Washington Oversize & Overweight Permit Rules
What a load can be in Washington 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 Washington, 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 Washington without a permit
Legal limits are the dimensions and gross weight a vehicle may run at without an oversize or overweight permit. Washington 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" | 8'6" | 11' · Front + Rear | 14' · Rear escort |
| Height | 14'0" | 14' | 14'6" · Front + High pole | 14'6" · Front + High pole |
| Length | 53'0"semitrailer | 75' | 105' · Rear escort | 125' · Rear escort |
| Weight | 80,000 lbs | 80,001 lbs | No escort tier (permit only) | No escort tier (permit only) |
"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.
Washington 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 11' wide
Width
Permit required8'6" – 11'
Permit required above the 8'6" legal width (RCW 46.44.010). Width alone triggers nothing here: WAC 468-38-100(1)(a) starts escorts only when width "exceeds 11 feet" on two lane highways. Conditions that still apply at any size - (1)(j): a driver who, using rearview mirrors, cannot see 200 feet to the rear needs one pilot/escort vehicle at the rear on all highways; (1)(k): WSDOT may require pilot/escort vehicles when in the opinion of the department they are necessary to protect the traveling public. Road class note: non_interstate stands in for WA's "two-lane highway" column; a multilane non-Interstate state route actually follows the multilane (interstate) column, so this row over-warns there.
Front + Rear11' – 14'
WAC 468-38-100(1)(a): "The vehicle(s) or load exceeds 11 feet in width: Two pilot/escort vehicles are required on two lane highways, one in front and one at the rear." RCW 46.44.092 caps a two-lane permit at fourteen feet. A load also over 14'6" high adds the (1)(h) front height-pole car. Road class note: non_interstate stands in for WA's "two-lane highway" column; a multilane non-Interstate state route actually follows the multilane (interstate) column, so this row over-warns there.
Front + Rear14' – 16'
Still WAC 468-38-100(1)(a) - the two-lane front+rear pair applies above 11 feet with no upper bound in the rule. Above 14 feet a two-lane permit issues only under RCW 46.44.092's exceptions: highway segments "designed and constructed for width in excess of such limitations", or a daylight move where gross weight stays at or under eighty thousand pounds and width at or under sixteen feet. Road class note: non_interstate stands in for WA's "two-lane highway" column; a multilane non-Interstate state route actually follows the multilane (interstate) column, so this row over-warns there.
Front + Rear16'+
Superload (WAC 468-38-405(1): a nondivisible load that "exceeds outside dimensions of sixteen feet in height, or sixteen feet in width"). The (1)(a) front+rear pair still applies on two lane highways; WSDOT decides the rest case by case - 468-38-405(6) provides that additional pilot/escort vehicles and/or law-enforcement vehicles may be required given the load's dimension relative to the route and the time of day, authorized through the department's administrator for commercial vehicle services. Seven calendar days' written application; pavement and structure analysis; denial if a structure on the route is inadequate (405(2), (5)). Replaces the scraped 16'1"-20' "case by case determination" tier, which encoded zero escorts and understated (1)(a). Road class note: non_interstate stands in for WA's "two-lane highway" column; a multilane non-Interstate state route actually follows the multilane (interstate) column, so this row over-warns there.
Height
Permit required14' – 14'6"
Permit required above the 14'0" legal height (RCW 46.44.020: "It is unlawful for any vehicle unladen or with load to exceed a height of fourteen feet above the level surface upon which the vehicle stands."). WAC 468-38-100(1)(h) sets the trigger above 14 feet six inches, so at or below 14'6" a load carries no pilot/escort obligation from height alone. WSDOT does not guarantee overhead clearance - DOT Form 560-002 advises a front car with a height pole on any route where the height is in question. Road class note: non_interstate stands in for WA's "two-lane highway" column; a multilane non-Interstate state route actually follows the multilane (interstate) column, so this row over-warns there.
Front + High pole14'6" – 16'
WAC 468-38-100(1)(h): "The height of the vehicle(s) or load exceeds 14 feet six inches: One pilot/escort vehicle with height measuring device (pole) is required at the front of the movement on all highways." Identical on both road classes - the rule says all highways. The pole must be nonconductive and extend between three and six inches above the load's maximum height (468-38-100(10)(f), (14)). Manufactured and modular housing units are the sole exception: the pole "is not required until the overall height of the housing unit exceeds fifteen feet" (WAC 468-38-120(4)). On a two lane highway a load over 11 feet wide separately needs the (1)(a) front+rear pair. Road class note: non_interstate stands in for WA's "two-lane highway" column; a multilane non-Interstate state route actually follows the multilane (interstate) column, so this row over-warns there.
