North Carolina oversize and overweight rules
The short answer
Last checked
Without a permit, a load in North Carolina can be up to 8 ft 6 in wide, 14 ft high and 80,000 lb gross, with the conditions in the legal limits table. The first pilot car is required for loads over 12 ft wide, over 110 ft long or over 149,999 lb gross, and a height pole car for loads over 14 ft 5 in high, with the conditions in the pilot car table. It treats a load as a superload when it is 17 ft or more wide or over 132,000 lb gross; the conditions in the axle and fee tables name other superload triggers.
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Legal limits without a permit
| Limit | Up to | Roads | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Width | 8 ft 6 inTobacco loads have their own width allowances. | All roads | G.S. 20-116(a) |
| Height | 14 ftNo one has to raise a structure for a vehicle over 12 feet 6 inches, and the owner of a taller vehicle is liable for damage it causes. | All roads | G.S. 20-116(c) |
| Length, single truck | 40 ftTwo or more axles, bumpers included. Cotton and sage trucks may be 50 feet, and recreational vehicles 45 feet. | All roads | G.S. 20-116(d)(1) |
| Length, whole combination | 60 ftAt most two units, bumpers included. A truck tractor with one semitrailer of up to 53 feet may exceed 60 feet, and G.S. 20-115.1 sets other exceptions. | All roads | G.S. 20-116(e) |
| Length, semitrailer | 53 ftPulled by a truck tractor on primary highway routes, where the combination is not held to the 60 foot overall limit. Over 48 feet, the kingpin may be at most 41 feet from the rear axle or rear tandem midpoint, and a rear underride guard is required. The Department may bar these combinations from parts of a route. | State and U.S. highways and turnpikes | G.S. 20-116(e); G.S. 20-115.1(b) |
| Gross weight | 80,000 lbThe group table reaches 80,000 pounds only at its longest spans for each axle count. | All roads | G.S. 20-118(b)(3) |
Source: G.S. 20-116, G.S. 20-118
Axle weight limits
| Axle or group | Without a permit | With a permit | Roads |
|---|---|---|---|
| Any single axle | 20,000 lbIf the gross is within the group table, the load may be shifted without penalty when the axle is not over 21,000 pounds. | Not set | All roads |
| 2 axles in a group, spread over 3 ft 4 in to 8 ft | 38,000 lbAny consecutive axles more than 40 and up to 96 inches apart count as a tandem. If the gross is within the group table, the load may be shifted without penalty up to 40,000 pounds. | Not set | All roads |
| 3 axles in a group, spread over 3 ft 4 in to 8 ft | 38,000 lbThree consecutive axles within 8 feet, measured to the nearest foot, carry no more than a tandem. | Not set | All roads |
| Gross weight | 80,000 lbThe group table reaches 80,000 pounds only at its longest spans for each axle count. | 132,000 lbAbove this, the move needs a superload permit, applied for in writing at least 10 business days ahead, with the gross set after an engineering study. | All roads |
| Steering axle | Not set | 20,000 lbAbove this, the move needs a superload permit, issued only after an analysis of the load and route. | All roads |
| Single axle standing alone | Not set | 25,000 lbAbove this, the move needs a superload permit, issued only after an analysis of the load and route. | All roads |
| 2 axles in a group | Not set | 50,000 lbAbove this, the move needs a superload permit, issued only after an analysis of the load and route. | All roads |
| 3 axles in a group | Not set | 60,000 lbAbove this, the move needs a superload permit, issued only after an analysis of the load and route. | All roads |
| 4 or more axles in a group | Not set | 68,000 lbA group of five or more axles over 68,000 pounds needs an engineering study and a superload permit. | All roads |
| Gross weight, 5 axles | Not set | 112,000 lbNeeds an extreme wheelbase of 51 feet or more; under that, 94,500 pounds. | All roads |
| Gross weight, 6 axles | Not set | 120,000 lbNeeds an extreme wheelbase of 51 feet or more; under that, 108,000 pounds. | All roads |
The North Carolina rules on file give no bridge formula for this page to apply to axle groups; the axle table and its source give the group limits. “With a permit” lists the state’s permit figures; read each row’s condition, since some are review thresholds rather than limits.
