By Evan Reid, Founder of Haul Handbook · Updated Jul 19, 2026
Kentucky 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
- A single-trip OW/OD permit costs 60 USD and is valid for 10 days. A payment service fee applies: 4 percent for credit card, or a 3 USD ACH fee. Metal commodities have a dedicated single-trip permit at 100 USD. How overweight fees scale by weight/distance beyond the base permit is not published on the fee page and is recorded as null rather than invented.
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
Travel restrictions
- Daylight only
- Manufactured/mobile home moves are restricted to daylight hours, Monday through Saturday, with no Sunday travel. Other OW/OD loads may generally travel 24 hours unless the permit states otherwise.
- Curfews
- Rush-hour restriction in five counties (Boone, Campbell, Fayette, Jefferson, Kenton) Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. A load originating in Fayette County is exempt from rush-hour restrictions on I-64 and I-75 in Fayette County and on connecting routes up to 3 miles from those interstates.
Superload and beyond-permit review
Loads past the standard single-trip permit thresholds get individual state review rather than an off-the-shelf permit.
Kentucky does not publish a single numeric 'superload' class on the OW/OD pages. The practical review triggers are the escort/route-survey thresholds: a height over 15 ft 6 in requires an OW/OD Proposed Route Survey (form TC 95-625), and widths over 16 ft or lengths over 120 ft require the maximum front-and-rear escort configuration.
Legal limits before you need a permit
Kentucky publishes its no-permit limits for width, height, length by configuration, and gross weight. Width and height match the common national figures, with one twist: car haulers get a taller height allowance on interstates and designated highways. Length depends on the configuration, from a single truck up to a tractor with two trailers. Once you leave the interstates, the legal width drops and combinations are held shorter, and gross weight is capped by highway class. The limits and the axle groups render below, each from the Division of Motor Carriers dimensions page.
Single-trip and annual permits
A single-trip permit covers one non-divisible load over the legal limits and runs for a short set window, and Kentucky sells a separate single-trip permit for metal commodities. For repeat work, annual permits come by category: non-divisible, farm, metal, steel, feed, and manufactured home, with farm categories priced lower and the widest loads higher. The single-trip fee components render below from the Division of Motor Carriers schedule, and a payment service fee applies on top, by card or bank transfer.
Escorts, route surveys, and travel windows
Escort requirements climb with size. A wider load picks up a rear escort, then front and rear, then two front and two rear at the widest, and the counts differ between multi-lane and two-lane highways. Tall loads take a front escort with a height pole, and the very tallest need an approved route survey before they move. On timing, most oversize loads may run around the clock unless the permit says otherwise, but manufactured home moves are daylight-only and off-limits on Sundays, and a handful of urban counties close weekday rush-hour windows. High winds stop the widest loads. The escort steps and the travel rules render below with their sources.
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 Kentucky permit stack, see Kentucky trucking permits.
Frequently asked questions
What can I haul in Kentucky without an oversize permit?
- Anything inside the published legal limits for width, height, length by configuration, and gross weight. Width and height match the common national figures, and car haulers get a taller height allowance. Off the interstates the limits tighten and gross weight is set by highway class.
How much is a single-trip oversize permit in Kentucky?
- A single-trip permit carries a flat base fee for a short window, with a higher flat fee for a metal commodities trip, plus a small card or bank-transfer service charge. The exact amounts render below from the Division of Motor Carriers fee page.
When does an oversize load need an escort in Kentucky?
- Once it crosses the published width, height, or length thresholds. Wider loads add escorts in steps, tall loads take a front escort with a height pole, and the tallest need an approved route survey first. The steps differ on two-lane roads versus multi-lane highways.
Can oversize loads travel any time in Kentucky?
- Most may run around the clock unless the permit states otherwise, and Kentucky sets no holiday moratorium. Manufactured home moves are the exception: daylight only, no Sundays. Some urban counties also close weekday rush-hour windows, and high winds stop the widest loads.
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.