Front + High pole16'+
Superload (WAC 468-38-405(1): exceeds sixteen feet in height). The (1)(h) front height-pole car stays mandatory on all highways; 468-38-405(6) provides that additional pilot/escort vehicles and/or law-enforcement vehicles may be required given the load's dimension relative to the route and the time of day. Seven calendar days' written application plus a traffic control plan (405(2), (3)(d)). Extends the shipped ladder past its 20-foot ceiling - WAC sets no upper height for the pole rule. Road class note: non_interstate stands in for WA's "two-lane highway" column; a multilane non-Interstate state route actually follows the multilane (interstate) column, so this row over-warns there.
Length
Permit required75' – 105'
Permit floor carried over unchanged from the shipped record. RCW 46.44.030(3) makes a truck-and-trailer or log-truck-with-pole-trailer combination "in excess of 75 feet" overall unlawful, but WA's permit floors are configuration-dependent (53' semitrailer and 61' combined trailers per RCW 46.44.030(2)(a); 56' permitted trailer and 85' truck-and-trailer per WAC 468-38-070(3)), so treat 75' as an approximation rather than one statutory line. Length alone triggers nothing below 105 feet of trailer length on two lane highways. Conditions that still apply: (1)(d) rear overhang from the center of the rear axle over one-third of the trailer length including load, (1)(f) front overhang over 20 feet, and (1)(g) single-unit rear overhang over 20 feet each require one pilot/escort vehicle on two-lane highways; (1)(j) rearward visibility under 200 feet requires one at the rear on all highways. WAC measures the TRAILER length including load, not overall combination length; this row reads overall length, so it trips earlier than the rule - the conservative direction. Road class note: non_interstate stands in for WA's "two-lane highway" column; a multilane non-Interstate state route actually follows the multilane (interstate) column, so this row over-warns there.
Rear escort105' – 125'
WAC 468-38-100(1)(d): "The trailer length, including load, of a tractor/trailer combination exceeds 105 feet, or when the rear overhang of a load measured from the center of the rear axle exceeds one-third of the trailer length including load of a tractor/trailer or truck/trailer combination: One pilot/escort vehicle is required at the rear on two-lane highways." WAC measures the TRAILER length including load, not overall combination length; this row reads overall length, so it trips earlier than the rule - the conservative direction. Under 468-38-100(3) the special permit may authorize a riding flag person in lieu of the vehicle. Road class note: non_interstate stands in for WA's "two-lane highway" column; a multilane non-Interstate state route actually follows the multilane (interstate) column, so this row over-warns there.
Rear escort125'+
Superload (WAC 468-38-405(1): a "trailing unit(s) plus load in excess of one hundred twenty-five feet in length"). The (1)(d) rear car stays mandatory on two lane highways. 468-38-405(6) provides that additional pilot/escort vehicles and/or law-enforcement vehicles may be required given the load's dimension relative to the route and the time of day; seven calendar days' written application. WAC measures the TRAILER length including load, not overall combination length; this row reads overall length, so it trips earlier than the rule - the conservative direction. Extends the shipped 200-foot ceiling - WAC sets no upper length. Road class note: non_interstate stands in for WA's "two-lane highway" column; a multilane non-Interstate state route actually follows the multilane (interstate) column, so this row over-warns there.
Weight
Permit required80,001 lbs – 200,000 lbs
Permit required above 80,000 lbs gross. WAC 468-38-100(1) is Washington's complete escort trigger list and keys nothing to weight: (a)-(i) are width, length, overhang and height triggers, (j) is rearward visibility, (k) is department discretion. So no escort is mandated by weight alone in this range. Conditions that still apply: (1)(k) - WSDOT may require pilot/escort vehicles when in the opinion of the department they are necessary to protect the traveling public; and an overweight vehicle that cannot maintain the speed of surrounding traffic is barred on the holidays listed in WAC 468-38-175. Washington's own axle-weight table (RCW 46.44.041) runs to 105,500 lbs gross on non-interstate highways with a qualifying wheelbase, so this 80,001 lb floor is the conservative line carried across both road classes, not a WA non-interstate permit threshold. Road class note: non_interstate stands in for WA's "two-lane highway" column; a multilane non-Interstate state route actually follows the multilane (interstate) column, so this row over-warns there.