Pilot cars and escorts
Each row is one rule. A load can meet several; the permit lists the escorts for your move.
| Load | Roads | Front | Rear | Height pole | Police | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| over 16 ft wideThree escorts in all, one of them the State Highway Patrol; positions are not stated. Apply in writing at least two business days ahead.OS/OW Loads Requiring an Escort, seventh bullet | All roads | 1 in front, 1 behind, police escort | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| over 14 ft 5 in highThe front escort carries the height pole for the whole route. NCDOT may add escorts for weight, size, weather, location or route.OS/OW Loads Requiring an Escort, second bullet | All roads | 1 height pole car | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| over 110 ft up to 150 ft longNCDOT may add escorts for weight, size, weather, location or route.OS/OW Loads Requiring an Escort, third bullet | All roads | 1 behind | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| over 150 ft longThe Permit Handbook says 150 feet or more; other NCDOT publications say over 150 feet. NCDOT may add escorts for weight, size, weather, location or route.OS/OW Loads Requiring an Escort, third bullet | All roads | 1 in front, 1 behind | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| over 149,999 lb grossSuperload permits state the same line as 150,000 pounds or more. NCDOT may add escorts for weight, size, weather, location or route.OS/OW Loads Requiring an Escort, fifth bullet | All roads | 1 in front | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| over 12 ft up to 14 ft wideCovers two-lane, two-way highways, unless the permit states otherwise. NCDOT may add escorts for weight, size, weather, location or route.OS/OW Loads Requiring an Escort, first bullet | Two-lane roads | 1 in front | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| over 14 ft wideFrom NCDOT’s Permit Handbook. On multilane highways its chart keeps one escort from 14 feet 1 inch to 15 feet. NCDOT may add escorts for weight, size, weather, location or route.Escorts, page 18 | Two-lane roads | 1 in front, 1 behind | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| over 12 ft wideUnless the permit states otherwise. NCDOT may add escorts for weight, size, weather, location or route.OS/OW Loads Requiring an Escort, first bullet | Two or more lanes in your direction | 1 behind | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
- The lead pilot car is the one that carries the height pole.
Superloads
North Carolina treats a load as a superload when it is any one of these:
- over 132,000 lb gross
- 17 ft or more wide
Source: NCDOT Publication E-9 (Rev 8/24), OS/OW Loads Requiring an Escort, NCDOT Oversize/Overweight Permit Handbook, Escorts (page 18), NCDOT Publication SL-6 (Rev 1/20), Superload Permits
When you can travel
Holidays
Loads over 112,000 lb gross or over legal width, length or height
No movement from noon the weekday before to noon the weekday after Independence Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas; if the holiday is a Sat or Sun, from noon Fri before to noon Mon after. New Year’s Day is not restricted. 2026: Thanksgiving noon Wed Nov 25 to noon Fri Nov 27; Christmas noon Thu Dec 24 to noon Mon Dec 28.
19A NCAC 02D .0607(a)(2) and (a)(3); NCDOT Oversize/Overweight Permit Handbook, Holiday TravelDates computed
Weekends
No general Saturday or Sunday bar found. Default travel is sunrise to sunset seven days a week; Sunday travel needs authorization.
Night
All permitted loads except continuous-travel permits
Move sunrise to sunset, Mon through Sun, unless the permit says otherwise. Mobile or modular homes 16 ft wide: 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Mon to Sat. Sunday travel may be authorized after review. Continuous 24-hour travel is allowed only up to 112,000 lb gross with no other over-legal dimension.
19A NCAC 02D .0607(a)(1) and (a)(3); NCDOT ST-1 single trip permit publication
Cities and rush hour
Charlotte, Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill (10-mile radius of city limits)
Loads wider than 12 ft; 16 ft wide mobile or modular homes
Within a 10-mile radius of the city limits of Charlotte, Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill: no travel 7 to 9 a.m. and 4 to 6 p.m. The sources do not state days, so it applies on any day the permit runs.
NCDOT ST-1 single trip permit publication; NCDOT Oversize/Overweight Permit Handbook, Time of Travel
Every state on one page: holiday, weekend, night and city restrictions by state. For this year’s holiday, see Thanksgiving 2026 restrictions.
