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 left blank 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.
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 Kentucky 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 rules beyond the thresholds
Knowing when you need an escort is half of it. These are the Kentucky rules on who may run one, what the vehicle has to carry, and how the move is conducted.
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.
More Kentucky permit rules
- Issuing office: online system
- Motor Carrier Portal permit purchase at apps.transportation.ky.gov/MotorCarrierPermits/PermitManagement.aspx
- Issuing office: route check
- Call Before You Haul route checking is available through westernais.org/callbeforeyouhaul.
- Single trip fee USD: note
- 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 left blank rather than invented.
- Annual permit eligibility
- Annual permits are issued by category (non-divisible, farm, metal commodities, non-divisible steel, feed, manufactured home). Non-divisible and farm annual permits are tiered at under 14 ft wide and 14 to 16 ft wide. Allow 10 to 14 business days for processing.
- Escort notes
- Escort counts are stated as front/rear positions. Kentucky's escort page does not specify a mandatory law-enforcement (police) escort tier; recorded as unstated rather than invented. Heights over 15 ft 6 in require an OW/OD Proposed Route Survey (form TC 95-625) before movement.
- Seasonal permits: summary
- Kentucky issues extended-weight coal haul decals for vehicles hauling coal or coal by-products on the designated Coal Haul Highway System. Eligible vehicles must be registered to 80,000 lbs and carry a Kentucky commercial plate or IRP plate (out-of-state plated vehicles need current registration documentation). The extended gross-weight limits and the decal fee schedule are not published on the overview page and are left blank rather than invented. Annual farm permits (A03/A04) and annual feed permits (A09) cover agricultural movements.
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.