Permit required200,001 lbs+
Superload - WAC 468-38-405(1): a nondivisible load "that exceeds two hundred thousand pounds". Thirty calendar days' advance written application (405(2), RCW 46.44.091(5)); WSDOT bridge-condition and pavement analysis; the application is denied outright when a structure or pavement on the route is inadequate (405(5)). Washington still mandates no escort by weight - 468-38-100(1) has no weight trigger - but 468-38-405(6) provides that additional pilot/escort vehicles and/or law-enforcement vehicles may be required given the load's dimension relative to the route and the time of day, authorized through the department's administrator for commercial vehicle services. For building and house moves the region may also require the applicant to contract, at applicant expense, with the Washington State Patrol to assist with traffic control (WAC 468-38-360(10)). Road class note: non_interstate stands in for WA's "two-lane highway" column; a multilane non-Interstate state route actually follows the multilane (interstate) column, so this row over-warns there.
On multi-lane roads
Escorts begin at 14' wide
Width
Permit required8'6" – 12'
Permit required above the 8'6" legal width (RCW 46.44.010). WAC 468-38-100(1)(b) starts the multilane width escort only above 14 feet, so width alone triggers nothing at or below 12 feet. Conditions that still apply - (1)(j): a driver who cannot see 200 feet to the rear needs one pilot/escort vehicle at the rear on all highways; (1)(k): WSDOT may require pilot/escort vehicles in the opinion of the department to protect the traveling public. Road class note: interstate stands in for WA's "multilane highway" column.
Permit required12' – 14'
Conditional tier. WAC 468-38-100(1)(i): "The vehicle(s) or load exceeds 12 feet in width on a multilane highway and has a height that requires a front pilot/escort vehicle: One rear pilot/escort vehicle is required." So over 12 feet wide AND over 14'6" high on a multilane road means a rear car in addition to the (1)(h) front height-pole car. Width by itself still triggers nothing until 14 feet under (1)(b). Road class note: interstate stands in for WA's "multilane highway" column.
Rear escort14' – 16'
WAC 468-38-100(1)(b): "The vehicle(s) or load exceeds 14 feet in width: One escort vehicle is required at the rear on multilane highways." No front car is imposed by width on a multilane road - the front position in (1)(a) is the two-lane rule. A load also over 14'6" high adds the (1)(h) front height-pole car. RCW 46.44.092 caps a divided multilane permit at twenty feet. Road class note: interstate stands in for WA's "multilane highway" column. On a multilane highway, a load over 12 ft wide that needs the front height-pole car also needs a rear pilot/escort vehicle (WAC 468-38-100(1)(i)).
Rear escort16' – 20'
Superload (WAC 468-38-405(1): exceeds sixteen feet in width). The (1)(b) rear car is the mandatory floor on multilane highways; 468-38-405(6) provides that additional pilot/escort vehicles and/or law-enforcement vehicles may be required given the load's dimension relative to the route and the time of day. Seven calendar days' written application, pavement and structure analysis, denial if a structure is inadequate (405(2), (5)). Road class note: interstate stands in for WA's "multilane highway" column. On a multilane highway, a load over 12 ft wide that needs the front height-pole car also needs a rear pilot/escort vehicle (WAC 468-38-100(1)(i)).
Front + Rear20'+
WAC 468-38-100(1)(c): "The vehicle(s) or load exceeds 20 feet in width: Two pilot/escort vehicles are required on multilane undivided highways, one in front and one at the rear." The rule names multilane UNDIVIDED highways, and RCW 46.44.092 caps a divided multilane (Interstate) permit at twenty feet, so above twenty feet on a true Interstate is an RCW 46.44.092(2)/(4) exception; keeping the front+rear pair here is the conservative read and preserves the shipped 20'1"-24' tier. Also a superload. RCW 46.44.092 caps undivided multilane at thirty-two feet. Road class note: interstate stands in for WA's "multilane highway" column. On a multilane highway, a load over 12 ft wide that needs the front height-pole car also needs a rear pilot/escort vehicle (WAC 468-38-100(1)(i)).
