By Haul Handbook editorial team· Updated Sep 28, 2026
Maine's oversize and overweight permits come from the Secretary of State's Bureau of Motor Vehicles, not the DOT, and cost little: a single-trip permit runs $6 to $27.50 depending on how far the load exceeds the limit that draws the highest fee. Legal limits are 102 inches wide, 13 feet 6 inches of vehicle structure (a load may rise 6 inches more), 45 feet for a single vehicle, 65 feet for a combination and 80,000 pounds for a 5-axle combination, with 100,000 pounds allowed off the Interstate for a 3-axle tractor pulling a tri-axle semitrailer. Moves are daylight only and never on holidays or holiday weekends; from April 22 to November 18 Saturday travel ends at noon, and at 9 a.m. on I-95 from June 3 to August 26.
Maine legal limits (no permit needed at or under these)
- Width
- 8.5 ft29-A M.R.S. sec. 2380(3) bars a vehicle wider than 102 inches overall. Listed appurtenances (corner caps, door hinges, placards, tarp hardware, mud flaps, refrigeration units, load-induced tire bulge and others) are excluded if they extend no more than 3 inches from the side; mirrors and turn signals are excluded as well. Rolled baled hay may be 11 feet wide within 20 miles of the farm, in daytime only.
- Height
- 13.5 ftNo structural part of a vehicle may exceed 13 feet 6 inches, and the load may extend no more than 6 inches above the vehicle's maximum structural height (29-A M.R.S. sec. 2380(2)). The permit rule reads that as a legal height with load of 14 feet on all highways except the Maine Turnpike, which allows no extra 6 inches and has many bridges at 13 feet 6 inches.
- Gross weight
- 80,000 lbOn general law highways, 29-A M.R.S. sec. 2353 allows 34,000 pounds on 2 axles, 54,000 on 3, 69,000 on 4 (and on a single unit of 5 or more axles), 80,000 on a combination of 5 or more axles, and 100,000 pounds for a 3-axle truck tractor with a tri-axle semitrailer; sec. 2354 sets the 100,000-pound conditions (36 feet between extreme axles excluding the steer axle, tandem 41,000, tri-axle 50,000) and excludes the Interstate. On the Interstate System sec. 2355 caps gross weight at 80,000 pounds or the bridge formula, whichever is less. The permit rules treat Interstate 95 from the New Hampshire line to Exit 113 in Augusta, including the Maine Turnpike, as a general law highway. No vehicle may exceed 100,000 pounds without a permit (sec. 2352).
- Axle limits lb: note
- General law highway axle limits from 29-A M.R.S. sec. 2353(4). On the Interstate System (sec. 2355) a single axle may carry 22,000 pounds when gross weight is 73,280 pounds or less and 20,000 pounds above that, a tandem 34,000 pounds, with the bridge formula on larger groups. Tire loading may not exceed 600 pounds per inch of tire width.
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.
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Permit fees
- Single trip
- $6 (29-250 C.M.R. ch. 156 prices each single trip by the amount over the legal limit, in nine brackets per dimension from $6 to $27.50. When more than one limit is exceeded the fee is the one for the limit that draws the higher fee, and a permit covering two or more loaded moves is charged per loaded move. 29-A M.R.S. sec. 2382(2) caps single-trip fees at $6 to $30. Permits issued to a municipality or government agency are free. The Maine Turnpike charges its own permit at toll plazas ($10 plus the toll, per the BMV page), and a BMV permit is still needed for every non-Turnpike road.)
- Annual eligibility
- Maine sells long-term permits by the month, from 1 to 12 months, rather than a flat annual permit. A long-term overdimensional permit is $25 a month, so 12 months is $300. The envelope is legal height, width up to 11 feet 6 inches, and length up to 45 feet for a single unit or 75 feet for a combination (80 feet for tree-length logs on a tractor-semitrailer with no more than 40 percent of the logs overhanging). The towing vehicle must be registered, apportioned or prorated for Maine.
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.
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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 Maine 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.
- Police escort statute
- 29-A M.R.S. sec. 2382(9-A) requires a police escort for any vehicle or combination 125 feet or more long or 16 feet or more wide, and only the Maine State Police may escort on the Interstate. The State Police must be booked directly at least three working days ahead; permits needing State Police escorts generally are not issued for Saturdays.
- Police escort fee
- State Police escorts are billed by the Department of Public Safety at actual cost with a four-hour minimum charge (29-250 C.M.R. ch. 156, Section 3); no hourly rate is published in the rule.
- Mobile homes
- Manufactured, modular and mobile homes follow a separate table: 1 pilot vehicle over 12 feet up to 14 feet 6 inches wide at the base, 2 pilot vehicles over 14 feet 6 inches and under 16 feet, 1 pilot plus 1 police escort at 16 feet or more (or eaves of 16 feet 9 inches or more).
