Delaware Oversize & Overweight Permit Rules
What a load can be in Delaware without a permit, where the permit and escort tiers start on 2-lane roads and multi-lane roads, when it can move, and who to call. Every figure is the JaloPermit Atlas entry for Delaware, shown as the app shows it.
Rules as of Jul 31, 2026 · Links checked Jul 13, 2026
Read this before you trust a number. Rules change. The issued permit, posted signs and the state permit office always win over this page. JaloPermit is a reading aid, not a permit-filing service. Guests get 3 free decodes a day with no account and no card, logged-in users get 10 a day, and extra decodes are $3.50 each with no subscription.
What moves in Delaware without a permit
Legal limits are the dimensions and gross weight a vehicle may run at without an oversize or overweight permit. Delaware publishes its length limit as semitrailer, so compare it against that measurement on your permit, not the overall rig.
Where the permit and escort tiers start
| Dimension | Legal without permit | Permit tier starts | First escort on 2-lane roads | First escort on multi-lane roads |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Width | 8'6" | 8'7" | 13'1" · Front escort | 13'1" · Rear escort |
| Height | 13'6" | 13'7" | 15' · Front + Rear + Police | 15' · Front + Rear + Police |
| Length | 53'0"semitrailer | 53'1" | 90' · Rear escort | 90' · Rear escort |
| Weight | 80,000 lbs | 120,001 lbs | 120,001 lbs · Front + Rear | 120,001 lbs · Front + Rear |
"Permit tier starts" is the lowest size in the Atlas ladder that needs a permit. "First escort" is the lowest size that adds a private or police escort on that road class; the full ladder with each tier's rule and source is below.
Delaware escort ladder, tier by tier
Open a tier to read the rule behind it, quoted with its source. Amber tiers add a police escort or a superload review; grey tiers are permit-only with conditions.
On 2-lane roads
Escorts begin at 13'1" wide
Width
Permit required8'7" – 13'
Permit required when overall width exceeds 8'6" (2 DE Admin. Code 2405 sec. 2.2.1). Off the Interstate and U.S. Routes the 8'6" is inclusive of safety devices (2.2.3). No escort required by width alone at 13'0" or less. Conditional: a load that is only overweight, or is 12'0" or less wide, and that cannot move freely with the flow of traffic may still be assigned escorts by DelDOT (4.6.1.11).
Front escort13'1" – 14'
More than 13' but not exceeding 14' wide: one escort, positioned IN FRONT of the load on a 2-lane highway (4.6.1.3). APPROXIMATION: DelDOT's real distinction is 2-lane vs multilane highway, not non-Interstate vs Interstate - on a multilane non-Interstate route the escort goes to the rear instead. If another dimension separately requires an escort at the opposite end, one front AND one rear are required (4.6.1.8).
Front + Rear14'1" – 14'11"
More than 14' but less than 15' wide: two escorts, one in front of the over width vehicle or load and 1 behind (4.6.1.4); Table 4.1 'over 14 feet | Rear Front'. A width-only load in this band has not yet reached the 15-foot threshold at which 4.6.1.4 adds a third escort.
Front + Rear + Police15'+
15'0" or more in width: front and rear escorts PLUS a separate Delaware State Police escort as the third. Above 15'0" this is the flat rule - 4.6.1.4 'A separate state police escort (third escort) is required for vehicles and loads more than 15 feet in width', Table 4.1 'over 15 feet | Rear Front DSP'. At exactly 15'0" the same three-vehicle crew is required by the superload route: 15'0" is a Superload (5.1.1 'Width - 15 feet or greater') and both Type 2 width-only (5.3.2.4.1) and Type 5 combination (5.3.5.5.1) read 'Hauler will have 1 Front Escort, 1 Rear Escort and contract 1 Delaware State Police Trooper and Patrol Car.' DSP has no fixed position in the rule and must be notified at least 48 hours before a superload move (5.2.4.5). If the load is so wide that passage cannot occur to clear queued traffic, the escort requirement expands to sufficient police officers to divert traffic (5.3.2.2.3); maintenance of traffic may also be required (5.3.2.2.4). Open-ended: DelDOT reserves the right to modify requirements case by case (1.1).
Height
Permit required13'7" – 14'11"
Permit required when height exceeds 13'6". Sec. 2.3 applies ONE threshold to every road class - 'On any Interstate, U.S. Route, or highway if the maximum height of any vehicle or combination of vehicles, including load thereon, exceeds 13 feet - 6 inches a permit shall be required' - so there is NO lower off-Interstate height limit in Delaware. No escort required by height alone below 15'0". Delaware requires no height pole or pole car at any height: 4.6.1.12 lists visual contact and two-way radio communication as the only escort equipment, and Table 4.1's height rows enumerate the escort locations as Rear/Front and Rear/Front/DSP with no pole column.
