By Evan Reid, Founder of Haul Handbook · Updated Aug 5, 2026
South Carolina permits oversize and overweight moves through the SCDOT OSOW Permit Office in Columbia, using the Safehaul online system. A single trip permit is $30 and an annual multiple trip permit is $100, on a fee schedule SCDOT says was last revised July 1, 2012. The state's legal weight ceiling is the number to watch: 73,280 pounds on a five-axle combination off the interstate, not 80,000, with 80,000 available on the interstate system through the federal bridge formula.
South Carolina legal limits (no permit needed at or under these)
- Width
- 8.5 ftThe total outside width of a vehicle or its load may not exceed 102 inches, exclusive of safety devices approved by the Department of Public Safety. Appurtenances on non-commercial motor homes, travel trailers, and truck campers may extend six inches on one side and four inches on the other.
- Height
- 13.5 ft13 feet 6 inches, with a 14-foot exception for an automobile transporter unit or a heavy truck carrying other heavy trucks in a saddle mount combination. The saddle mount exception requires a free SCDOT routing permit valid twelve months, issued on evidence of general liability coverage, and does not shift liability for damage caused above 13 feet 6 inches.
- Gross weight
- 73,280 lb73,280 pounds is the statutory ceiling for a combination of vehicles with five or more axles on any section of highway other than the interstate. On the interstate system a vehicle may run up to 80,000 pounds under the federal bridge formula in S.C. Code Ann. 56-5-4140(A)(4). Overall interstate gross weight may not exceed 75,185 pounds including all enforcement tolerances except under that formula.
- Length: note
- Except where specifically prohibited, South Carolina sets no overall length limit on combination vehicles. A 53-foot trailer needs a rear underride guard and a kingpin to rear-axle-centre distance of no more than 41 feet; trailers used mainly to carry motorsports competition vehicles are capped at 46 feet on that measurement.
- Off interstate limits
- South Carolina writes its gross weight table by axle count rather than by road class, then layers interstate-only caps on top. Off the interstate, a two-axle single unit is 35,000 pounds, three axles 46,000, four axles 63,500, five or more axles 65,000; a three-axle combination is 50,000, four axles 65,000, and five or more axles 73,280. A tandem group spaced 40 to 96 inches apart is capped at 36,000 pounds off the interstate. On the interstate the single-axle cap is 20,000 pounds and the tandem cap 35,200 pounds, each including all enforcement tolerances.
- Enforcement tolerance
- A 10 percent enforcement tolerance applies to the weight limits in S.C. Code Ann. 56-5-4140(A)(1) and subsections (B) and (C), but never above the interstate caps of 20,000 pounds single axle, 35,200 pounds tandem, and 75,185 pounds gross. The tolerance rises to 15 percent for a vehicle or trailer transporting unprocessed forest products, and separately for one transporting sod, in both cases only on noninterstate routes.
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
- $30 ($30 base fee for a single trip permit, plus an excessive width surcharge that steps up with the load: $35 over 16 feet, $40 over 18 feet, $45 over 20 feet, $50 over 22 feet. SCDOT states the OSOW fee schedule was last revised July 1, 2012. A single trip permit is valid for 7 days for one move, names a defined route, and is specific to the towing vehicle and trailer by VIN and tag number. The dimensions a permit can cover top out at 16 feet wide for both non-divisible loads and mobile homes, 125 feet overall length for non-divisible loads and 110 feet for mobile homes (the home itself no more than 80 feet), 15 feet of rear overhang on a trailer shorter than 48 feet or 10 feet on a 48-foot or 53-foot trailer, and 3 feet of front overhang. Any permitted load must clear overhead structures by at least 3 inches, and every load 16 feet high or above needs a department-approved route survey before the permit issues plus a front escort with a height pole for the whole move. A permit fee on a denied application is refunded, except a superload application fee, which is non-refundable.)
- Annual permit
- $100 ($100 for a multiple trip (annual) permit, and $100 for an annual House Moving License. A prorated active annual permit carries a $10 administration fee, and transferring an annual permit to a replacement vehicle that was wrecked, stolen, or sold is $10.)
