By Evan Reid, Founder of Haul Handbook · Updated Aug 27, 2026
Alabama legal limits (no permit needed at or under these)
Axle weight limits
Gross weight is one ceiling; each axle group carries its own limit, and a load can be legal on gross weight yet overweight on an axle. Exceeding any of these needs an overweight permit.
Permit fees
- Single trip
- $20 (Fees are category-based under Ala. Admin. Code r. 450-3-1-.10 (Single Trip Permit Procedure and Fees; renumbered from .09 effective May 3, 2019): 'other oversized vehicles, loads, and equipment not herein specified' $20.00; 'other overweight loads not herein specified' $10.00; overweight tiers $10.00 (80,001-100,000 lbs), $30.00 (100,001-125,000 lbs), $60.00 (125,001-150,000 lbs), $100.00 (150,001+ lbs); an additional $10.00 when an overweight load is also over legal length, height, or width. $20 is the base single-trip oversize fee, read directly from the official Alabama Administrative Code chapter 450-3-1.)
Single-trip permit fee schedule
A single-trip permit stacks a base fee with a weight-tiered maintenance fee, and the heaviest loads add a supervision fee.
To price a specific load, try the oversize permit cost estimator, or compare every state on the national oversize permit table.
Escort thresholds
What the escort itself has to be
Hitting the threshold is only half of it. The escort vehicle, its equipment, its driver's certification and where it rides are all regulated, and the carrier is the one holding the permit when they are not met.
Escort rules beyond the thresholds
Knowing when you need an escort is half of it. These are the Alabama rules on who may run one, what the vehicle has to carry, and how the move is conducted.
Travel restrictions
Superload and beyond-permit review
Loads past the standard single-trip permit thresholds get individual state review rather than an off-the-shelf permit.
More Alabama permit rules
- Single trip fee note
- Fees are category-based under Ala. Admin. Code r. 450-3-1-.10 (Single Trip Permit Procedure and Fees; renumbered from .09 effective May 3, 2019): 'other oversized vehicles, loads, and equipment not herein specified' $20.00; 'other overweight loads not herein specified' $10.00; overweight tiers $10.00 (80,001-100,000 lbs), $30.00 (100,001-125,000 lbs), $60.00 (125,001-150,000 lbs), $100.00 (150,001+ lbs); an additional $10.00 when an overweight load is also over legal length, height, or width. $20 is the base single-trip oversize fee, read directly from the official Alabama Administrative Code chapter 450-3-1.
- Annual permit eligibility
- Carriers that move over-dimensional loads repeatedly may qualify for an annual envelope permit; confirm the fee, envelope dimensions, and bond alternative with the permit office.
- Annual permit details: note
- Annual envelope permit details not yet verified against the permit office; rendered as Not confirmed.
The Alabama permit office
Legal limits before you need a permit
Alabama publishes its no-permit limits for width, height, length by vehicle configuration, gross weight, and axle groups. The limits table on this page carries each figure from the ALEA size and weight page.
Single-trip permits
A general single-trip permit covers one non-divisible load over the legal limits. Pricing stacks a base permit fee with weight-tiered charges. The fee schedule table on this page lists each component and its amount, straight from the ALEA single-trip page.
The annual permit
For repeated oversize work, the annual permit covers a year of moves inside a published width, height, length, and weight envelope. The envelope dimensions and fee are sourced fields on this page.
Escort requirements
Escorts phase in by dimension. Crossing the first width, height, or length line takes a single escort; crossing the higher line in the same dimension takes escorts front and rear. The escort table on this page carries each threshold and placement from the ALEA escort requirements page.
When oversize loads can move
The largest loads may not move on major holidays. City and county curfews close weekday rush windows in several metro areas. The current list overrides what is printed on older permits.
Superheavy loads
Past the single-trip ceiling, Alabama moves you into the superheavy regime, which needs route approval and possible bridge or pavement analysis. The threshold and fee fields on this page carry the amounts from the ALEA superheavy page.
How to read this page
A value reading "Not confirmed" means we could not verify the figure on an official agency page at review time, so it stays open rather than guessed. Superload moves above the standard permit thresholds get individual review by the state; contact the permit office named on this page. For the rest of the Alabama permit stack, see Alabama trucking permits.
Frequently asked questions
What can I haul in Alabama without an oversize permit?
- Anything inside the published legal limits for width, height, length by configuration, gross weight, and axle groups. The limits table on this page lists each figure from the ALEA size and weight page.
How much does an Alabama single-trip oversize permit cost?
- It stacks a base permit fee with weight-tiered charges. The sourced fee schedule on this page lists each component and amount.
When does an oversize load need an escort in Alabama?
- Once a load crosses the published width, height, length, or overhang lines. The first line in a dimension takes one escort, the higher line takes escorts front and rear, and the largest count controls when several dimensions are over. The escort table on this page carries each threshold.
What counts as a superheavy load in Alabama?
- A load over the published gross weight ceiling, or a heavy load requiring route approval and bridge analysis. The threshold fields on this page carry the figures.
Does Alabama restrict oversize moves to daylight hours?
- The ALEA pages we read publish no statewide daylight-only rule, so we do not record one. Movement times come from your permit's provisions plus the published curfew lists, which do block the largest loads at set times.
Haul Handbook publishes educational information about trucking registration and compliance requirements. This is not legal, financial, or tax advice. Rules, fees, and deadlines change; confirm with the agency before you file or pay.