By Evan Reid, Founder of Haul Handbook · Updated Aug 9, 2026
Indiana splits oversize and overweight work between two agencies but sells the permit through one. Most Indiana oversize/overweight permits are issued by the Department of Revenue's Motor Carrier Services division under the guidance and rules set by the Indiana Department of Transportation, and INDOT's rule at 105 IAC 10-1.5-3 is what actually fixes the fees. A permit is needed once a vehicle and its non-divisible load pass 13 feet 6 inches high, 8 feet 6 inches wide, 53 feet for a semitrailer in a tractor-semitrailer combination, 40 feet for a single vehicle, or 80,000 pounds gross weight subject to axle weights.
Indiana legal limits (no permit needed at or under these)
- Length: truck_tractor_semitrailer_overall
- No maximum overall length limit is imposed on a truck-tractor-semitrailer or truck-tractor-semitrailer-trailer combination
- Length: truck_tractor_semitrailer_semitrailer_overall
- No maximum length limit is imposed on a truck-tractor-semitrailer-semitrailer combination
- Length: specialized_equipment_overhang
- A single vehicle with permanently installed specialized equipment for lifting, reaching, pumping or spraying is allowed an additional 5 feet of overhang for the equipment, which may not be used to transport cargo
- Off interstate limits
- Indiana runs a second, lower weight ceiling off its heavy duty network. Under IC 9-20-4-1(c) the greater of the general limits or the January 4, 1975 limits applies, and on any highway not designated a heavy duty highway under IC 9-20-5 those 1975 limits are 73,280 pounds total gross weight, 16,000 pounds for each axle of a tandem assembly, and an 18,000 pound axle limit with the same 800 pounds per inch of tire width wheel limit. Local authorities may post a lower weight limit under IC 9-20-1-3 or IC 9-20-7-2, and vehicles on toll road facilities follow the toll road weight rules adopted under IC 8-15-2 instead.
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.
Scroll sideways to see every column.
Permit fees
- Single trip
- $20 (A single-trip permit is a base fee plus a per-mile charge, plus administrative fees where the route needs review or a bridge is crossed. The oversize base fee is $20 inside 148 inches wide, 162 inches high and 95 feet long, $30 outside any of those, and $40 for an oversize/overweight superload. The overweight base fee is $20. Per-mile charges run $0.35 up to 108,000 pounds, $0.60 from 108,001 to 150,000 pounds, and $1.00 above 150,000 pounds. A permit that is both oversize and overweight is charged whichever of the two calculated fees is greater. Single-trip permits run five days, seven days for a divisible load permit, and ten days where a police escort is required.)
- Annual eligibility
- The annual oversize permit is $405 and covers a vehicle up to 95 feet long, 13 feet 6 inches high and 12 feet 4 inches wide at legal width and weight. A 90-day permit for the same envelope is $100. Indiana does not sell an annual permit that covers overweight general freight: the annual products for weight are the Divisible Load (overweight commodity) permit at $20 per truck per route, the Bulk Milk permit at $20 per truck per route, and the Sealed Ocean Container permit at $800.
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.
Scroll sideways to see every column.
To price a specific load, try the oversize permit cost estimator, or compare every state on the national oversize permit table.
To see how these fees combine on real loads, walk through Indiana oversize permit cost worked examples.
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 vehicle
- An escort vehicle must have at least four wheels and a maximum gross registered weight of 11,000 pounds.
- Escort equipment
- A flashing amber light mounted on top and an oversize load sign visible to approaching traffic.
- Communication
- Radio communication with the permitted vehicle or load is required, and the escort may not be more than 500 feet from the permitted vehicle or load.
- Isp arrangement
- For a superload, the carrier orders the permit from the Department of Revenue, then requests a Superload Agreement Number from the Indiana State Police Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division on 812-533-1100, completes the contract, attaches a copy of the permit and slowdowns, and faxes it to 812-533-1344. CVED sets up an escort date within 72 hours.
- Bucket truck
- A movement over 15 feet high routed off the interstate system must be accompanied by a pre-qualified signal contractor with a bucket truck, one for each permitted load. Any manipulation of a traffic control device is done at the applicant's expense by an approved contractor and to INDOT's complete satisfaction.
- Utility letters
- A movement over 17 feet high requires the carrier or driver to complete a route survey. If no utility lines interfere the carrier or driver signs an affidavit attesting to that; if utility lines exist along the route the driver must carry letters from the utility companies stating that overhead lines will be moved and replaced.