Front + Rear + Police15' – 17'5"
15'0" or more in height (threshold INCLUSIVE): 4.6.1.6 requires two escorts, one in front of the over height vehicle or load and 1 behind, and Table 4.1 reads 'at 15 feet | Rear Front'. Count is 3, not 2, because every load 15'0" or higher is a Superload (5.1.1 'Height - 15 feet or greater'), and BOTH superload types that can apply mandate a trooper: Type 3 height-only (5.3.3.4.1) and Type 5 combination (5.3.5.5.1) each read 'Hauler will have 1 Front Escort, 1 Rear Escort and contract 1 Delaware State Police Trooper and Patrol Car.' The trooper is the third counted escort. Table 4.1's general ladder shows DSP only at 17'6", but the superload special provisions apply on top of Part 4, so no load at or above 15'0" is left without a trooper. A route survey is required for a move of extreme height as determined by DelDOT (5.3.3.2.1) and must clear every overhead object by 6 inches (5.3.3.2.2); utility and arborist clearances must be confirmed in writing before permit approval (5.3.3.2.4-5.3.3.2.6). Delaware State Police must be notified at least 48 hours before a superload move (5.2.4.5). No height pole is required by 2405 - 4.6.1.12 lists visual contact and two-way radio as the only escort equipment, and Table 4.1's height rows list only Rear, Front and DSP. Delaware's height escort ladder draws no road-class distinction; it is identical on and off the Interstate. A police escort is required 15 ft high and over, in addition to the private escorts. Source: 2 DE Admin. Code 2405 §5.1.1 + §5.3.3.4.1 (Type 3 height-only superload, 15 ft or greater) and §4.6.1.6.
Front + Rear + Police17'6"+
17'6" or more in height (threshold INCLUSIVE): front and rear escorts PLUS a separate Delaware State Police escort, which 4.6.1.6 itself calls the 'third escort'; Table 4.1 'at 17 ft. - 6 in. | Rear Front DSP'. The trooper is the third of the three counted escorts and is independently mandated by the superload special provisions (5.3.3.4.1, 5.3.5.5.1). A DelDOT Traffic approved electrical contractor may be required to adjust or remove traffic signal equipment along the route at hauler cost, with written confirmation before permit approval; skidding of signal equipment is not permitted (5.3.3.2.3). A route survey is required for a move of extreme height as determined by DelDOT (5.3.3.2.1) and must clear every overhead object by 6 inches (5.3.3.2.2); utility and arborist clearances must be confirmed in writing before permit approval (5.3.3.2.4-5.3.3.2.6). Delaware State Police must be notified at least 48 hours before a superload move (5.2.4.5). No height pole is required by 2405 - 4.6.1.12 lists visual contact and two-way radio as the only escort equipment, and Table 4.1's height rows list only Rear, Front and DSP. Delaware's height escort ladder draws no road-class distinction; it is identical on and off the Interstate. A police escort is required 15 ft high and over, in addition to the private escorts. Source: 2 DE Admin. Code 2405 §5.1.1 + §5.3.3.4.1 (Type 3 height-only superload, 15 ft or greater) and §4.6.1.6.
Length
Permit required53'1" – 89'11"
Permit required above the legal length limits of sec. 2.1 - off the Interstate and U.S. Routes no combination of vehicles may exceed 60'0" overall (2.1.3.1). The more conservative 53'1" floor from the Interstate semitrailer limit (2.1.2.1) is carried here so the row never under-warns; note the two limits use different bases (semitrailer vs overall combination). No escort required by length alone below 90'0". BASIS NOTE: this floor is a legal-limit figure while the escort tiers above are OVERALL length (4.6.1.5). Rear overhang of 15' or more separately requires 1 rear escort unless the permit specifies otherwise (4.6.1.7) and is not representable in this schema.
Rear escort90' – 99'11"
90'0" or more in OVERALL length: one REAR escort (4.6.1.5). Threshold is INCLUSIVE - 4.6.1.5 reads 'Vehicles and loads 90 feet or more in overall length are required to have 1 rear escort vehicle', so a load at exactly 90'0" requires the escort even though Table 4.1 abbreviates the row as 'over 90 feet'. If another dimension separately requires a front escort, one front AND one rear are required (4.6.1.8). Delaware's length escort ladder draws no road-class distinction; it is identical on and off the Interstate.