- Annual eligibility
- A multiple trip permit may be auto-issued 24 hours a day, seven days a week for non-divisible loads, mobile homes, or containerized cargo. Default allowances are 14 feet wide, 13 feet 6 inches high, and up to 100,000 pounds gross on five or more axles for non-divisible loads and containerized cargo (containerized cargo stays at 8 feet 6 inches wide), and 14 feet wide, 13 feet 6 inches high at legal weight for mobile homes. The permit is specific to the towing vehicle by VIN and tag and is valid one year from issuance. Up to 90,000 pounds gross, with no more than 40,000 pounds on a tandem group on five or more axles, may travel all US, SC, and interstate routes unless posted for load. Up to 100,000 pounds, with no more than 48,000 pounds on a tandem group or 55,000 pounds on a triaxle group on five or more axles and a minimum 40-foot trailer, may travel only the routes shown on the SC Oversize Truck Route Map. Secondary routes are prohibited on any multiple trip permit carrying weight above the legal allowance.
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 South Carolina 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.
- When the state adds escorts at its discretion
- SCDOT reserves the right to require escorts wherever it deems them necessary for safety. A vehicle transporting a load may not also serve as an escort vehicle.
- How far ahead or behind the escort rides
- A rear escort keeps 3 to 4 seconds of distance from the load. A front escort does not extend the spacing beyond one half mile.
- Equipment the escort vehicle carries
- At least one flashing amber, strobe amber, or rotating amber light mounted on top of every escort vehicle, operational during movement and visible 500 feet at 360 degrees. Vehicle lights may not substitute for warning lights, and headlights stay on while escorting. Signs or banners are required front and rear, or above the roofline visible from both, at least 12 inches high by 7 feet wide, reading OVERSIZE LOAD or WIDE LOAD in black letters 10 inches high and 1.5 inches wide on a yellow background.
- Load marking
- Loads and mobile homes 12 feet wide or wider display the same OVERSIZE LOAD or WIDE LOAD sign on the front of the transporting vehicle and on the rear of the vehicle or load, plus 18-inch square fluorescent red or orange flags at each of the four outer corners. A load wider than 12 feet up to 14 feet needs a flashing or strobe amber light on the rear visible 500 feet at 360 degrees; over 14 feet up to 16 feet needs those lights on each outer rear corner.
Escort rules beyond the thresholds
Knowing when you need an escort is half of it. These are the South Carolina rules on who may run one, what the vehicle has to carry, and how the move is conducted.
- Discretion
- SCDOT reserves the right to require escorts wherever it deems them necessary for safety. A vehicle transporting a load may not also serve as an escort vehicle.
- Spacing
- A rear escort keeps 3 to 4 seconds of distance from the load. A front escort does not extend the spacing beyond one half mile.
- Equipment
- At least one flashing amber, strobe amber, or rotating amber light mounted on top of every escort vehicle, operational during movement and visible 500 feet at 360 degrees. Vehicle lights may not substitute for warning lights, and headlights stay on while escorting. Signs or banners are required front and rear, or above the roofline visible from both, at least 12 inches high by 7 feet wide, reading OVERSIZE LOAD or WIDE LOAD in black letters 10 inches high and 1.5 inches wide on a yellow background.
- Load marking
- Loads and mobile homes 12 feet wide or wider display the same OVERSIZE LOAD or WIDE LOAD sign on the front of the transporting vehicle and on the rear of the vehicle or load, plus 18-inch square fluorescent red or orange flags at each of the four outer corners. A load wider than 12 feet up to 14 feet needs a flashing or strobe amber light on the rear visible 500 feet at 360 degrees; over 14 feet up to 16 feet needs those lights on each outer rear corner.
Travel restrictions
- Daylight only
- Sunrise to sunset for all loads and mobile homes up to 12 feet wide, Monday through Sunday. Loads over 12 feet up to 15 feet wide (and mobile homes over 12 feet up to and including 14 feet box width plus a maximum 12-inch top overhang) also run sunrise to sunset, but are barred in close proximity to large urban areas from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. on all weekdays and from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. on school days or 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. on non-school days. Loads over 15 feet wide, and mobile homes over 14 feet box width up to and including 16 feet, move only between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. on school days and 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. on other days.
- Curfews
- South Carolina does not publish a city-by-city curfew list. The urban-area restriction is written into the travel-time rule itself: loads over 12 feet up to 15 feet wide may not travel in close proximity of large urban areas 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. weekdays and 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. on school days or 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. otherwise. Loads and mobile homes over 14 feet up to 16 feet wide must use four-lane highways, and where two-lane travel is unavoidable it is restricted to lanes 12 feet wide or wider. A load over 14 feet up to 16 feet wide must be the only vehicle on any bridge 18 feet wide or less.