- Route survey
- A route survey is required before issuance where the width exceeds 18 feet, or the length exceeds 130 feet without a rear steerable axle.
- Bridge crossings
- On dual-lane divided highways the vehicle travels the center of the existing lanes on the structure at no more than 45 mph and civilian escorts detain trailing traffic. On multi-lane undivided highways the vehicle travels the center of the directional travel lanes at no more than 45 mph and civilian escorts detain trailing traffic only. After crossing, every reasonable effort is made to let trailing traffic pass.
Escort rules beyond the thresholds
Knowing when you need an escort is half of it. These are the Indiana rules on who may run one, what the vehicle has to carry, and how the move is conducted.
- Escort vehicle
- An escort vehicle must have at least four wheels and a maximum gross registered weight of 11,000 pounds.
- Escort equipment
- A flashing amber light mounted on top and an oversize load sign visible to approaching traffic.
- Communication
- Radio communication with the permitted vehicle or load is required, and the escort may not be more than 500 feet from the permitted vehicle or load.
- Isp arrangement
- For a superload, the carrier orders the permit from the Department of Revenue, then requests a Superload Agreement Number from the Indiana State Police Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division on 812-533-1100, completes the contract, attaches a copy of the permit and slowdowns, and faxes it to 812-533-1344. CVED sets up an escort date within 72 hours.
- Bucket truck
- A movement over 15 feet high routed off the interstate system must be accompanied by a pre-qualified signal contractor with a bucket truck, one for each permitted load. Any manipulation of a traffic control device is done at the applicant's expense by an approved contractor and to INDOT's complete satisfaction.
- Utility letters
- A movement over 17 feet high requires the carrier or driver to complete a route survey. If no utility lines interfere the carrier or driver signs an affidavit attesting to that; if utility lines exist along the route the driver must carry letters from the utility companies stating that overhead lines will be moved and replaced.
- Route survey
- A route survey is required before issuance where the width exceeds 18 feet, or the length exceeds 130 feet without a rear steerable axle.
- Bridge crossings
- On dual-lane divided highways the vehicle travels the center of the existing lanes on the structure at no more than 45 mph and civilian escorts detain trailing traffic. On multi-lane undivided highways the vehicle travels the center of the directional travel lanes at no more than 45 mph and civilian escorts detain trailing traffic only. After crossing, every reasonable effort is made to let trailing traffic pass.
Conditions attached to every permit
The standing conditions Indiana writes into the permit itself, which apply whether or not they are printed on your copy.
- Non divisible
- The permit requirement attaches to a non-divisible load. A crated load is treated as divisible: the applicant selects Crated as the method of loading and lists the crate contents, the reason for crating, the dimensions and weight of the load itself, the dimensions and weight of the crated piece, and the type of crate.
- Divisible load permit
- A Divisible Load Permit, also called an Overweight Commodity Permit, is available for a tractor-semitrailer and load that could be separated to meet the weight limits, meets the height, length and width limits, and has a gross vehicle weight over 80,000 pounds but not more than 120,000 pounds, per the definition of overweight divisible load in IC 9-13-2-120.7. A sealed ocean container is not a divisible load and is covered only by the Annual Ocean-Sealed permit.
- Operator
- Operators must be 18 or older and hold a valid Indiana chauffeur's license or commercial driver's license, whichever applies.
- Carry requirements
- The driver must have the permit in possession during transport and show it on demand to any police officer, motor carrier inspector, or authorized employee of the state. A paper or electronic copy of Form M-204, and Form M-204S where it applies, must be kept with the permit.
- Signs
- An oversize vehicle must be marked front and rear with an OVER-SIZE LOAD sign at least 18 inches high and 6 to 8 feet long, black 12 inch letters with a 2 inch stroke on a yellow background. Color combinations or wording approved by other states are accepted when the trip originates outside Indiana.
- Flags
- Two red or orange flags, 18 inches square, plain or orange with no figures, in good condition, placed at the widest extremities so approaching traffic can see them.
- Lighting
- All of 49 CFR 393.11 applies, plus low beam headlights on while transporting a load. Mobile homes and sectionalized buildings 12 feet 4 inches wide or more need four high intensity amber flashing lights, two front and two rear, visible at 500 feet in normal sunlight, mounted at the outer edges and not less than 6 feet above the roadway.
- Flagmen
- The transporting company provides flagmen wherever traffic control is needed, including encroachment into opposing lanes and stops or blockages of traffic where stops are not normally required by existing traffic control devices. Traffic control regulation is at 105 IAC 9-2.