- BMV summary differs
- The BMV Overlimit Permits web summary says a pilot vehicle is needed for more than 5 feet of rear overhang without giving a number; the rule's Table 1 requires two pilot vehicles for overhang over 5 feet and under 15 feet 1 inch.
- Equipment the escort vehicle carries
- The load vehicle shows OVERSIZE LOAD signs front and rear (10-inch black letters on yellow, 7 feet by 18 inches), four 18-inch red or fluorescent orange flags at the extreme corners, low-beam headlights and amber lights on the cab, and a two-way radio with a half-mile range. Pilot vehicles must weigh under 8,500 pounds GVWR, carry amber lights and a 5 foot by 12 inch OVERSIZE LOAD sign, and be driven by someone at least 18 who has held a license for two consecutive years.
Escort rules beyond the thresholds
Knowing when you need an escort is half of it. These are the Maine rules on who may run one, what the vehicle has to carry, and how the move is conducted.
- Police escort statute
- 29-A M.R.S. sec. 2382(9-A) requires a police escort for any vehicle or combination 125 feet or more long or 16 feet or more wide, and only the Maine State Police may escort on the Interstate. The State Police must be booked directly at least three working days ahead; permits needing State Police escorts generally are not issued for Saturdays.
- Police escort fee
- State Police escorts are billed by the Department of Public Safety at actual cost with a four-hour minimum charge (29-250 C.M.R. ch. 156, Section 3); no hourly rate is published in the rule.
- Mobile homes
- Manufactured, modular and mobile homes follow a separate table: 1 pilot vehicle over 12 feet up to 14 feet 6 inches wide at the base, 2 pilot vehicles over 14 feet 6 inches and under 16 feet, 1 pilot plus 1 police escort at 16 feet or more (or eaves of 16 feet 9 inches or more).
- Bmv summary differs
- The BMV Overlimit Permits web summary says a pilot vehicle is needed for more than 5 feet of rear overhang without giving a number; the rule's Table 1 requires two pilot vehicles for overhang over 5 feet and under 15 feet 1 inch.
- Equipment
- The load vehicle shows OVERSIZE LOAD signs front and rear (10-inch black letters on yellow, 7 feet by 18 inches), four 18-inch red or fluorescent orange flags at the extreme corners, low-beam headlights and amber lights on the cab, and a two-way radio with a half-mile range. Pilot vehicles must weigh under 8,500 pounds GVWR, carry amber lights and a 5 foot by 12 inch OVERSIZE LOAD sign, and be driven by someone at least 18 who has held a license for two consecutive years.
Conditions attached to every permit
The standing conditions Maine writes into the permit itself, which apply whether or not they are printed on your copy.
- Summary
- Permits are never issued for divisible loads, cover only MaineDOT-maintained ways (town roads need local permission, and the Turnpike its own permit), must be carried on the move in the permittee's legal name, and do not override road or bridge postings. A vehicle permitted for excess weight must first be registered for its maximum legal gross weight. A carrier with an unsatisfactory FMCSA safety rating or an unanswered motor vehicle summons may be refused. Mobile homes need a municipal tax release (MV-47) before moving from a private lot. The oversize vehicle must pull over to let a queue of more than seven vehicles pass.
- Regional
- Maine belongs to the New England Transportation Consortium (with New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Vermont and Rhode Island) and the Northeast Oversize Overweight Permit Agreement. One multi-state permit covers combinations up to 108,000 pounds on 5 axles, 120,000 on 6 or more, 90 feet long, 13 feet 6 inches high and 14 feet wide.
Travel restrictions
- Daylight only
- Yes (Permitted moves are limited to daylight, one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset, unless the move is an emergency off-hour move or an overweight-only move. Overweight-only vehicles that can keep up with traffic may move at any time of day. Night moves need a State Police troop commander's authorization and a State Police escort.)
- Curfews
- From April 22 to November 18, permitted loads may travel on designated routes from 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset Monday through Friday, and until noon on Saturday. From June 3 to August 26, Saturday travel ends at 9 a.m. on I-95 and at noon on other roads. Permits for Sundays in July and August need MaineDOT Traffic Engineering pre-clearance with at least two working days' notice.
- Weekend / holiday
- No overdimensional travel on legal holidays or holiday weekends all year unless authorized as an emergency off-hour move; the permit office is closed on those days too. The 2026 list: New Year's Day (Jan. 1), Martin Luther King Jr. Day (Jan. 19), Presidents' Day (Feb. 16), Patriots' Day (Apr. 20), Memorial Day (May 25), Juneteenth (June 19), Independence Day (observed July 3), Labor Day (Sept. 7), Indigenous Peoples' Day (Oct. 12), Veterans Day (Nov. 11), Thanksgiving (Nov. 26) and the Friday after (Nov. 27), and Christmas (Dec. 25), with the adjoining weekends barred where the letter lists them.