- Weekend / holiday
- No travel is allowed on New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, or Christmas Day. The Permit Director may restrict travel from noon the day before a holiday until noon the day after, based on the route and the dimensions of the load. Separately, from Memorial Day through Labor Day movement is prohibited on Saturday and Sunday east of I-95 over routes including but not limited to US-378, SC-327, US-76, SC-576, US-501, SC-22, SC-31, and SC-9 in the Myrtle Beach area, on US-17 from the North Carolina line to points south of Myrtle Beach at Georgetown, and on any other routes in the Myrtle Beach vicinity. For 2026 SCDOT publishes the permit office closure calendar alongside the six no-travel holidays: January 1, May 25, July 4, September 7, November 26, and December 25.
- Wind / weather
- No movement is allowed during inclement weather such as heavy rain or fog when visibility is restricted to less than 500 feet, during periods of high winds, or when highways are slippery or hazardous from ice, snow, or sleet. The Transport Police or Highway Patrol may direct or escort a vehicle off the highway to a place of safety.
- Continuous travel
- Loads grossing up to 130,000 pounds get continuous travel on request provided all other dimensions are legal, unless the SCDOT Permit Director approves otherwise before the move. Annual bulk agricultural and sheet tobacco permits also allow continuous travel.
- Speed
- Carriers determine allowable speed by complying with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations and applicable state and federal law, under S.C. Code Ann. 57-3-130(B)(3)(c). A new mobile home on the interstate runs 10 mph below the posted limit and never above 55 mph; all other mobile homes never exceed 45 mph, and no mobile home exceeds 45 mph off the interstate.
- Continuous travel
- Loads grossing up to 130,000 pounds get continuous travel on request provided all other dimensions are legal, unless the SCDOT Permit Director approves otherwise before the move. Annual bulk agricultural and sheet tobacco permits also allow continuous travel.
- Speed
- Carriers determine allowable speed by complying with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations and applicable state and federal law, under S.C. Code Ann. 57-3-130(B)(3)(c). A new mobile home on the interstate runs 10 mph below the posted limit and never above 55 mph; all other mobile homes never exceed 45 mph, and no mobile home exceeds 45 mph off the interstate.
Superload and beyond-permit review
Loads past the standard single-trip permit thresholds get individual state review rather than an off-the-shelf permit.
Any non-divisible load exceeding 130,000 pounds, or any single axle weight exceeding 20,000 pounds, requires additional routing analysis.
The routing analysis takes 3 to 5 business days, and SCDOT asks for any exception to the maximum permitted sizes and weights, with drawings, pictures, requested route, and reasons, no less than 5 days before the proposed move date. A load over 180,000 pounds must be submitted with a Certificate of Insurance or have one on file with the permit office. A load over 300,000 pounds must be submitted with the manufacturer's documentation of the load's weight and dimensions plus documentation of the empty weight of the truck and trailer, and may be required to provide an independent structural analysis by a licensed or registered engineer. Costs are a non-refundable $100 superload application fee, an engineering analysis fee of $100 over 130,000 pounds, $200 over 200,000 pounds, or $350 over 300,000 pounds, a superload impact fee of $3.00 per 1,000 pounds on everything over 130,000 pounds, and for a load over 500,000 pounds an additional megaload impact fee of $0.05 per 1,000 pounds per mile on the entire gross vehicle weight.
- Documentation
- A load over 180,000 pounds must be submitted with a Certificate of Insurance, or have one on file with the permit office. A load over 300,000 pounds must be submitted with the manufacturer's documentation of the load's weight and dimensions plus documentation of the empty weight of the truck and trailer, and may be required to provide an independent structural analysis by a licensed or registered engineer. A load over 500,000 pounds is assessed the megaload impact fee on the entire gross vehicle weight at $0.05 per 1,000 pounds per mile.