Single trip permit fees
Within each kind of fee the largest that fits your load applies, and the kinds add up.
| Fee | When it applies | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Width feeG.S. 20-119(b) | over 8 ft 6 in wide | $12 |
| Height feeG.S. 20-119(b) | over 14 ft high | $12 |
| Length feeG.S. 20-119(b) | over 60 ft long | $12 |
| Weight feeG.S. 20-119(b) | over 80,000 lb gross | $12 plus $3 for each 1,000 lb or part of it over 132,000 lb |
| Engineering study feeG.S. 20-119(b) | over 132,000 lb gross | Not computed here, see the source |
| Engineering study feeG.S. 20-119(b) | over 16 ft wide | Not computed here, see the source |
Where to apply
North Carolina issues permits through Permit Information Management System (PIMS). Apply at pims.services.ncdot.gov.
Wind
- Manufactured and mobile homes over 10 ft wide must stop when gusts are over 25 mph (19A NCAC 02D .0607(a)(8)).
Source: 19A NCAC 02D .0607(a)(8)
What the rules don’t say
Where the sources are silent or say two things. Ask the state before you rely on these.
Legal limits
- Doubles, with trailers of at most 28 feet, may run only on the Interstate and designated highways, and the Department may bar a 53 foot combination from parts of a route (G.S. 20-115.1); check your route.
- Cities may post their own limits; Charlotte, for example, lists lower thresholds on its own page. Check local rules on city streets.
Axle weights
- G.S. 20-118(b)(3) sets its own group weight table by span and axle count, without the federal 34,000 pound tandem cap. Check your groups against it.
- The statute applies the 38,000 pound tandem on every highway, the Interstate included; federal summaries differ on whether that is grandfathered, so confirm on Interstate moves.
- Two consecutive tandems may carry 34,000 pounds each when their first and last axles are 36 feet or more apart.
- A 10 percent tolerance applies to the group table limits, but not to the single axle, tandem or 80,000 pound gross, not on the Interstate, not on posted bridges, and never above the registered weight.
- NCDOT may post lower axle limits on state roads other than Interstate, U.S. and NC routes.
- Farm and forest products, aggregates, soil and rock, ready-mixed concrete, utility trucks, metal and construction equipment, garbage trucks and seed cotton have their own allowances.
- Permit gross depends on axle count and whether the axles are on one vehicle or a combination, from 70,000 pounds on a three axle single vehicle to 132,000 on seven axles. Wheelbases under 51 feet get less.
- Annual permits allow the same axle weights up to 90,000 pounds gross for some commodity and equipment moves.
- Off-highway construction equipment on low pressure tires may carry 37,000 pounds on a single axle and 50,000 on a tandem.
- Over 132,000 pounds gross or over the permit axle limits, the move needs a superload permit.
- G.S. 20-118 and NCDOT’s permit guide don’t state a pounds per inch tire limit or a legal steering axle limit.
- The weight statute doesn’t state seasonal limits; light-traffic road postings and posted bridges still apply.
Pilot cars and superloads
- A superload is over 132,000 pounds gross or 17 feet wide or more. Apply at least 10 business days ahead.
- The permit may set escort positions differently from the published policy; follow your permit.
- The 14 foot width tier comes from NCDOT’s Permit Handbook only; its chart keeps one escort on multilane highways from 14 feet 1 inch to 15 feet.
- Rear overhang of 15 feet or more needs a rear escort.
- Mobile and modular homes 16 feet wide need front and rear escorts on all highways, and off-highway equipment on low pressure tires needs two escorts.
- Escorts rest on NCDOT’s Permit Unit policy; the statute and rule let the Department require escorts as it decides.
- Escort drivers must be certified.
Permit fees
- Weight is one of the four $12 dimensions until a load passes 132,000 pounds. The legal gross is 80,000 pounds, but axle weights can make a lighter load overweight.
- The statute doesn’t state whether a part step of 1,000 pounds above 132,000 is rounded up; confirm with NCDOT.
- A truck tractor pulling a 53 foot semitrailer is not held to an overall length, while a single vehicle is limited to 40 feet; check which length fee applies to your load.
- The $100 engineering study fee applies whenever a study is needed, such as a steering axle over 20,000 pounds, not only for heavy or wide loads.
- Phone orders add a $5 transmittal fee and a $4 card fee. Annual permits cost $185 or $200, and an electric vehicle battery annual permit $498.
- The fee amounts carry no date of their own; confirm current fees with NCDOT.
Wind
- No permitted move may run when visibility is under 500 feet or when highway or law enforcement officials judge conditions unsafe.
- NCDOT’s rule and permit guide don’t state a wind limit for other oversize loads; ask NCDOT before moving in high wind.
- The rule counts gusts. The rule doesn’t state an averaging period.