Front + Rear100' – 119'11"
100'0" or more in OVERALL length (threshold INCLUSIVE): two escorts, 1 in front and 1 in the rear (4.6.1.5); Table 4.1 'at 100 feet | Rear Front'.
Front + Rear + Police120'+
120'0" or more in length (threshold INCLUSIVE): front and rear escorts PLUS a separate Delaware State Police escort, which 4.6.1.5 itself calls the 'third escort'; Table 4.1 'at 120 feet | Rear Front DSP'. The trooper is the third of the three counted escorts. 120'+ is also a Superload (5.1.1), and Type 1 length-only (5.3.1.4.1) and Type 5 combination (5.3.5.5.1) independently confirm '1 Front Escort, 1 Rear Escort and contract 1 Delaware State Police Trooper and Patrol Car', with additional troopers possible based on the physical characteristics of the load. DSP must be notified at least 48 hours in advance (5.2.4.5). Delaware's length escort ladder draws no road-class distinction; it is identical on and off the Interstate. A police escort is required 120 ft long and over, in addition to the private escorts. Source: 2 DE Admin. Code 2405 §4.6.1.5 (also §5.1.1 'Length - 120 feet or greater' + §5.3.1.4.1 Type 1 superload: 1 front, 1 rear, 1 DSP trooper).
Weight
Front + Rear120,001 lbs+
Over 120,000 lb: two escorts, one in front of the load and one behind (2 DE Admin. Code 2405 §4.6.1.9; Table 4.1). No Delaware State Police escort is required for weight alone: for a weight-only superload troopers 'may' be required (§5.3.4.4.1), and DelDOT removed the weight-only State Police escort requirement on 11/14/2022. A load that is also 15 ft or more wide or high, or 120 ft or more long, needs a trooper under that dimension's rule. Permits over 120,000 lb are approved by the DelDOT Bridge Management Section (§5.3.4.2.2).
On multi-lane roads
Escorts begin at 13'1" wide
Width
Permit required8'7" – 13'
Permit required when overall width exceeds 8'6" (2 DE Admin. Code 2405 sec. 2.2.1). On Interstate and U.S. Routes the 8'6" is exclusive of safety equipment extending up to 3 inches per side (2.2.2). No escort required by width alone at 13'0" or less. Conditional: a load that is only overweight, or is 12'0" or less wide, and that cannot move freely with the flow of traffic may still be assigned escorts by DelDOT (4.6.1.11).
Rear escort13'1" – 14'
More than 13' but not exceeding 14' wide: one escort, positioned BEHIND the load on a multilane highway (4.6.1.3). APPROXIMATION: DelDOT's real distinction is multilane vs 2-lane highway, not Interstate vs non-Interstate - a multilane U.S. or state route takes this same rear placement. If another dimension separately requires an escort at the opposite end, one front AND one rear are required (4.6.1.8).
Front + Rear14'1" – 14'11"
More than 14' but less than 15' wide: two escorts, one in front of the over width vehicle or load and 1 behind (4.6.1.4); Table 4.1 'over 14 feet | Rear Front'. A width-only load in this band has not yet reached the 15-foot threshold at which 4.6.1.4 adds a third escort.
Front + Rear + Police15'+
15'0" or more in width: front and rear escorts PLUS a separate Delaware State Police escort as the third. Above 15'0" this is the flat rule - 4.6.1.4 'A separate state police escort (third escort) is required for vehicles and loads more than 15 feet in width', Table 4.1 'over 15 feet | Rear Front DSP'. At exactly 15'0" the same three-vehicle crew is required by the superload route: 15'0" is a Superload (5.1.1 'Width - 15 feet or greater') and both Type 2 width-only (5.3.2.4.1) and Type 5 combination (5.3.5.5.1) read 'Hauler will have 1 Front Escort, 1 Rear Escort and contract 1 Delaware State Police Trooper and Patrol Car.' DSP has no fixed position in the rule and must be notified at least 48 hours before a superload move (5.2.4.5). If the load is so wide that passage cannot occur to clear queued traffic, the escort requirement expands to sufficient police officers to divert traffic (5.3.2.2.3); maintenance of traffic may also be required (5.3.2.2.4). Open-ended: DelDOT reserves the right to modify requirements case by case (1.1).
Height
Permit required13'7" – 14'11"
Permit required when height exceeds 13'6" (2 DE Admin. Code 2405 sec. 2.3). No escort required by height alone below 15'0". Delaware requires no height pole or pole car at any height: 4.6.1.12 lists visual contact and two-way radio communication as the only escort equipment, and Table 4.1's height rows enumerate the escort locations as Rear/Front and Rear/Front/DSP with no pole column.