- Daylight hours rule
- Permitted moves are limited to daylight, one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset, unless the move is an emergency off-hour move or an overweight-only move. Overweight-only vehicles that can keep up with traffic may move at any time of day. Night moves need a State Police troop commander's authorization and a State Police escort.
Superload and beyond-permit review
Loads past the standard single-trip permit thresholds get individual state review rather than an off-the-shelf permit.
29-250 C.M.R. ch. 157 presumes a load 125 feet or more long, over 15 feet high, 16 feet wide or 160,000 pounds to be an extreme load that may need added safety measures; every 5-axle crane over 130,000 pounds is presumed extreme too.
Weights above the rule's no-review maximums need a detailed MaineDOT engineering review: 39,100 pounds on a 2-axle vehicle, 62,100 on 3 axles, 73,000 on a 4-axle truck, 110,000 on special mobile equipment of 4 or more axles, and for tractor-semitrailers 120,000 on 4 axles, 130,000 on 5, 140,000 on 6, 159,000 to 167,000 on 7 and 177,000 on 8. Allow two to five business days. Loads 20 feet or wider or 150 feet or longer need utility and town notification and daytime movement outside commuter and school bus hours, and at 150 feet the permittee handles public outreach.
More Maine permit rules
- Single trip fee note
- 29-250 C.M.R. ch. 156 prices each single trip by the amount over the legal limit, in nine brackets per dimension from $6 to $27.50. When more than one limit is exceeded the fee is the one for the limit that draws the higher fee, and a permit covering two or more loaded moves is charged per loaded move. 29-A M.R.S. sec. 2382(2) caps single-trip fees at $6 to $30. Permits issued to a municipality or government agency are free. The Maine Turnpike charges its own permit at toll plazas ($10 plus the toll, per the BMV page), and a BMV permit is still needed for every non-Turnpike road.
- Annual permit eligibility
- Maine sells long-term permits by the month, from 1 to 12 months, rather than a flat annual permit. A long-term overdimensional permit is $25 a month, so 12 months is $300. The envelope is legal height, width up to 11 feet 6 inches, and length up to 45 feet for a single unit or 75 feet for a combination (80 feet for tree-length logs on a tractor-semitrailer with no more than 40 percent of the logs overhanging). The towing vehicle must be registered, apportioned or prorated for Maine.
- Annual permit details: long term overdimensional: covers
- Legal height; width up to 11 feet 6 inches; length up to 45 feet single unit or 75 feet combination
- Annual permit details: long term overweight six axle: covers
- Load-carrying tractor-semitrailer of at least 6 axles (tandem- or tridem-drive tractor with a tri-axle semitrailer), up to 120,000 pounds; steer axle 12,000 max, tandem 50,000, tridem 60,000
- Annual permit details: long term overweight six axle: fee
- $90 a month for more than 100,000 up to 110,000 pounds; $150 a month for more than 110,000 up to 120,000 pounds
- Annual permit details: long term overweight seven axle: covers
- Load-carrying combination of 7 or more axles, up to 120,000 pounds
- Annual permit details: long term overweight seven axle: fee
- $65 a month for more than 100,000 up to 110,000 pounds; $115 a month for more than 110,000 up to 120,000 pounds
- Annual permit details: class a special mobile equipment: covers
- Legal dimensions; up to 39,100 lb on 2 axles, 62,100 on 3, 79,350 on 4 and 92,000 on 5 or more; registered for actual gross weight
- Annual permit details: instant permit book: covers
- Book of 25 instant overlimit permits, approved by phone, each for a single Maine trip within seven days; requires a BMV billing account
- Escort notes: police escort statute
- 29-A M.R.S. sec. 2382(9-A) requires a police escort for any vehicle or combination 125 feet or more long or 16 feet or more wide, and only the Maine State Police may escort on the Interstate. The State Police must be booked directly at least three working days ahead; permits needing State Police escorts generally are not issued for Saturdays.
- Escort notes: police escort fee
- State Police escorts are billed by the Department of Public Safety at actual cost with a four-hour minimum charge (29-250 C.M.R. ch. 156, Section 3); no hourly rate is published in the rule.
- Escort notes: mobile homes
- Manufactured, modular and mobile homes follow a separate table: 1 pilot vehicle over 12 feet up to 14 feet 6 inches wide at the base, 2 pilot vehicles over 14 feet 6 inches and under 16 feet, 1 pilot plus 1 police escort at 16 feet or more (or eaves of 16 feet 9 inches or more).
- Escort notes: bmv summary differs
- The BMV Overlimit Permits web summary says a pilot vehicle is needed for more than 5 feet of rear overhang without giving a number; the rule's Table 1 requires two pilot vehicles for overhang over 5 feet and under 15 feet 1 inch.