More South Carolina permit rules
- Single trip fee note
- $30 base fee for a single trip permit, plus an excessive width surcharge that steps up with the load: $35 over 16 feet, $40 over 18 feet, $45 over 20 feet, $50 over 22 feet. SCDOT states the OSOW fee schedule was last revised July 1, 2012. A single trip permit is valid for 7 days for one move, names a defined route, and is specific to the towing vehicle and trailer by VIN and tag number. The dimensions a permit can cover top out at 16 feet wide for both non-divisible loads and mobile homes, 125 feet overall length for non-divisible loads and 110 feet for mobile homes (the home itself no more than 80 feet), 15 feet of rear overhang on a trailer shorter than 48 feet or 10 feet on a 48-foot or 53-foot trailer, and 3 feet of front overhang. Any permitted load must clear overhead structures by at least 3 inches, and every load 16 feet high or above needs a department-approved route survey before the permit issues plus a front escort with a height pole for the whole move. A permit fee on a denied application is refunded, except a superload application fee, which is non-refundable.
- Annual permit fee note
- $100 for a multiple trip (annual) permit, and $100 for an annual House Moving License. A prorated active annual permit carries a $10 administration fee, and transferring an annual permit to a replacement vehicle that was wrecked, stolen, or sold is $10.
- Annual permit eligibility
- A multiple trip permit may be auto-issued 24 hours a day, seven days a week for non-divisible loads, mobile homes, or containerized cargo. Default allowances are 14 feet wide, 13 feet 6 inches high, and up to 100,000 pounds gross on five or more axles for non-divisible loads and containerized cargo (containerized cargo stays at 8 feet 6 inches wide), and 14 feet wide, 13 feet 6 inches high at legal weight for mobile homes. The permit is specific to the towing vehicle by VIN and tag and is valid one year from issuance. Up to 90,000 pounds gross, with no more than 40,000 pounds on a tandem group on five or more axles, may travel all US, SC, and interstate routes unless posted for load. Up to 100,000 pounds, with no more than 48,000 pounds on a tandem group or 55,000 pounds on a triaxle group on five or more axles and a minimum 40-foot trailer, may travel only the routes shown on the SC Oversize Truck Route Map. Secondary routes are prohibited on any multiple trip permit carrying weight above the legal allowance.
- Annual permit details: route specific upgrade
- A multiple trip route-specific permit may be submitted for permit office review at a maximum height of 15 feet and up to 130,000 pounds gross for non-divisible loads, 15 feet for mobile homes at legal weight, and 15 feet and up to 100,000 pounds for containerized cargo and open top containers.
- Annual permit details: transfer
- A multiple trip permit may be transferred to another vehicle only when the original is wrecked and inoperable, junked, sold, or stolen, on documentation from the insurance company, a junk title, or a bill of sale. The transfer fee is $10.
- Annual permit details: note
- A change of route, escort, or travel time requires a new permit rather than an amendment; other changes use the OS/OW Amendment Request Form.
- Escort notes: discretion
- SCDOT reserves the right to require escorts wherever it deems them necessary for safety. A vehicle transporting a load may not also serve as an escort vehicle.
- Escort notes: spacing
- A rear escort keeps 3 to 4 seconds of distance from the load. A front escort does not extend the spacing beyond one half mile.
- Escort notes: equipment
- At least one flashing amber, strobe amber, or rotating amber light mounted on top of every escort vehicle, operational during movement and visible 500 feet at 360 degrees. Vehicle lights may not substitute for warning lights, and headlights stay on while escorting. Signs or banners are required front and rear, or above the roofline visible from both, at least 12 inches high by 7 feet wide, reading OVERSIZE LOAD or WIDE LOAD in black letters 10 inches high and 1.5 inches wide on a yellow background.
- Escort notes: load marking
- Loads and mobile homes 12 feet wide or wider display the same OVERSIZE LOAD or WIDE LOAD sign on the front of the transporting vehicle and on the rear of the vehicle or load, plus 18-inch square fluorescent red or orange flags at each of the four outer corners. A load wider than 12 feet up to 14 feet needs a flashing or strobe amber light on the rear visible 500 feet at 360 degrees; over 14 feet up to 16 feet needs those lights on each outer rear corner.
- Escort notes: convoy
- Multiple permitted loads may not travel in convoy. Loads and their escorts must stay at least 2 miles apart, and exceptions are considered only on written request to the OSOW Permit Director while travelling under police escort.
- Permitted maximum dimensions: width note
- 16 feet maximum for both non-divisible loads and mobile homes. Wider moves are considered only on written request with drawings and a requested route.
- Permitted maximum dimensions: length note
- 125 feet maximum overall for non-divisible loads; 110 feet maximum overall for mobile homes, with the mobile home itself no more than 80 feet measured from the centre of the ball cup to the extreme end. A pole, pipe, log, or other structural material over 80 feet long needs a permit and must be non-divisible.