- Traffic
- Permitted vehicles must not block traffic at any time, including while loading and unloading, and must not be parked day or night on the shoulder or right-of-way. The shoulder is used only where necessary to let oncoming or passing traffic through safely.
- Damage
- The mover or owner of the vehicle and load is responsible for the cost of removing or repairing any building, railing or other structure that has to be removed or is damaged.
- Violation
- Any violation of the permit automatically voids it, and the police officer or motor carrier inspector has authority to withdraw it.
- Amendments
- A permit may be amended only within 72 hours of the permit start date, and not every permit type is amendable. Self Service Amend covers extending the date, changing the middle of the route where there are no restrictions, and changing vehicle information. Request Amend covers changing the origin or destination, axle weights or spacings, the plate or the tractor, moving the start date earlier, or increasing or decreasing weight.
Travel restrictions
- Daylight only
- Depends on the envelope. A permit under IC 9-20-6-2 authorizes an over-length tractor-semitrailer and load to move from one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset. Form M-204 allows continuous travel seven days a week only up to 110 feet long, 10 feet wide, 13 feet 6 inches high and under 200,000 pounds; everything larger is daylight or business-hours only.
- Curfews
- Loads over 110 feet long, 10 feet to 14 feet 4 inches wide, or up to 15 feet high may travel seven days a week from one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset. Loads between 14 feet 4 inches and 16 feet wide travel Monday through Friday, one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset. Loads over 16 feet wide, over 15 feet high, or over 200,000 pounds gross vehicle weight travel Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. local time only; the Indiana State Police may approve other weekday or weekend times at their sole discretion when conditions warrant. Paving equipment up to 110 feet long, 11 feet 6 inches wide, 13 feet 6 inches high and 120,000 pounds traveling between jobsites and home base with a red or amber flashing light at the widest point may move Monday through Friday from 1.5 hours before sunrise to 1.5 hours after sunset. Permitted mobile homes and sectionalized buildings between 8 feet 6 inches and 14 feet 4 inches wide move Monday through Friday one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset, and Saturday one-half hour before sunrise to noon.
- Weekend / holiday
- Permitted vehicles, except those holding Overweight Commodity or Bulk Milk permits, may not operate on state highways from 12:00 noon on the last weekday preceding until one-half hour before sunrise on the day following New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. Overweight Commodity and Bulk Milk permits are exempt from travel restrictions and may travel continuously through holiday periods.
- Speed
- A permitted vehicle over 85 feet long, over 10 feet 6 inches wide, or above legal height may not exceed 55 miles per hour. Speed crossing a bridge structure may not exceed 45 miles per hour, or the slowdowns identified by the INDOT bridge engineer. Away from bridges an Indiana State Police escort may allow up to the legal posted truck speed, not exceeding 65 miles per hour, only where conditions make it safe.
- Route exclusions
- The permit does not apply to I-65 or I-70 inside I-465, to any state road or bridge closed for construction, to any road or bridge posted for gross load limits, to anything with a restricted height or width clearance that will not clear the load, or to any county road or city street.
- Weather
- Permitted oversize vehicles may not operate during hazardous weather, road or traffic conditions, or when visibility is less than 500 feet.
- Speed
- A permitted vehicle over 85 feet long, over 10 feet 6 inches wide, or above legal height may not exceed 55 miles per hour. Speed crossing a bridge structure may not exceed 45 miles per hour, or the slowdowns identified by the INDOT bridge engineer. Away from bridges an Indiana State Police escort may allow up to the legal posted truck speed, not exceeding 65 miles per hour, only where conditions make it safe.
- Route exclusions
- The permit does not apply to I-65 or I-70 inside I-465, to any state road or bridge closed for construction, to any road or bridge posted for gross load limits, to anything with a restricted height or width clearance that will not clear the load, or to any county road or city street.
Superload and beyond-permit review
Loads past the standard single-trip permit thresholds get individual state review rather than an off-the-shelf permit.
105 IAC 10-1.5-2(11) defines a superload as a vehicle that is more than 15 feet high, more than 16 feet wide, or more than 110 feet long.
A superload over 200,000 pounds pays a $25 design fee on top of the $40 oversize/overweight superload base fee, a $10 review fee, $1 per mile and $10 for each bridge reviewed. Self-propelled vehicles may be subject to additional bridge review based on the number of axles and the loaded axle weights. A superload permit that requires a police escort is valid for ten days.