- Escort notes: equipment
- The load vehicle shows OVERSIZE LOAD signs front and rear (10-inch black letters on yellow, 7 feet by 18 inches), four 18-inch red or fluorescent orange flags at the extreme corners, low-beam headlights and amber lights on the cab, and a two-way radio with a half-mile range. Pilot vehicles must weigh under 8,500 pounds GVWR, carry amber lights and a 5 foot by 12 inch OVERSIZE LOAD sign, and be driven by someone at least 18 who has held a license for two consecutive years.
- Permit conditions: summary
- Permits are never issued for divisible loads, cover only MaineDOT-maintained ways (town roads need local permission, and the Turnpike its own permit), must be carried on the move in the permittee's legal name, and do not override road or bridge postings. A vehicle permitted for excess weight must first be registered for its maximum legal gross weight. A carrier with an unsatisfactory FMCSA safety rating or an unanswered motor vehicle summons may be refused. Mobile homes need a municipal tax release (MV-47) before moving from a private lot. The oversize vehicle must pull over to let a queue of more than seven vehicles pass.
- Permit conditions: regional
- Maine belongs to the New England Transportation Consortium (with New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Vermont and Rhode Island) and the Northeast Oversize Overweight Permit Agreement. One multi-state permit covers combinations up to 108,000 pounds on 5 axles, 120,000 on 6 or more, 90 feet long, 13 feet 6 inches high and 14 feet wide.
| Name | Detail |
|---|---|
| Canadian Weight Limit Permit | Authorizes two vehicle configurations at Canadian weight limits on three short routes: the border at Calais to the Baileyville mill, the border at Madawaska to the Madawaska paper mill, and the border at Van Buren to the Van Buren rail yard. Tractors must be IRP-registered for 100,000 pounds in Maine, with active IFTA, UCR and an interstate USDOT number; a poor FMCSA safety record can bar the permit. |
| Night moves of timber harvesting equipment (March and April) | Allowed at night in March and April when the air is 32 degrees or colder and the ground is solidly frozen, for loads up to 11 feet 6 inches wide and 75 feet long, with two pilot vehicles and flashing amber beacons. |
The Maine permit office
- Apply or log in (MoveMEMaine online permitting)
- movememaine.com
Maine's legal limits
A load needs a permit once it passes the width, height, length or weight limits in Maine statute. Width follows the federal standard, with listed appurtenances excluded. Height is measured on the vehicle's structure, with a small allowance for load above it everywhere except the Turnpike. Single vehicles and combinations have separate length limits, and longer semitrailers can run under set kingpin and overhang conditions.
Weight is where Maine stands out. Off the Interstate, a three-axle tractor pulling a tri-axle semitrailer may carry more than the standard five-axle limit under spacing and axle conditions. On the Interstate the federal gross limit and bridge formula apply, though Maine treats the southern stretch of the Interstate, including the Turnpike, as a general law highway.
How Maine prices a permit
Maine's rule sets brackets for excess weight, length, width and height, each rising in steps. When a load exceeds more than one limit, you pay the single bracket that draws the highest fee, not the sum. A permit for several loaded moves is charged per move, and the statute caps the single-trip range. Government agencies and towns get permits free.
Long-term overdimensional and special mobile equipment permits are priced per month. Long-term overweight permits for six- and seven-axle combinations are priced by weight tier, with the seven-axle rate lower. State Police escorts are billed at cost with a minimum charge.
When you need escorts
Escort needs step up by width, length and rear overhang. The first step is one pilot vehicle, in front on an undivided highway and behind on a divided one. Long rear overhangs call for pilots front and rear. Past the statutory police escort line for width or length, a police escort joins the pilot car, and only the State Police may escort on the Interstate. Book State Police escorts directly, several working days ahead. Tall loads take a pole car.
The BMV's web summary on overhang escorts is less specific than the rule; follow the rule's table.
When permitted loads can move
Daylight only, from half an hour before sunrise to half an hour after sunset, unless the move is an authorized emergency move or overweight only. Holidays and holiday weekends are closed all year, and the permit office is closed then too. From spring into late fall, Saturday travel ends at noon, and on the Interstate it ends earlier in midsummer. Check road and weather conditions before leaving, and leave the Turnpike when speeds drop.
Extreme loads and multi-state permits
Loads past the rule's extreme-load presumption, or heavier than its no-review weights by axle count, need a detailed MaineDOT engineering review that takes several business days. The very widest and longest loads also need utility and town notice. For moves across northern New England, Maine belongs to the New England Transportation Consortium, whose single permit covers loads up to a shared envelope in the member states. Canadian weight permits allow heavier trucks on three short border routes.
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 Maine permit stack, see Maine trucking permits.