Minnesota certified pilot/escort operator, when any dimension exceeds 16 feet high, 20 feet wide or 175 feet long. It must be done within 14 days of the permit start date, the permit route must match the survey route, and MnDOT requires 6 inches of clearance above and below and 1 foot of lateral clearance. The same page says Minnesota does not recognize pole vehicles.
• Rail crossings. The survey must note the emergency number and crossing ID on the blue and white Emergency Notification System (ENS) sign at each rail crossing (MnDOT’s route survey page).
• Property. General Provisions, item 13 says you need approval to alter property, must return it to the same or better condition, and must clear all materials from the right-of-way right after the move. General Provisions, item 14 makes the permittee responsible for damage under Minn. Stat. § 169.88.

MnDOT’s OSOW resources page also links a bridge vertical clearance report and road-width maps that can help you check the roads written on your permit.

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Escorts and pilot cars

Minnesota’s escort thresholds are set in Minn. Stat. § 169.812 and summarized on MnDOT’s escort requirements page:

MnDOT may require more escorts to protect public safety or the road and its structures. When it does, Minn. Stat. § 169.812 says the permit must state how many extra escorts and whether they must be licensed peace officers or may be escort drivers. General Provisions, item 8 adds that the permittee is responsible for coordinating the escorts noted on the permit. So the escort lines on your permit are the final word.

Escort drivers must hold a current Minnesota certification under Minn. Stat. § 299D.085 and follow Minnesota Rules chapter 7455. MnDOT’s escort requirements page says holders of Colorado, Florida, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Utah, Virginia and Washington certifications may escort in Minnesota if they meet Minnesota’s insurance, driver, vehicle, signage, lighting and safety equipment requirements. For peace officer escorts, MnDOT’s guide to transporting superloads (PDF) points to the State Patrol, county sheriffs or city police, and notes that an issued permit may be needed before you can schedule one.

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Travel times, rush hours and curfews

General Provisions, item 12 opens with: “In general, travel is not restricted.” Then it lists the exceptions, each tied to load size, and most say “unless noted otherwise on the permit”:

The provisions tell drivers to watch local weather reports and real-time road conditions through MN 511. MnDOT’s Oversize/Overweight Permits page also links a rush hour zones map, so you can see where the metro restrictions apply.

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Holiday and weekend rules

Holiday rules come from MnDOT’s 2026 holiday travel schedule. They apply to oversize loads or vehicles over 12'6" wide or 110' long. Travel is not restricted for overweight-only loads unless the permit notes it. On restricted holidays, the window is generally 2 p.m. the day before the holiday to 2 a.m. the day after. The 2026 schedule lists:

• Restricted: Memorial Day (May 25), Independence Day (July 3), Labor Day (September 7), Thanksgiving (November 26 and 27), Christmas (December 25) and New Year’s (January 1).
• Fishing opener: restricted from 2 p.m. Friday, May 8 to 2 a.m. Saturday, May 9, and from 2 p.m. Sunday, May 10 to 2 a.m. Monday, May 11.
• Summer weekends (May 29 to August 31): restricted 4 to 8 p.m. on Fridays and Sundays.
• Travel allowed: Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents Day, Juneteenth and Veterans Day.

The same page shows which holidays the permit office is closed. Dates change each year, so check the current schedule against your permit dates. Our guide to checking curfews and travel restrictions shows a quick way to line them up.

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Signs, flags and lights

Minnesota’s marking rules are in General Provisions, item 6 and General Provisions, item 7, with a diagram in MnDOT’s OSOW light-flag requirements chart (PDF):

• “OVERSIZE LOAD” signs are required front and rear when the load is over 12'6" wide or 95' long. They must be lighted or reflective from half an hour before sunset to half an hour after sunrise and visible from at least 500 feet. The chart describes black letters on yellow, at least 7 feet long and 18 inches high, with letters at least 10 inches high.
• Flags must be red or orange and 18 inches square when overhang extends more than 3 feet past the front bumper or 4 feet past the rear, or when the load is over 9 feet wide. Fasten them at the widest corners and the tips of the overhang.
• Flags under long loads. The General Provisions say vehicles over 75 feet long need red or orange flags no more than 20 feet apart along the underside of the load. The light-flag chart shows red flags under loads over 95 feet long at 20-foot intervals. The two documents use different lengths, so if your load falls between them, follow your permit and ask MnDOT.
• Lights. At night, lights are mandatory at the flag locations from half an hour before sunset to half an hour after sunrise, visible from 500 feet. The chart also shows amber flashing warning lamps on the front of the power unit and the rear of the trailer, plus steady amber and red lamps at the widest and rearmost points of the load.
• Rear view. General Provisions, item 10 requires mirrors or other technology that show the driver at least 200 feet of highway behind the vehicle.

The chart notes that every load is different and may need more markings, so read any marking conditions on your own permit too.

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Where to find the issuing office

Minnesota OS/OW permits come from MnDOT Oversize/Overweight Permits, Office of Freight and Commercial Vehicle Operations. According to MnDOT’s OSOW permit contacts page:

• Phone: 651-296-6000, Monday through Friday. General information 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.; trip logging (route approval) help 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Email: ofcvopermits.dot@state.mn.us
• Mail: Minnesota Department of Transportation, OFCVO - Permits, 395 John Ireland Boulevard, MS 420, St. Paul, MN 55155
• Online: the permit system linked from MnDOT’s Oversize/Overweight Permits page, with video guides on MnDOT’s permit system help page

The General Provisions tell enforcement agencies to forward permit violations to the same email. On the road, the number to call about a blocked route is the one printed on your permit.

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A pre-trip checklist, and where JaloPermit fits

Before departure on a Minnesota permit, confirm:

1. You have the permit and the General Provisions, on paper or a legible device, and the dates cover the move. A single trip permit runs 7 days.
2. Every dimension and axle weight on the permit is equal to or more than the actual load, and the axle weights fit the season’s load limits.
3. The truck is registered for its full gross operating weight.
4. Every road on your route is a state, U.S. or Interstate highway on the permit, or you have local approval for the rest.
5. Any required route survey is done within 14 days of the start date and matches the permit route.
6. Escorts match the permit and are Minnesota certified, and a peace officer is booked if the load crosses the centerline.
7. The plan clears Twin Cities and Duluth rush hours, any night-only rule, summer weekend hours and holiday windows.
8. Signs, flags and lights match the General Provisions and the light-flag chart.

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 Minnesota page in the JaloPermit Atlas. For a general walk-through of any state’s permit, see how to read an oversize load permit. Our 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.

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