More Indiana permit rules
- Statute note
- IC 9-20 is the size and weight article. IC 9-20-6-2 is the permitting power: INDOT or the local authority with jurisdiction over the highway may, on written application and good cause shown, grant a permit for transporting heavy vehicles and loads not conforming to the article if other traffic will not be seriously affected and the highway or bridge will not be seriously damaged. A single-trip permit issued under that section is valid five days, or ten days where the tractor-semitrailer and load require a law enforcement escort. 105 IAC 10 is INDOT's oversize and overweight permit article, and 105 IAC 10-1.5-3 carries the fee schedule.
- Permit trigger: summary
- Indiana law requires an oversize and/or overweight vehicle permit before travel if the vehicle exceeds 13 feet 6 inches in height, 8 feet 6 inches in width, 53 feet in length for a semi-tractor-semitrailer combination, or 80,000 pounds gross vehicle weight subject to axle weights, and the load is non-divisible.
- Permit trigger: single vehicle and pairs
- The Department of Revenue's fee document adds 40 feet in length for a single vehicle. A two-vehicle combination totalling 60 feet or more is not eligible for an OSOW permit unless the vehicle is registered as a tractor trailer or one of the vehicles is a fifth-wheel travel trailer.
- Permit trigger: farm vehicles
- A farm vehicle that meets those dimensions and travels on any Indiana interstate needs an OSOW permit, and farm vehicles are not exempt from escort requirements on secondary roads.
- Permit trigger: recreational vehicles
- Recreational vehicles of all classes, including travel trailers and fifth wheels, may not exceed 45 feet in length, 8 feet 6 inches in width, or 13 feet 6 inches in height. Maximum motor home length is 45 feet and total length including the tow vehicle and towable may not exceed 60 feet, excluding boat transporters.
- Weight allowances: auxiliary power unit
- A heavy duty vehicle equipped with an auxiliary power unit gets 400 pounds added to the IC 9-20-4-1(a) weight limits. A heavy duty vehicle for this purpose is one with a gross vehicle weight rating greater than 8,500 pounds and a diesel engine, and the auxiliary power unit must be certified under 40 CFR 89.
- Weight allowances: natural gas and electric
- A vehicle that uses natural gas as a motor fuel or is powered primarily by electric battery power gets 2,000 pounds added to the IC 9-20-4-1(a) weight limits.
- Single trip fee note
- A single-trip permit is a base fee plus a per-mile charge, plus administrative fees where the route needs review or a bridge is crossed. The oversize base fee is $20 inside 148 inches wide, 162 inches high and 95 feet long, $30 outside any of those, and $40 for an oversize/overweight superload. The overweight base fee is $20. Per-mile charges run $0.35 up to 108,000 pounds, $0.60 from 108,001 to 150,000 pounds, and $1.00 above 150,000 pounds. A permit that is both oversize and overweight is charged whichever of the two calculated fees is greater. Single-trip permits run five days, seven days for a divisible load permit, and ten days where a police escort is required.
- Fee conflict note: detail
- The Department of Revenue's published fee document and INDOT's binding rule do not agree on two administrative fees. 105 IAC 10-1.5-3(a) sets the executive fee at $25 and the design fee at $25. The Department of Revenue's Oversize/Overweight Vehicle Permit Fees document, last revised July 2026, instead notes a $10 executive fee for vehicles over 120,000 pounds and a $10 executive fee plus $25 design and review fee for vehicles over 200,000 pounds, and the rule's own worked schedule in 105 IAC 10-1.5-3(h) also prints a $10 executive fee in its overweight rows. The rule text at subsection (a) is the promulgated amount and is what is recorded in the fee schedule above; a carrier pricing a heavy move should confirm the executive fee with the permit office before budgeting.
- Annual permit eligibility
- The annual oversize permit is $405 and covers a vehicle up to 95 feet long, 13 feet 6 inches high and 12 feet 4 inches wide at legal width and weight. A 90-day permit for the same envelope is $100. Indiana does not sell an annual permit that covers overweight general freight: the annual products for weight are the Divisible Load (overweight commodity) permit at $20 per truck per route, the Bulk Milk permit at $20 per truck per route, and the Sealed Ocean Container permit at $800.
- Escort notes: escort vehicle
- An escort vehicle must have at least four wheels and a maximum gross registered weight of 11,000 pounds.
- Escort notes: escort equipment
- A flashing amber light mounted on top and an oversize load sign visible to approaching traffic.