Height
Permit required14' – 14'6"
Permit required above the 14'0" legal height (RCW 46.44.020: "It is unlawful for any vehicle unladen or with load to exceed a height of fourteen feet above the level surface upon which the vehicle stands."). WAC 468-38-100(1)(h) sets the trigger above 14 feet six inches, so at or below 14'6" a load carries no pilot/escort obligation from height alone. WSDOT does not guarantee overhead clearance - DOT Form 560-002 advises a front car with a height pole on any route where the height is in question. Road class note: interstate stands in for WA's "multilane highway" column.
Front + High pole14'6" – 16'
WAC 468-38-100(1)(h): "The height of the vehicle(s) or load exceeds 14 feet six inches: One pilot/escort vehicle with height measuring device (pole) is required at the front of the movement on all highways." Identical on both road classes - the rule says all highways. The pole must be nonconductive and extend between three and six inches above the load's maximum height (468-38-100(10)(f), (14)). Manufactured and modular housing units are the sole exception: the pole "is not required until the overall height of the housing unit exceeds fifteen feet" (WAC 468-38-120(4)). On a multilane highway a load over 12 feet wide that needs this front car also needs a rear car under (1)(i). Road class note: interstate stands in for WA's "multilane highway" column. On a multilane highway, a load over 12 ft wide that needs the front height-pole car also needs a rear pilot/escort vehicle (WAC 468-38-100(1)(i)).
Front + High pole16'+
Superload (WAC 468-38-405(1): exceeds sixteen feet in height). The (1)(h) front height-pole car stays mandatory on all highways; 468-38-405(6) provides that additional pilot/escort vehicles and/or law-enforcement vehicles may be required given the load's dimension relative to the route and the time of day. Seven calendar days' written application plus a traffic control plan (405(2), (3)(d)). Extends the shipped ladder past its 20-foot ceiling - WAC sets no upper height for the pole rule. Road class note: interstate stands in for WA's "multilane highway" column. On a multilane highway, a load over 12 ft wide that needs the front height-pole car also needs a rear pilot/escort vehicle (WAC 468-38-100(1)(i)).
Length
Permit required75' – 125'
Permit floor carried over unchanged from the shipped record. RCW 46.44.030(3) makes a truck-and-trailer or log-truck-with-pole-trailer combination "in excess of 75 feet" overall unlawful, but WA's permit floors are configuration-dependent (53' semitrailer and 61' combined trailers per RCW 46.44.030(2)(a); 56' permitted trailer and 85' truck-and-trailer per WAC 468-38-070(3)), so treat 75' as an approximation rather than one statutory line. On multilane highways WAC 468-38-100(1)(e) starts the rear car only above 125 feet of trailer length. Conditions that still apply on all highways: (1)(j) - a driver who cannot see 200 feet to the rear needs one pilot/escort vehicle at the rear; (1)(k) - WSDOT discretion. The (1)(d), (1)(f) and (1)(g) overhang escorts are two-lane rules and appear on the non-interstate rows. WAC measures the TRAILER length including load, not overall combination length; this row reads overall length, so it trips earlier than the rule - the conservative direction. Road class note: interstate stands in for WA's "multilane highway" column.
Rear escort125'+
WAC 468-38-100(1)(e): "The trailer length, including load, of a tractor/trailer combination exceeds 125 feet: One pilot/escort vehicle is required at the rear on multilane highways." This is also the superload line - WAC 468-38-405(1) counts a trailing unit plus load over one hundred twenty-five feet as a superload (seven calendar days' written application, pavement and structure analysis, and under 405(6) possible additional pilot/escort or law-enforcement vehicles). WAC measures the TRAILER length including load, not overall combination length; this row reads overall length, so it trips earlier than the rule - the conservative direction. Under 468-38-100(3) a riding flag person may be authorized in lieu of the vehicle. Road class note: interstate stands in for WA's "multilane highway" column.
Weight
Permit required80,001 lbs – 200,000 lbs
Permit required above 80,000 lbs gross. WAC 468-38-100(1) is Washington's complete escort trigger list and keys nothing to weight: (a)-(i) are width, length, overhang and height triggers, (j) is rearward visibility, (k) is department discretion. So no escort is mandated by weight alone in this range. Conditions that still apply: (1)(k) - WSDOT may require pilot/escort vehicles when in the opinion of the department they are necessary to protect the traveling public; and an overweight vehicle that cannot maintain the speed of surrounding traffic is barred on the holidays listed in WAC 468-38-175. On the interstate system 80,000 lbs is the federal gross cap. Road class note: interstate stands in for WA's "multilane highway" column.
