When do I need a Caltrans transportation permit?

When a vehicle or load exceeds the legal width, height, length, or gross weight limits recorded on this page and the move uses the state highway system. Moves on city or county roads need permits from those jurisdictions instead.

What does an oversize permit cost in California?

Each permit type carries a flat fee, and the sourced fee schedule on this page lists the amount and duration for single trip, annual, and repetitive permits. CHP escort charges, when a permit requires them, are billed separately by the CHP.

At what width do I need pilot cars in California?

There is no single statewide answer. Caltrans determines pilot car requirements per route segment through its pilot car maps and the conditions printed on the permit, so the same load can need different escorts on different routes. Check the maps for your route rather than assuming a width line.

Are there travel time restrictions on oversize loads?

Yes. Wider loads face curfews around the major urban areas named in the sourced field, holiday travel runs under published special conditions, and travel-hour limits appear as conditions on the permit itself rather than as one statewide rule.

What counts as a superload in California?

A move past the width, height, or length lines recorded in the sourced superload field. Those moves take special Caltrans processing instead of standard issuance, and the tallest ones need a written route survey from the applicant.

California Oversize and Overweight Permits

By Evan Reid, Founder of Haul Handbook · Updated Jul 18, 2026

California legal limits (no permit needed at or under these)

Width: 8.5 ft
Height: 14 ft
Gross weight: 80,000 lb
Length: single_vehicle_ft: 40 ft
Length: combination_overall_ft: 65 ft
Length: doubles_overall_ft: 75 ft
Length: doubles_note: A doubles combination may run to 75 feet overall only when neither trailer exceeds 28 feet 6 inches (CVC 35401(b)(1)).
Length: semitrailer_exclusive_lane_network_ft: 48 ft
Length: semitrailer_max_ft: 53 ft
Length: semitrailer_note: A semitrailer up to 53 feet is legal with two or more rear axles and a maximum 40 foot kingpin-to-rearmost-axle (KPRA) distance, or with a single axle and a maximum 38 foot KPRA (CVC 35401.5(a)(1)).
Axle limits: single axle lb: 20,000
Off interstate limits: note: California applies its legal size and weight limits through the Vehicle Code statewide rather than a separate off-interstate table, but access is route-dependent: 53 foot semitrailers are limited by KPRA, cities and counties may restrict KPRA to 38 feet on local roads (CVC 35401(e)), and Caltrans publishes truck route network maps (National Network, Terminal Access, California Legal) that govern where each configuration may operate.
Statute: CVC 35400 (length, single vehicle); CVC 35401, 35401.5 (combinations, KPRA); CVC 35550, 35551 (weight)

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.

California legal axle weight limits by axle group
Axle group	Maximum weight
Single axle	20,000 lb
Tandem axle set	34,000 lb (34,000 lb per set (two consecutive sets carry 68,000 lb combined) when spaced 36 feet or more apart; intermediate spacings follow the axle-group weight chart in CVC 35551(a).)

Scroll sideways to see every column.

Permit fees

Single trip: $16 (A single trip permit costs 16 dollars and is valid for 7 consecutive days.)
Annual permit: $90
Annual eligibility: Annual permits cover loads up to 12 feet 0 inches wide, 14 feet 0 inches high, and 40 feet 0 inches maximum kingpin-to-rear-axle, for one year. Repetitive permits (90 dollars, maximum 90 day duration) cover a repeated identical move up to 12 feet wide, 14 feet 6 inches high, and 90 feet long.

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 California oversize permit cost worked examples.

Escort thresholds

Dimension	Threshold	Escorts	Police escort
width	route-specific	per the Caltrans Single Trip Pilot Car Maps	No
as specified on permit	when the permit requires CHP escort	CHP	Yes

Travel restrictions

Daylight only: Travel-hour limits are set per permit and route; the FAQ does not publish a blanket statewide daylight-only rule, so this field is left blank rather than inferred.
Curfews: Loads exceeding 10 feet wide are subject to travel curfews in the Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Diego, and San Francisco urban areas.
Weekend / holiday: Special Conditions for Holiday Travel apply to certain permits; check the current holiday moratorium bulletin when routing.
Wind / weather: No statewide wind-speed shutdown threshold is published on the Caltrans permits pages; wind restrictions, when applied, appear as permit conditions.
Flags lighting: Warning flag and lighting requirements follow CVC 25103, 25104, and 25270.