- Escort notes: communication
- Radio communication with the permitted vehicle or load is required, and the escort may not be more than 500 feet from the permitted vehicle or load.
- Escort notes: height pole
- A load over 14 feet 6 inches high needs a front escort traveling with a height stick.
- Escort notes: isp arrangement
- For a superload, the carrier orders the permit from the Department of Revenue, then requests a Superload Agreement Number from the Indiana State Police Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division on 812-533-1100, completes the contract, attaches a copy of the permit and slowdowns, and faxes it to 812-533-1344. CVED sets up an escort date within 72 hours.
- Escort notes: bucket truck
- A movement over 15 feet high routed off the interstate system must be accompanied by a pre-qualified signal contractor with a bucket truck, one for each permitted load. Any manipulation of a traffic control device is done at the applicant's expense by an approved contractor and to INDOT's complete satisfaction.
- Escort notes: utility letters
- A movement over 17 feet high requires the carrier or driver to complete a route survey. If no utility lines interfere the carrier or driver signs an affidavit attesting to that; if utility lines exist along the route the driver must carry letters from the utility companies stating that overhead lines will be moved and replaced.
- Escort notes: route survey
- A route survey is required before issuance where the width exceeds 18 feet, or the length exceeds 130 feet without a rear steerable axle.
- Escort notes: bridge crossings
- On dual-lane divided highways the vehicle travels the center of the existing lanes on the structure at no more than 45 mph and civilian escorts detain trailing traffic. On multi-lane undivided highways the vehicle travels the center of the directional travel lanes at no more than 45 mph and civilian escorts detain trailing traffic only. After crossing, every reasonable effort is made to let trailing traffic pass.
- Escort notes: district accompaniment
- Where district accompaniment is recommended, a district permit inspector may be present while the movement is on state highways and the applicant reimburses the state for all inspection costs within ten days of receiving a statement.
- Escort notes: farm vehicles
- Farm vehicles are not exempt from escort requirements on secondary roads.
- Superload definition conflict: detail
- Four Indiana publications define a superload differently, and only one of them is a promulgated rule. 105 IAC 10-1.5-2(11), filed May 16, 2025, says more than 15 feet high, more than 16 feet wide, or more than 110 feet long, with no weight prong. The Department of Revenue's Oversize/Overweight Vehicle Permit Fees document (July 2026) says 15 feet high, 17 feet wide, 110 feet long or 200,000 pounds. The Motor Carrier Services FAQ says 15 feet high, 16 feet wide, 110 feet long and/or 120,000 pounds, or any load that fails the overload analysis. The Indiana State Police superload escort page says width exceeding 17 feet, height exceeding 15 feet, length exceeding 110 feet, weight exceeding 108,000 pounds. The administrative rule is the binding definition and is what superload_threshold records; a carrier near any of these lines should confirm the classification with the permit office before ordering.
- Permit conditions: non divisible
- The permit requirement attaches to a non-divisible load. A crated load is treated as divisible: the applicant selects Crated as the method of loading and lists the crate contents, the reason for crating, the dimensions and weight of the load itself, the dimensions and weight of the crated piece, and the type of crate.
- Permit conditions: divisible load permit
- A Divisible Load Permit, also called an Overweight Commodity Permit, is available for a tractor-semitrailer and load that could be separated to meet the weight limits, meets the height, length and width limits, and has a gross vehicle weight over 80,000 pounds but not more than 120,000 pounds, per the definition of overweight divisible load in IC 9-13-2-120.7. A sealed ocean container is not a divisible load and is covered only by the Annual Ocean-Sealed permit.
- Permit conditions: operator
- Operators must be 18 or older and hold a valid Indiana chauffeur's license or commercial driver's license, whichever applies.
- Permit conditions: carry requirements
- The driver must have the permit in possession during transport and show it on demand to any police officer, motor carrier inspector, or authorized employee of the state. A paper or electronic copy of Form M-204, and Form M-204S where it applies, must be kept with the permit.
- Permit conditions: signs
- An oversize vehicle must be marked front and rear with an OVER-SIZE LOAD sign at least 18 inches high and 6 to 8 feet long, black 12 inch letters with a 2 inch stroke on a yellow background. Color combinations or wording approved by other states are accepted when the trip originates outside Indiana.
- Permit conditions: flags
- Two red or orange flags, 18 inches square, plain or orange with no figures, in good condition, placed at the widest extremities so approaching traffic can see them.