- Permitted maximum dimensions: height note
- Any permitted load must clear overhead structures on the permitted route by at least 3 inches. The transporter checks all overhead vertical clearances and arranges any raising or removal of wires, cables, or traffic signals at least 3 working days before the move. Every load 16 feet high or above needs a department-approved route survey before the permit issues, plus a front escort with a height pole for the entire move.
- Permitted maximum dimensions: overhang note
- Maximum rear overhang of 15 feet on a trailer shorter than 48 feet, or 10 feet on a 48-foot or 53-foot trailer, with flags and a rotating amber beacon or strobe on the rear of the load, or flags plus a rear civilian escort. Front overhang is capped at 3 feet on all trailers. Loads on expandable or pole trailers with more than 6 feet of rear overhang need flags plus a beacon or a rear escort. A straight truck 40 feet long bumper to bumper may carry 10 feet of rear overhang for a 50-foot overall dimension; a shorter straight truck must keep overhang legal.
- Penalties: detail
- Failure to comply with the laws, regulations, or guidelines can bring immediate revocation of the permit, including on convictions under S.C. Code Ann. 56-5-4160 and convictions from other state jurisdictions. A revoked permit is not reissued to the same transporting company, and the responsible party is not eligible for a permit to move that load. A second revocation within 6 months of the first brings a 1-year suspension, a third within 1 year of the second brings a 5-year suspension, and a fourth or later revocation is a permanent suspension.
- Statute note
- SCDOT states its own statutory authority for the OSOW guidelines as S.C. Code Ann. 56-5-4010 through 56-5-4230 and 57-3-130 through 57-3-190, and separately lists Title 56-5-4010, 4020, 4030, 4035, 4055, 4060, 4070, 4075, 4080, 4090, 4095, 4120, 4130, 4140 as the parts of the law that pertain to OSOW. The individual dimension and weight limits recorded above are cited to their own sections in legal_limit_citations.
| Dimension | Limit | Statute |
|---|---|---|
| Width | 102 inches (8 feet 6 inches) | S.C. Code Ann. 56-5-4030 |
| Height | 13 feet 6 inches, 14 feet for an automobile transporter or saddle mount combination holding an SCDOT routing permit | S.C. Code Ann. 56-5-4060 |
| Length | 40 feet for a single motor vehicle, 53 feet for a semitrailer in a two-unit combination, 28 feet 6 inches per trailer in a three-unit combination, 75 feet overall for auto and boat transporters and saddle mounts; no overall length limit on combination vehicles except where specifically prohibited | S.C. Code Ann. 56-5-4070 |
| Axle weight | 20,000 pounds on a single axle with low-pressure tires, 16,000 pounds with high-pressure, solid rubber, or cushion tires; 10,000 pounds on any one wheel with low-pressure tires, 8,000 pounds otherwise | S.C. Code Ann. 56-5-4130 |
| Gross weight | 73,280 pounds for a five-or-more-axle combination off the interstate; up to 80,000 pounds on the interstate under the bridge formula | S.C. Code Ann. 56-5-4140 |
| Axle group | Max weight lb | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Single axle (permitted) | 20,000 | A permitted single-axle weight above 20,000 pounds triggers the superload routing analysis. |
| Tandem axle (permitted) | 40,000 | |
| Tridem or quad axle (permitted) | 60,000 | A quad axle above 60,000 pounds must be reviewed and approved by SCDOT engineering. |
| Applies to | Minimum auto liability USD | Minimum general liability USD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| All oversize and overweight moves | 1,000,000 | 1,000,000 | SCDOT may require the vehicle owner, operator, or mover to furnish a bond or insurance before the move, in an amount SCDOT determines, as a guarantee that the permit conditions are met and to reimburse SCDOT for damage to the highway or structures and for inspection expenses. A minimum of one million dollars automobile and one million dollars general liability is required. |
| Loads of 180,000 pounds gross vehicle weight or more, or 16 feet or more overall width | Proof of insurance must be submitted with the application on an ACORD form or another form the OSOW Permit Director approves, naming SCDOT Oversize/Overweight Permit Office, PO Box 191, Columbia, SC 29202 as the certificate holder. |
| Name | Fee USD | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Permission permit for road machinery, products of husbandry, farm implements, fire apparatus, and timber equipment | 10 | S.C. Code Ann. 56-5-4020 partially exempts fire apparatus, road machinery and implements, products of husbandry including farm tractors, timber equipment, liquid fertilizer storage facilities, and vehicles used to transport, store, or spread lime, nitrogen, or other soil improvement products. Exempt vehicles may not exceed 12 feet in width, except farm implements at 16 feet, and may move only in clear weather during daylight hours. The $10 charge is the road machinery administrative fee. |