Front + Rear + Police15' – 17'5"
15'0" or more in height (threshold INCLUSIVE): 4.6.1.6 requires two escorts, one in front of the over height vehicle or load and 1 behind, and Table 4.1 reads 'at 15 feet | Rear Front'. Count is 3, not 2, because every load 15'0" or higher is a Superload (5.1.1 'Height - 15 feet or greater'), and BOTH superload types that can apply mandate a trooper: Type 3 height-only (5.3.3.4.1) and Type 5 combination (5.3.5.5.1) each read 'Hauler will have 1 Front Escort, 1 Rear Escort and contract 1 Delaware State Police Trooper and Patrol Car.' The trooper is the third counted escort. Table 4.1's general ladder shows DSP only at 17'6", but the superload special provisions apply on top of Part 4, so no load at or above 15'0" is left without a trooper. A route survey is required for a move of extreme height as determined by DelDOT (5.3.3.2.1) and must clear every overhead object by 6 inches (5.3.3.2.2); utility and arborist clearances must be confirmed in writing before permit approval (5.3.3.2.4-5.3.3.2.6). Delaware State Police must be notified at least 48 hours before a superload move (5.2.4.5). No height pole is required by 2405 - 4.6.1.12 lists visual contact and two-way radio as the only escort equipment, and Table 4.1's height rows list only Rear, Front and DSP. A police escort is required 15 ft high and over, in addition to the private escorts. Source: 2 DE Admin. Code 2405 §5.1.1 + §5.3.3.4.1 (Type 3 height-only superload, 15 ft or greater) and §4.6.1.6.
Front + Rear + Police17'6"+
17'6" or more in height (threshold INCLUSIVE): front and rear escorts PLUS a separate Delaware State Police escort, which 4.6.1.6 itself calls the 'third escort'; Table 4.1 'at 17 ft. - 6 in. | Rear Front DSP'. The trooper is the third of the three counted escorts and is independently mandated by the superload special provisions (5.3.3.4.1, 5.3.5.5.1). A DelDOT Traffic approved electrical contractor may be required to adjust or remove traffic signal equipment along the route at hauler cost, with written confirmation before permit approval; skidding of signal equipment is not permitted (5.3.3.2.3). A route survey is required for a move of extreme height as determined by DelDOT (5.3.3.2.1) and must clear every overhead object by 6 inches (5.3.3.2.2); utility and arborist clearances must be confirmed in writing before permit approval (5.3.3.2.4-5.3.3.2.6). Delaware State Police must be notified at least 48 hours before a superload move (5.2.4.5). No height pole is required by 2405 - 4.6.1.12 lists visual contact and two-way radio as the only escort equipment, and Table 4.1's height rows list only Rear, Front and DSP. A police escort is required 15 ft high and over, in addition to the private escorts. Source: 2 DE Admin. Code 2405 §5.1.1 + §5.3.3.4.1 (Type 3 height-only superload, 15 ft or greater) and §4.6.1.6.
Length
Permit required53'1" – 89'11"
Permit required above the legal length limits of sec. 2.1 - on Interstate and U.S. Routes the maximum semitrailer length is 53'0" exclusive of truck tractor (2.1.2.1). No escort required by length alone below 90'0". BASIS NOTE: this floor is a legal-limit figure while the escort tiers above are OVERALL length (4.6.1.5). Rear overhang of 15' or more separately requires 1 rear escort unless the permit specifies otherwise (4.6.1.7) and is not representable in this schema.
Rear escort90' – 99'11"
90'0" or more in OVERALL length: one REAR escort (4.6.1.5). Threshold is INCLUSIVE - 4.6.1.5 reads 'Vehicles and loads 90 feet or more in overall length are required to have 1 rear escort vehicle', so a load at exactly 90'0" requires the escort even though Table 4.1 abbreviates the row as 'over 90 feet'. If another dimension separately requires a front escort, one front AND one rear are required (4.6.1.8).
Front + Rear100' – 119'11"
100'0" or more in OVERALL length (threshold INCLUSIVE): two escorts, 1 in front and 1 in the rear (4.6.1.5); Table 4.1 'at 100 feet | Rear Front'.