- Permit conditions: lighting
- All of 49 CFR 393.11 applies, plus low beam headlights on while transporting a load. Mobile homes and sectionalized buildings 12 feet 4 inches wide or more need four high intensity amber flashing lights, two front and two rear, visible at 500 feet in normal sunlight, mounted at the outer edges and not less than 6 feet above the roadway.
- Permit conditions: flagmen
- The transporting company provides flagmen wherever traffic control is needed, including encroachment into opposing lanes and stops or blockages of traffic where stops are not normally required by existing traffic control devices. Traffic control regulation is at 105 IAC 9-2.
- Permit conditions: traffic
- Permitted vehicles must not block traffic at any time, including while loading and unloading, and must not be parked day or night on the shoulder or right-of-way. The shoulder is used only where necessary to let oncoming or passing traffic through safely.
- Permit conditions: scales
- PrePass carriers must enter open scales when operating under an oversize/overweight permit.
- Permit conditions: damage
- The mover or owner of the vehicle and load is responsible for the cost of removing or repairing any building, railing or other structure that has to be removed or is damaged.
- Permit conditions: violation
- Any violation of the permit automatically voids it, and the police officer or motor carrier inspector has authority to withdraw it.
- Permit conditions: amendments
- A permit may be amended only within 72 hours of the permit start date, and not every permit type is amendable. Self Service Amend covers extending the date, changing the middle of the route where there are no restrictions, and changing vehicle information. Request Amend covers changing the origin or destination, axle weights or spacings, the plate or the tractor, moving the start date earlier, or increasing or decreasing weight.
- Exemptions: summary
- The Department of Revenue lists the movements that may be exempt from permitting.
- Exemptions: listed
- A vehicle engaged in the construction of highways where movement is confined to highways, roads or sections under construction and not yet open to the public, unless the authority with jurisdiction gives notice that a permit is needed; Machinery or equipment used in highway construction or maintenance by INDOT or by an Indiana county or municipality; Implements of agriculture used during farming operations, or so constructed that they can be moved without material damage to highways; The width or height of a farm vehicle loaded with a farm product, including a truck hauling unprocessed tobacco leaf; Fire-fighting apparatus owned or operated by a political subdivision or volunteer fire company; Movement of a disabled vehicle or combination of vehicles for not more than 50 highway miles by a registered recovery vehicle or by a vehicle described in IC 9-18.1-6-5
- Penalties: permit violation
- A carrier transporting a vehicle or load under a permit that is violated with respect to IC 9-20 is subject to a civil penalty of not more than $1,000 for the first violation and not more than $1,500 for each subsequent violation.
- Penalties: no permit
- A carrier that transports a vehicle or load subject to IC 9-20 and fails to obtain a required permit is subject to a civil penalty of not more than $5,000 for each violation described in an Indiana State Police vehicle examination report. The Department of Revenue, reading IC 9-20-18-14.5(c) with 45 IAC 22-1-2, publishes the amounts as not more than $2,500 for the first violation and not more than $5,000 for each subsequent violation.
- Penalties: no permit available
- Where the load exceeds legal weight or dimensional limits and no permit is available for that excess, the Department of Revenue may assess $500 for a dimensional violation, $500 where the total excess weight is at least 1,000 and less than 5,000 pounds, $1,000 where it is at least 5,000 and less than 10,000 pounds, and $5,000 where it is at least 10,000 pounds, for each Indiana State Police vehicle examination report issued.
- Penalties: who pays
- Civil penalties are imposed on the person or company whose USDOT number is registered on the vehicle transporting the load, are deposited in the motor carrier regulation fund, and are in addition to any fees or fines imposed by a court.
- Penalties: protest window
- A customer who receives a proposed assessment letter for an OSOW violation has 60 days from the date of that letter to pay in full or protest. Settlement agreements may be available by contacting the Department of Revenue's Legal Division at [email protected] within the same 60 days; starting settlement negotiations does not waive the right to protest.