| Cotton Modular Vehicle Permit (annual) | 50 | A single motor vehicle used only to transport seed cotton modules, cotton, or cotton processing equipment. Continuous travel on all highways except the interstate. Maximum 110 inches wide and 50 feet long including bumpers and load. |
| Sheet Tobacco Truck Permit (annual) | 15 | A vehicle transporting tobacco in sheets, not exceeding 96 inches wide at the truck bed and 9 feet 6 inches at the widest part of the load above the bed. Continuous travel on all highways. |
| Culvert Pipe Permit (annual) | 15 | Vehicles transporting culvert pipe not exceeding 106 inches wide, under S.C. Code Ann. 56-5-4035. |
| Bulk Agricultural Permit | Authorises vehicles carrying bulk agricultural products, including unprocessed forest products and wood chips, that stay in a bulk, unpackaged, non-consumer-finished state. Continuous travel, maximum 8 feet 6 inches wide and 13 feet 6 inches high, gross weight no more than 90,000 pounds with individual axles no more than 23,000 pounds, on a trailer at least 40 feet long with five or more axles. Travel on US and SC routes only; interstate and secondary routes are prohibited without a route-specific permit. The permit expires when the vehicle leaves service, and a change of company, tag, or VIN needs a new one. SCDOT's fee schedule lists no separate charge for this permit, so none is recorded. | |
| House Moving License (annual) | 100 |
The South Carolina permit office
- Address
- 955 Park Street, Room G4, Columbia, SC 29201 (in person); P.O. Box 191, Columbia, SC 29202 (mail)
- Note
- All permit requests are submitted online. A company account must be set up through the Apply for Permits tab before ordering. SCDOT may accept an advance deposit in any amount to establish an escrow account, replenished by check, money order, or credit card transfer; a $5 credit card processing fee is charged by the card authorizer, not by SCDOT. Carriers seeking clearance to bypass a weigh station in an emergency call the State Transport Police at (803) 896-5500.
Legal limits before you need a permit
South Carolina writes its gross weight table by axle count and then layers interstate-only caps on top, which is why the same truck can be legal on one road and overweight on the next. The statutory ceiling for a five-axle combination off the interstate is lower than the figure most carriers plan against; the number they expect is available only on the interstate system and only through the federal bridge formula.
Width, height, and length follow their own sections of the Code. Height carries an exception for automobile transporters and saddle mount combinations, which takes a free SCDOT routing permit valid a year and does not shift liability for damage above the ordinary limit. Length is set per configuration rather than as one overall number, and South Carolina sets no overall length limit on combination vehicles except where the law prohibits one outright.
An enforcement tolerance applies to the state gross weight limits but never lifts a vehicle above the interstate caps, and it rises for unprocessed forest products and for sod on noninterstate routes. The limits table on this page carries each figure with its statute.
Single trip permits
A single trip permit covers one move over the legal limits along a defined route, tied to the towing vehicle and trailer by VIN and tag, and valid for a short window rather than a season. Pricing starts from a base fee and adds a width surcharge that steps up through brackets as the load gets wider.
The permitted dimensions have ceilings of their own. Width, overall length, front overhang, and rear overhang all top out, with rear overhang depending on trailer length, and anything beyond those ceilings is considered only on written request with drawings and a proposed route. Every permitted load must clear overhead structures by a published margin, and a load at or above the height threshold needs a certified route survey filed before the permit issues.
SCDOT states that this fee schedule was last revised in 2012, so these are prices you can plan a year of moves around rather than re-check every quarter. The fee schedule table on this page lists each component with its amount.
The annual multiple trip permit
For repeated oversize work the multiple trip permit is auto-issued around the clock for non-divisible loads, mobile homes, and containerized cargo, and runs a year from issue. It belongs to one towing vehicle by VIN and tag rather than to the company, so a replacement truck needs a transfer, which SCDOT allows only when the original is wrecked and inoperable, junked, sold, or stolen and documented.