Questions about North Carolina
- When do I need an oversize permit in North Carolina?
- Without a permit, a load in North Carolina can be up to 8 ft 6 in wide, 14 ft high and 80,000 lb gross, with the conditions in the legal limits table. Loads past these figures generally need a permit from the state; see the legal limits table for the exceptions and for length, which depends on the vehicle.
- How much does a North Carolina oversize permit cost?
- It depends on the load: the fee table shows which fees on the schedule we checked apply to which loads. Some charges are not computed here; the fee table names them. The estimator on this page adds up the fees for your load.
- When do you need a pilot car in North Carolina?
- The first pilot car is required for loads over 12 ft wide, over 110 ft long or over 149,999 lb gross, and a height pole car for loads over 14 ft 5 in high, with the conditions in the pilot car table. How many cars, and whether they lead or follow, depends on the road; the pilot car table lists each rule.
- What is a superload in North Carolina?
- North Carolina treats a load as a superload when it is 17 ft or more wide or over 132,000 lb gross. The conditions in the axle and fee tables name other superload triggers. The superloads list on this page gives each threshold with its source.
- When can oversize loads travel in North Carolina?
- At night: Move sunrise to sunset, Mon through Sun, unless the permit says otherwise. Mobile or modular homes 16 ft wide: 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Mon to Sat. Sunday travel may be authorized after review. Continuous 24-hour travel is allowed only up to 112,000 lb gross with no other over-legal dimension. This applies to all permitted loads except continuous-travel permits. On weekends: No general Saturday or Sunday bar found. Default travel is sunrise to sunset seven days a week; Sunday travel needs authorization. Rush hour and city curfews also apply; they are listed on this page.
- Can oversize loads move on holidays in North Carolina?
- No movement from noon the weekday before to noon the weekday after Independence Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas; if the holiday is a Sat or Sun, from noon Fri before to noon Mon after. New Year’s Day is not restricted. 2026: Thanksgiving noon Wed Nov 25 to noon Fri Nov 27; Christmas noon Thu Dec 24 to noon Mon Dec 28. This applies to loads over 112,000 lb gross or over legal width, length or height.
Sources
- North Carolina General Statutes § 20-118: Weight of vehicles and loadG.S. 20-118North Carolina General Assembly. Read .
- North Carolina General Statutes § 20-116: Size of vehicles and loadsG.S. 20-116North Carolina General Assembly. Read .
- North Carolina General Statutes § 20-115.1: Limitations on tandem trailers and semitrailers on certain North Carolina highwaysG.S. 20-115.1North Carolina General Assembly. Read .
- NCDOT Publication ST-1: Single Trip Permits, General Non-Divisible CommodityNCDOT Publication ST-1 (Rev 11/19)North Carolina Department of Transportation, Oversize/Overweight Permit Unit. Read .
- NCDOT Publication E-9, Escort Vehicles (OS/OW Loads Requiring an Escort)NCDOT Publication E-9 (Rev 8/24), OS/OW Loads Requiring an EscortNorth Carolina Department of Transportation, Oversize/Overweight Permit Unit. Read .
- NCDOT Oversize/Overweight Permit HandbookNCDOT Oversize/Overweight Permit Handbook, Single Trip Permit and Superload Permit pagesNorth Carolina Department of Transportation, Oversize/Overweight Permit Unit. Read .
- NCDOT Publication SL-6, Superload PermitsNCDOT Publication SL-6 (Rev 1/20), Superload PermitsNorth Carolina Department of Transportation, Oversize/Overweight Permit Unit. Read .
- North Carolina General Statutes 20-119, Special permits for vehicles of excessive size or weight; feesG.S. 20-119(b) and (b) application feeNorth Carolina General Assembly. Read .
- 19A NCAC 02D .0607, Permits: Movement and Travel Requirements (North Carolina Department of Transportation, Division of Highways)19A NCAC 02D .0607(a)(8)North Carolina Department of Transportation (rule); published by the Office of Administrative Hearings. Read .
Found something wrong or out of date? Report an error to hello@thirteensix.com.
This page is a dated summary in our own words, not legal advice. The permit the state issues governs your move, and states change their rules; check with North Carolina before you travel.
Bordering states
- Crossing into Georgia? See Georgia rules
- South Carolina, coming soon
- Crossing into Tennessee? See Tennessee rules
- Virginia, coming soon
More guides: all states and the rules library.
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