- Seasonal permits: note
- Indiana does not run harvest-season or seasonal weight-increase permits. What it runs instead is a set of standing commodity and equipment permits, all of them listed with their fees in annual_permit_the fee schedule: the Divisible Load (Overweight Commodity) permit, the Bulk Milk permit, the Sealed Ocean Container permit, the Special Weight permit for extra heavy duty highways, the Toll Road Gate permit, the LNG/CNG overweight permit, and the 12 ft 4 in, 14 ft 4 in and 16 ft mobile home rig permits.
| Component | Applies to | Fee USD | Note | Statute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oversize annual permit | Up to 95 feet long, 13 feet 6 inches high, 12 feet 4 inches wide, legal width and weight | 405 | ||
| Oversize 90-day permit | Same envelope as the annual oversize permit | 100 | ||
| Special Weight annual vehicle registration | Per company, calendar year, paid before any Special Weight permit can be ordered; adding, editing or deleting vehicles afterwards costs nothing | 25 | Register the vehicles in the OSOW online service account under Special Weight Vehicle Registration, with the full VIN for each. | |
| Sealed Ocean Container annual permit | Valid one year. The container must be sealed at origin and unopened except by a federal agent, and must stay inside 53 feet with a tractor-trailer hookup, 60 feet overall with a truck-trailer hookup, 8 feet 6 inches wide, 13 feet 6 inches high and 95,000 pounds. A separate permit is ordered for each truck. | 800 | 105 IAC 10-1.5-3(g) | |
| Divisible Load (overweight commodity) annual permit | $20 per truck, per route, and the route must meet 2.4 ESAL | 20 | ||
| Bulk Milk annual permit | $20 per truck, per route; the route must meet 2.4 ESAL and the Department of Revenue's fee document states a total gross weight ceiling | 20 | The July 2026 fee document prints the Bulk Milk ceiling as no more than 10,000 lbs TGW, which is below an empty tanker and reads as a typographical error; Form M-204 describes Bulk Milk permits as covering loads up to 154,000 pounds. The ceiling is therefore not recorded as a figure here. Confirm with the permit office. | |
| Toll Road Gate annual permit | $20 per gate, per truck | 20 | ||
| 12 ft 4 in mobile home rig 90-day permit | 90 days | 250 | ||
| 12 ft 4 in mobile home rig annual permit | One year | 1,000 | ||
| 12 ft 4 in mobile home rig quarterly dealer's permit | Dealers only, Form M-233DR | 40 | ||
| 14 ft 4 in mobile home rig 90-day permit | 90 days | 500 | ||
| 14 ft 4 in mobile home rig annual permit | One year | 2,000 | ||
| LNG/CNG overweight annual permit (fuel usage only) | Issued at no charge | 0 | ||
| Preapproval superload permit (30 day) | $25 executive fee plus $10 design fee plus $10 per bridge fee | Priced entirely from administrative fees; the rule states no separate base fee for the preapproval product. |
The Indiana permit office
- [email protected]
- Onboarding
- Every permit applicant must file Form M-203, Oversized/Overweight Transporting Company Agreement, and set up an OSOW account before ordering permits.
- Processing
- Most requests are approved within a business day. A permit is approved automatically when the applicant selects a predetermined route that fits the load's dimensions; other factors can extend the wait.
Legal limits before you need a permit
Indiana publishes its no-permit limits for width, height, gross weight and length by vehicle configuration, and the length answer depends heavily on what you are pulling. Some combinations have a stated maximum and some carry no overall length limit at all.
Axle limits follow the federal bridge formula, with a single-axle cap, a tandem-group cap and a wheel limit measured per inch of tire width. Two allowances add weight back: a natural gas or battery-electric vehicle gets an increase, and a diesel heavy duty vehicle with a certified auxiliary power unit gets a smaller one.
One trap is unique to Indiana. Off the designated heavy duty highway network, a second and lower weight schedule preserved from nineteen seventy-five applies, with its own gross, tandem and axle ceilings. Local authorities may post lower limits still, and vehicles on toll road facilities follow the toll road weight rules instead.
Single-trip permits and how they are priced
A single-trip permit covers one non-divisible load past the legal limits. Pricing stacks a base fee, which depends on whether the load stays inside a published size box, with a per-mile charge that steps up through gross weight bands. Administrative fees ride on top: a route review charge where the department has to review the route, a charge for each bridge crossed, an executive fee above a weight line, and a design fee on the heaviest superloads.
Validity is short. A single-trip permit runs five days, a divisible load permit seven, and a permit requiring a police escort ten. Amendments are possible only inside a short window after the start date, and not every permit type can be amended.
One conflict is worth flagging. The department's published fee document and the binding administrative rule disagree on the executive fee. The rule text is what the sourced rows carry, and a carrier pricing a heavy move should confirm the amount with the permit office first.
Escort requirements
Escorts phase in by dimension. Crossing the first width line takes one civilian escort, placed front or rear depending on whether the highway is divided. The next width band takes one or two depending on the road type, and past the top width line the Indiana State Police take over with escorts front and rear. Height past its line takes a front escort carrying a height stick, and length past its line takes one escort.