Front + Rear + Police120'+
120'0" or more in length (threshold INCLUSIVE): front and rear escorts PLUS a separate Delaware State Police escort, which 4.6.1.5 itself calls the 'third escort'; Table 4.1 'at 120 feet | Rear Front DSP'. The trooper is the third of the three counted escorts. 120'+ is also a Superload (5.1.1), and Type 1 length-only (5.3.1.4.1) and Type 5 combination (5.3.5.5.1) independently confirm '1 Front Escort, 1 Rear Escort and contract 1 Delaware State Police Trooper and Patrol Car', with additional troopers possible based on the physical characteristics of the load. DSP must be notified at least 48 hours in advance (5.2.4.5). A police escort is required 120 ft long and over, in addition to the private escorts. Source: 2 DE Admin. Code 2405 §4.6.1.5 (also §5.1.1 'Length - 120 feet or greater' + §5.3.1.4.1 Type 1 superload: 1 front, 1 rear, 1 DSP trooper).
Weight
Front + Rear120,001 lbs+
Over 120,000 lb: two escorts, one in front of the load and one behind (2 DE Admin. Code 2405 §4.6.1.9; Table 4.1). No Delaware State Police escort is required for weight alone: for a weight-only superload troopers 'may' be required (§5.3.4.4.1), and DelDOT removed the weight-only State Police escort requirement on 11/14/2022. A load that is also 15 ft or more wide or high, or 120 ft or more long, needs a trooper under that dimension's rule. Permits over 120,000 lb are approved by the DelDOT Bridge Management Section (§5.3.4.2.2).
When a permitted load can move
- Standard hours
Sunrise to sunset, Monday through Sunday, for oversize and overweight permits, unless the permit's Special Provisions state otherwise. Annual crane and twin trailer permits are authorized 24-hour continuous movement.
- Night travel
Loads not over 75 ft long, 12 ft wide, 14 ft 6 in high and 120,000 lbs may move 9 PM to 5 AM Monday through Friday with prior approval, requested on the permit application. Any other night move needs case-by-case DelDOT authorization and added lighting.
- Weekend travel
Saturday and Sunday movement is allowed sunrise to sunset. Loads that cannot hold within 10 mph of the posted speed are barred noon Friday to noon Monday, May 15 through October 1, on I-95, I-295, I-495, US 9, US 13, US 113 and SR 1, 18, 24, 26, 54 and 404.
- Holiday restrictions
No travel New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, the day after Thanksgiving and Christmas. Moves stop noon the day before and resume 9 AM the day after. Confirm dates on DelDOT's posted holiday schedule.
- Urban restrictions
Superloads over width, over height, or over two or more dimensions should avoid 6 AM to 9 AM and 3 PM to 7 PM. Combination superloads on beach resort routes May 15 to October 1 are advised to move Tuesday through Thursday, not Monday, Friday or weekends.
Signage Delaware expects
- Oversize load sign
Two OVERSIZE LOAD signs, one front and one rear, on loads exceeding legal width, length or rear overhang. Signs at least 7 ft long by 18 in high, yellow with black lettering, letters at least 10 in high with a 1.41 in stroke, reflective for night moves.
- Flags
Red or orange fluorescent flags at least 18 in square at the extremities of overwidth loads. Overlength loads or rear overhang over 4 ft need one flag at the extreme rear if the projection is 2 ft wide or less, two flags placed to show maximum width if wider.
Delaware permit office
The permit office is the authority on every number on this page. Call it, or open the official site, before you rely on a threshold for a load that is close to a line.
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What are the legal limits in Delaware without an oversize or overweight permit?
In Delaware, the legal limits without an oversize or overweight permit are 8'6" wide, 13'6" high, 53'0" long (semitrailer) and 80,000 lbs gross. Legal overhang is 3'0" front and 6'0" rear. Anything over those figures needs a permit from the Delaware permit office before it moves.
When does an oversize load need an escort or pilot car in Delaware?
On 2-lane roads in Delaware, escorts begin at 13'1" wide. On multi-lane roads, escorts begin at 13'1" wide. The first escort tier is "Front escort" at 13'1" – 14' wide. Every tier on this page quotes its rule and source.
Can oversize loads travel at night, on weekends or on holidays in Delaware?
Night travel: Loads not over 75 ft long, 12 ft wide, 14 ft 6 in high and 120,000 lbs may move 9 PM to 5 AM Monday through Friday with prior approval, requested on the permit application. Any other night move needs case-by-case DelDOT authorization and added lighting. Weekend travel: Saturday and Sunday movement is allowed sunrise to sunset. Loads that cannot hold within 10 mph of the posted speed are barred noon Friday to noon Monday, May 15 through October 1, on I-95, I-295, I-495, US 9, US 13, US 113 and SR 1, 18, 24, 26, 54 and 404. Holidays: No travel New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, the day after Thanksgiving and Christmas. Moves stop noon the day before and resume 9 AM the day after. Confirm dates on DelDOT's posted holiday schedule.