By Evan Reid, Founder of Haul Handbook · Updated Sep 27, 2026
Arkansas oversize and overweight permits come from the Arkansas Highway Police Permit Section, by phone, in person in Little Rock, in writing, or online through the Arkansas Routing and Permitting System (ARPARS). Every special permit carries a $17 fee set by Ark. Code Ann. § 27-35-210, and overweight moves add a per-ton charge that rises with trip mileage, from $8 per ton at 100 miles or less to $16 per ton beyond 250 miles. Legal limits are 8 feet 6 inches wide, 14 feet high, and 80,000 pounds gross. Oversize moves run in daylight only and not on six named holidays, loads wider than 12 feet need escorts, and Arkansas has no general annual oversize permit, only specialized annual permits for listed equipment and commodities.
Who issues what in Arkansas
The permit pages
Arkansas-specific requirements
Arkansas splits trucking credentials across two departments. The Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT) handles intrastate operating authority through its Legal Division and oversize and overweight permits through the Arkansas Highway Police Permit Section. The Department of Finance and Administration handles IRP apportioned registration through the Office of Motor Vehicle and IFTA through the Motor Fuel Tax Section, with IFTA returns filed online in the Arkansas Motor Carrier System. Intrastate authority details are in the state intrastate authority page and are cross-referenced, not repeated, here.
Property carriers get an annual receipt, not a certificate
Ark. Code Ann. § 23-13-206(a)(6) exempts property carriers other than household goods movers from the Motor Carrier Act's entry rules, so a general freight carrier does not go to hearing. It still must carry an annual receipt (the Arkansas intrastate permit) under § 23-13-265, and a copy rides in each power unit. Household goods and passenger carriers still apply for authority and appear at a hearing.
26,000 pound line for intrastate authority
Since a 2021 amendment, § 23-13-206(a)(9) exempts intrastate commercial vehicles rated or weighing 26,000 pounds or less from the Motor Carrier Act, unless they haul placarded hazardous materials or are built for more than 15 passengers.
Low state insurance minimum for intrastate freight
Rule 13.1 (27 CAR § 110-1301) sets property-carrier liability at $50,000 per person, $100,000 per accident, and $30,000 property damage, far below the federal $750,000 floor for interstate general freight.
UCR payment covers the Arkansas per-vehicle fee
A carrier running both interstate and intrastate does not pay the $5 per-vehicle intrastate fee a second time if its vehicles are covered by its Unified Carrier Registration fees; it sends a copy of the UCR receipt at renewal.
14 foot legal height
Arkansas allows 14 feet of vehicle height without a permit under Ark. Code Ann. § 27-35-207, taller than the 13 feet 6 inches common in many states.
$17 permit fee fixed in statute
Every special oversize or overweight permit costs $17 under Ark. Code Ann. § 27-35-210, with overweight loads paying $8 to $16 per ton over legal weight depending on trip mileage.
Little Rock rush-hour curfew and holiday weekends
Oversize loads may not move through greater Little Rock from 7 to 9 a.m. or 4 to 6 p.m. on I-30 (mile markers 138 to 143), I-40 (151 to 155), and I-630. When a restricted holiday falls on a Friday or Monday, the adjoining weekend is closed to permitted moves too.
No general annual oversize permit
Arkansas sells no blanket annual oversize or overweight permit. Annual permits exist only for listed uses such as 57 foot trailers ($500), wreckers ($500), animal feed haulers ($500), farm equipment dealers ($500), agronomic products ($800), and forestry equipment ($250 per zone).
Free IFTA license and decals
The Arkansas IFTA application (Form AMFT-71) marks decals NO FEE, and it requires an Arkansas IRP account with a copy of a current cab card.
Stricter IRP place of business from October 2025
From October 1, 2025, an Arkansas IRP base requires a leased or owned office on a lease of at least 12 months, with signage and posted hours, staffed at least 20 hours a week by permanent employees; virtual and shared offices do not qualify.
Property tax proof before apportioned plates
The IRP Unit will not register vehicles without proof of property tax assessment: for-hire carriers show their Public Service Commission annual motor carrier report and ad valorem tax proof, and others show the county personal property assessment and paid tax receipt.
$33 72-hour trip permit
Out-of-state vehicles eligible for apportionment but not registered for Arkansas buy a 72-hour trip permit for $33, at the first port of entry, at state revenue offices, at Highway Police weigh stations, or online.
The Arkansas permit system
- Apply or log in (Arkansas Routing and Permitting System (ARPARS))
- ar.gotpermits.com/arpars
Which permit you need
Start with your load and your registrations. A load over legal size or weight needs a special permit from the Highway Police Permit Section. A truck from another state without Arkansas IRP registration needs a trip permit, and one without an IFTA license needs Arkansas fuel receipts or a fuel permit at the weigh station. A for-hire carrier hauling loads that start and end in Arkansas needs the ARDOT intrastate permit whatever its size.
These are separate credentials from separate offices, so one never stands in for another.
How to buy an oversize or overweight permit
The Permit Section takes orders by telephone and at its Little Rock counter on weekdays, and ARPARS runs online, with certain envelope-vehicle permits self-issued around the clock. Pay by bonded account, card, check, or cash. A monthly charge account needs a surety bond.
Carry the permit in the truck. A self-issued permit may be shown on a screen of the minimum size the rules set, but photocopies and faxes of a self-issued permit are not valid.
No blanket annual permit
Arkansas sells no general annual oversize or overweight permit. Annual permits exist only for listed uses, such as longer trailers, wreckers, animal feed haulers, farm equipment dealers, agronomic products, and forestry equipment. Everything else moves on single-trip permits, with a six-day county permit for repeated local moves.
Compare beyond Arkansas
Running multi-state loads? The trucking permits by state table shows which permit families and issuing offices apply in every jurisdiction, the oversize permit costs by state table compares limits and fees across all 51 jurisdictions, and the permit cost estimator prices a specific load per state.