Route access is tiered by weight rather than open. Up to the lower weight tier, with a cap on the tandem group, the permit runs all US, SC, and interstate routes unless a road is posted for load. Above that, up to the higher tier and with a minimum trailer length, travel is confined to the routes shown on the SC Oversize Truck Route Map. Roads below the US, SC, and interstate classes are closed to any multiple trip permit carrying weight above the legal allowance.
Changing the route, the escort arrangement, or the travel time takes a new permit rather than an amendment.
Escort requirements
Escorts phase in by dimension and South Carolina brings police in earlier than many states. Crossing the first width band takes one front escort, but only on two-lane highways. The next band takes front and rear escorts on all roadways. Past the top width band the load takes two civilian escorts and two police escorts on all roadways unless the SCDOT Permit Director grants a written exception, and the escorting officers may require more.
Height and length have their own triggers: at the height threshold a front escort with a height measuring device rides the entire move and a certified route survey must reach the permit office before the permit issues, and long overall lengths take a rear escort and then a front and rear pair.
Escort vehicles carry their own equipment rules for amber warning lighting and sign dimensions, keep published spacing from the load, and may not also be carrying a load. Permitted loads may not travel in convoy and must stay well apart. The escort table on this page carries each threshold and placement.
When oversize loads can move
Travel time is keyed to width. Ordinary permitted loads and mobile homes run sunrise to sunset every day of the week. Wider loads keep the same daylight window but lose the morning and afternoon commuter periods in close proximity to large urban areas, with the afternoon block running longer on school days. The widest loads are confined to a mid-day band that is shorter still on school days.
Six holidays close the road to permitted movement, and the Permit Director may extend the block from midday before to midday after based on the route and the load. Weather stops a move outright: no movement during heavy rain or fog that cuts visibility below the published distance, during high winds, or when the road is slippery from ice, snow, or sleet.
The summer coastal rule is the one to calendar. From Memorial Day through Labor Day, movement is prohibited on Saturdays and Sundays east of I-95 across a named list of Myrtle Beach area routes and on the coastal highway from the North Carolina line south to Georgetown.
Superloads and the review clock
Past the single trip ceiling South Carolina moves you into a superload review: any non-divisible load over the published gross weight line, or any single axle over its published limit, needs additional routing analysis. That analysis takes several business days, and SCDOT asks for any request to exceed the maximum permitted sizes and weights, with drawings, photographs, the proposed route, and reasons, days before the move date.
Documentation steps up with weight. Past one threshold a certificate of insurance must be submitted or already be on file. Past a higher one the manufacturer's documentation of the load's weight and dimensions and the empty weight of the truck and trailer come with the application, and SCDOT may require an independent structural analysis by a licensed engineer.
Pricing is a ladder rather than a single fee, and the application fee is not refunded on a denial even though ordinary permit fees are. The superload fields on this page carry the thresholds and each fee component.
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 South Carolina permit stack, see South Carolina trucking permits.
Frequently asked questions
What can I haul in South Carolina without an oversize permit?
- Anything inside the published limits for width, height, length by configuration, axle group, and gross weight. Watch the gross weight line off the interstate, which is lower than the figure most carriers assume; the higher number is available on the interstate system through the federal bridge formula. The limits table on this page lists each figure with its statute.
How much does a South Carolina single trip oversize permit cost?
- A base permit fee plus a width surcharge that steps up in brackets as the load gets wider, with superload charges stacking on top past the heavy thresholds. SCDOT states the schedule was last revised in 2012. The sourced fee schedule on this page lists each component and amount.
When does an oversize load need a police escort in South Carolina?
- Past the top width band, where the load takes two civilian escorts plus a front and rear police escort on all roadways unless the SCDOT Permit Director grants a written exception. Below that, escorts are civilian: one front escort on two-lane highways in the first band, front and rear on all roadways in the next. The escort table on this page carries each threshold.
Does South Carolina restrict oversize moves to daylight hours?
- Yes, and it goes further for wide loads. Ordinary permitted loads run sunrise to sunset, wider loads lose the weekday commuter windows near large urban areas, and the widest run only in a mid-day band that shrinks on school days. Six holidays block movement outright and weather can stop a move at any time.
What counts as a superload in South Carolina?
- A non-divisible load over the published gross weight line, or any single axle over its published limit. Both need routing analysis that takes several business days, and heavier bands add insurance documentation, manufacturer weight and dimension paperwork, and possibly an independent engineering analysis. The superload fields on this page carry the thresholds.
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.