Weight has its own trigger: past a published gross weight line a state police escort is required unless the route is interstate only, no slowdowns are required, and the vehicle stays under a higher weight line.
Escort vehicles carry their own rules on size, warning lights, signage and radio contact, and may not trail more than a set distance behind the load. Tall moves add work beyond escorts: routing off the interstate system above one height triggers a pre-qualified signal contractor with a bucket truck, and going higher still requires a route survey plus either an affidavit or letters from the utility companies.
When permitted loads can move
Indiana ties movement windows to the envelope rather than publishing one blanket rule. A modest oversize load may run seven days a week between the published dawn and dusk margins. Wider loads drop to weekdays only. The widest, tallest and heaviest loads are confined to a midday weekday window, which the state police may vary at their own discretion when conditions warrant.
Holidays close the road for most permits. Permitted vehicles may not operate from midday on the last weekday before until the dawn margin on the day after each of six named holidays, and only the overweight commodity and bulk milk permits are exempt.
Weather is written into the permit as a hard rule. A permitted vehicle may not operate above a stated wind velocity, in hazardous weather, road or traffic conditions, or when visibility falls below a stated distance.
Routes have exclusions too. The permit does not cover the interstate segments inside the Indianapolis loop, any county road or city street, any state road or bridge closed for construction, or any road posted for gross load limits. A route that leaves state-maintained roads has to be entered as a split trip.
Superloads and the four published definitions
Past the superload lines the process changes. The binding administrative rule defines a superload by height, width or length with no weight prong, and the sourced fields carry those figures. A superload over the published weight line pays a design fee on top of the superload base fee, a review charge, a per-mile charge and a charge for each bridge reviewed, and a permit needing a police escort runs ten days.
Four Indiana publications define a superload differently, and only one of them is a promulgated rule. The department's fee document, its frequently asked questions and the state police escort page each print a different combination of height, width, length and weight. The rule controls, and a carrier near any of those lines should confirm the classification with the permit office before ordering.
Escort arrangement is a separate errand. The carrier orders the permit from the Department of Revenue, then requests a superload agreement number from the state police commercial vehicle enforcement division, completes the contract and returns it with the permit and slowdowns attached.
Permit conditions and civil penalties
The permit comes with operating conditions the driver has to satisfy. Signs and flags at the widest extremities, lighting under the federal rule plus low beams while loaded, extra amber lights on the widest mobile home rigs, flagmen wherever traffic control is needed, no blocking traffic and no parking on the shoulder. A paper or electronic copy of the general provisions travels with the permit. Any violation voids the permit automatically, and an officer or motor carrier inspector can withdraw it on the spot.
Penalties land on the carrier, not the driver. Indiana assesses oversize and overweight civil penalties on the person or company whose USDOT number is registered on the vehicle, in addition to any court fines, with separate ceilings for violating a permit, running with no permit and running excess weight for which no permit exists. A proposed assessment must be paid or protested inside the published window.
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 Indiana permit stack, see Indiana trucking permits.
Frequently asked questions
What can I haul in Indiana without an oversize permit?
- Anything inside the published width, height and gross weight limits, and inside the length limit for your configuration. Watch the second weight schedule that applies off the designated heavy duty highway network, because it is lower than the headline gross figure. The sourced rows below carry every limit.
How much does an Indiana single-trip oversize permit cost?
- It stacks. A base fee set by whether the load stays inside a published size box, a per-mile charge that rises through gross weight bands, and administrative charges for route review, each bridge crossed and the heaviest weight tiers. The sourced fee rows below carry each component.
When does an oversize load need an escort in Indiana?
- Once it crosses the published width, height or length lines, with the count and placement rising by band and by road type. Past the top width line and past a published gross weight line the Indiana State Police are required rather than civilian escorts. The sourced rows below carry each threshold.
Can I move an oversize load in Indiana at night or in high wind?
- Night movement is restricted by envelope: only the smaller permitted loads travel between the published dawn and dusk margins seven days a week, and the largest are confined to a weekday midday window. Wind is a hard stop, with a stated velocity above which a permitted vehicle may not operate at all.
What counts as a superload in Indiana?
- The binding administrative rule defines it by height, width or length, with no weight prong. Three other Indiana publications print different combinations, including weight lines, so the classification is worth confirming with the permit office before ordering when your load sits near any of them.
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.