Daylight hours rule: Travel-hour limits are set per permit and route; the FAQ does not publish a blanket statewide daylight-only rule, so this field is left blank rather than inferred.
Flags lighting: Warning flag and lighting requirements follow CVC 25103, 25104, and 25270.

Superload and beyond-permit review

Loads past the standard single-trip permit thresholds get individual state review rather than an off-the-shelf permit.

Loads over 15 feet wide, over 17 feet high, or over 135 feet long require special Caltrans processing rather than standard issuance. Heights greater than 17 feet additionally require a written route survey from the applicant. Extra-legal weight moves are evaluated against the permit weight tables (for example 30,000 lb maximum on any single axle) and may require structure (bridge) review.

Width ft over: 15
Height ft over: 17
Length ft over: 135

More California permit rules

Permit required when: note: A Caltrans transportation permit is required for loads greater than 8 feet 6 inches wide, 14 feet 0 inches high, or over 80,000 pounds gross, and for vehicles or loads exceeding the legal length limits, on the state highway system. Cities and counties issue their own permits for local roads.
Single trip fee USD: 16
Single trip fee note: A single trip permit costs 16 dollars and is valid for 7 consecutive days.
Annual permit eligibility: Annual permits cover loads up to 12 feet 0 inches wide, 14 feet 0 inches high, and 40 feet 0 inches maximum kingpin-to-rear-axle, for one year. Repetitive permits (90 dollars, maximum 90 day duration) cover a repeated identical move up to 12 feet wide, 14 feet 6 inches high, and 90 feet long.
Seasonal permits note: Caltrans does not list a seasonal or harvest oversize permit class; the published categories are Single Trip, Annual, Repetitive, Sea Container, Variance, and Motorsport.

Permit type	Fee USD	Duration
Single trip	16	7 consecutive days
Annual	90	1 year
Repetitive	90	Maximum 90 days

The California permit office

Name: Caltrans, Transportation Permits (Office of Commercial Vehicle Operations)
Phone: (916) 322-1297
Note: Caltrans issues six permit categories: Single Trip (I and II), Annual, Repetitive, Sea Container, Variance, and Motorsport.

Legal limits and truck routes

The sourced limits fields carry California's width, height, length, and gross weight lines, plus the axle rules. Length is where the state gets particular: combination limits vary by configuration, longer semitrailers ride on a kingpin-to-rear-axle measurement, and cities and counties may restrict that measurement further on local roads. Caltrans also publishes truck route network maps that govern where each configuration may operate, so the network matters as much as the numbers.

Permit types and fees

Caltrans issues single trip, annual, repetitive, sea container, variance, and motorsport permits. A single trip permit covers one move for a set run of consecutive days, an annual permit covers qualifying dimensions for a full year, and a repetitive permit covers an identical move repeated over a bounded window. Each carries a flat fee, and the sourced fee schedule lists the amount, the duration, and the dimension ceilings for each type.

Escorts, curfews, and travel windows

California publishes no statewide width-to-escort table. Pilot car needs for a single trip permit come from the Caltrans pilot car maps for the route plus the conditions printed on the permit itself, so two moves of the same width can carry different escort requirements. When a permit calls for a CHP escort, you schedule it with the CHP and the CHP bills separately. Wider loads face travel curfews around the Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Diego, and San Francisco urban areas, and holiday travel runs under its own published conditions.

Superloads

Moves past the width, height, or length lines in the sourced superload field leave standard issuance and go through special Caltrans processing. The tallest moves need a written route survey from the applicant before the permit issues, and extra-legal weight is checked against the permit weight tables with possible structure review along the route. Build lead time into any move near those lines.

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 California permit stack, see California trucking permits.