Permit required200,001 lbs+
Superload - WAC 468-38-405(1): a nondivisible load "that exceeds two hundred thousand pounds". Thirty calendar days' advance written application (405(2), RCW 46.44.091(5)); WSDOT bridge-condition and pavement analysis; the application is denied outright when a structure or pavement on the route is inadequate (405(5)). Washington still mandates no escort by weight - 468-38-100(1) has no weight trigger - but 468-38-405(6) provides that additional pilot/escort vehicles and/or law-enforcement vehicles may be required given the load's dimension relative to the route and the time of day, authorized through the department's administrator for commercial vehicle services. For building and house moves the region may also require the applicant to contract, at applicant expense, with the Washington State Patrol to assist with traffic control (WAC 468-38-360(10)). Road class note: interstate stands in for WA's "multilane highway" column.
Sizes that set escorts together
- over 12' wide and over 14'6" tall on multi-lane roads: 2 escorts (Front + Rear). On a multilane highway, a load over 12 ft wide that needs the front height-pole car also needs a rear pilot/escort vehicle (WAC 468-38-100(1)(i)).
When a permitted load can move
- Standard hours
Daylight movement is the default for oversize loads. Night travel requires 'Night movement approved' on the permit, unless the load stays within 12 feet wide, 14'6" high and 105 feet overall, which is exempt from the night restriction.
- Night travel
Permitted. Night movement is allowed when 'Night movement approved' is stated on the permit. Loads within 12 feet wide, 14'6" high and 105 feet overall are exempt from the night restriction entirely. Night moves need federal lighting; stop if visibility falls below 500 feet.
- Weekend travel
No weekend restriction appears in WAC 468-38-175, which restricts only the listed holidays. Weekend moves still follow commuter-hour limits and permit conditions. Confirm with WSDOT.
- Holiday restrictions
May be restricted on New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and the day after, and Christmas, starting at noon the day before. Permits for overweight only, within all legal dimension limits, are exempt from the holiday restriction.
- Urban restrictions
Commuter-hour curfews on high-volume state highways, historically near Seattle, Everett, Tacoma, Olympia, Vancouver and Kelso. WSDOT publishes the binding areas, hours and widths as a permit addendum. Overweight-only within legal size is exempt.
Signage Washington expects
- Oversize load sign
OVERSIZE LOAD signs required on the front and rear of the transporting vehicle. Sign at least 7 feet wide by 18 inches high, yellow background with black letters at least 10 inches high. Display only during transit; remove or retract at all other times.
- Flags
Red or orange fluorescent flags at least 18 inches square on all four corners of every overwidth load and at the extreme ends of all protrusions, projections and overhangs. If the gap between towing and towed vehicle exceeds 15 feet, add an 18 inch white flag at mid-span.
Washington 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 Washington without an oversize or overweight permit?
In Washington, the legal limits without an oversize or overweight permit are 8'6" wide, 14'0" high, 53'0" long (semitrailer) and 80,000 lbs gross. Legal overhang is 3'0" front and 15'0" rear. Anything over those figures needs a permit from the Washington permit office before it moves.
When does an oversize load need an escort or pilot car in Washington?
On 2-lane roads in Washington, escorts begin at 11' wide. On multi-lane roads, escorts begin at 14' wide. The first escort tier is "Front + Rear" at 11' – 14' wide. Every tier on this page quotes its rule and source.
Can oversize loads travel at night, on weekends or on holidays in Washington?
Night travel: Permitted. Night movement is allowed when 'Night movement approved' is stated on the permit. Loads within 12 feet wide, 14'6" high and 105 feet overall are exempt from the night restriction entirely. Night moves need federal lighting; stop if visibility falls below 500 feet. Weekend travel: No weekend restriction appears in WAC 468-38-175, which restricts only the listed holidays. Weekend moves still follow commuter-hour limits and permit conditions. Confirm with WSDOT. Holidays: May be restricted on New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and the day after, and Christmas, starting at noon the day before. Permits for overweight only, within all legal dimension limits, are exempt from the holiday restriction.