Connecticut OS/OD Overview
Permit Required
Yes – all oversize or overweight vehicles require a permit from the Connecticut Department of Transportation (ConnDOT).
Legal Limits (Without Permit)
- Width: 8'6"
- Height: 13'6"
- Length: 65' (overall combo), 48'/53' trailer (with restrictions)
- Weight: 80,000 lbs GVW
Permitted Load Maximums (Typical Upper Limits)
- Width: the permit-limit paragraph further down this page gives 16' as the routine ceiling and also calls anything over 14' wide a superload. Those two do not square, neither figure is in my escort dataset, and I am not going to pick one — ask the permit office which applies to your load. What is settled is the escort side: front and rear pilots over 13'6"
- Height: Routine permits to 14'; over 14' high needs a route survey before the permit is ordered, and 13'6" is the ceiling for any kind of building
- Length: same problem — 130' is given as the routine ceiling and 120' as the superload line, in the same paragraph. Unconfirmed either way. The escort side is settled: 1 rear pilot over 80' on undivided highways, front and rear over 100' on all routes
- Weight: Over 140,000 lbs requires an engineer review and longer processing time
Superloads require coordination with ConnDOT engineering and utility departments.
Travel Hours
- Standard: ½ hour after sunrise to ½ hour before sunset – not the wider before-sunrise-to-after-sunset window printed on some sites
- Rush hours: No moves 6:30 to 9:00 a.m. or 4:00 to 6:00 p.m.
- Wide or tall loads: Over 13'6" wide or over 14' high travel Tuesday through Thursday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. only
- Weekends: No weekend travel, except limited Saturday and Sunday permits for loads no more than 12' wide and 80' long and under 160,000 lbs – request it when you order the permit
- Holidays: No travel on New Year's, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas
Escort Requirements
| Dimension | Escort Requirement |
|---|---|
| Width > 12' | Divided highway: 1 rear pilot. Undivided highway: front and rear pilot |
| Width > 13'6" | Front and rear pilot, all routes |
| Width > 13'5" and height > 15' | CT State Police front and rear – combined condition, both have to be true |
| Height > 14' | Front pilot with height pole, all routes; route survey required at 14'1" and up |
| Height 15'4" and up | CT State Police front and rear – and from 15'1" up when the load is 13'6" wide or wider |
| Length > 80' | 1 rear pilot on undivided highways |
| Length > 100' | Front and rear pilot, all routes |
| Front or rear overhang > 25' | Front and rear escort on undivided highways |
These come from Conn. Gen. Stat. § 14-267a and the CTDOT oversize/overweight permit conditions. Two numbers that circulate elsewhere are wrong: the pole car starts at over 14' high, not over 14'6", and the State Police tier starts at 15'4", not 15'3". Your permit conditions govern – confirm the route with the ConnDOT permit office.
Additional Notes
- All oversize loads must display “Oversize Load” signs and red/orange flags
- Amber lights are required on escort vehicles
- Connecticut has many low bridges and tight turns – route analysis is critical
- Permits are issued via the Connecticut oversize/overweight online system
Detailed Information
PERMITS: valid for three days.
OPERATING TIME: Daylight only (one-half hour after sunrise to one-half hour before sunset), no weekends or
holidays. No moves 6:30 to 9:00 a.m. or 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. Loads over 13'6" wide or over 14' high can only travel Tuesday through Thursday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The State of Connecticut is continuing its pilot program allowing some weekend travel: limited Saturday and Sunday permits for loads no more than 12’ wide and 80’ long and under 160,000 lbs. Weekend must be requested when ordering permit. Pilot program is subject to change, so verify the current terms with the permit office.
RESTRICTED TRAVEL: No travel on major holidays (New Years, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas). If holiday falls on Monday, shut down is at 12:00 noon on Friday. For Thanksgiving and Christmas, shut down is at 12:00 noon on the day before the Holiday. Ask the Permit Office to verify, as these may be subject to change from year to year.
LEGAL DIMENSIONS: Width: 8'6" Height: 13'6" (Note: CT will not issue a permit for overheight for any kind of a building.) Length: 48' trailer. Note: 53' semi-trailer is only legal on Interstate and Designated Highways if the distance between the kingpin and the center of the rear axle does not exceed 43'. (Kingpin setting does not matter on a single piece O/D load permit load but the 43’ maximum does apply on a multiple piece load, even when the extra pieces are legal size).
Note: You can be fined $750 if you have a 53' semi-trailer traveling without a permit and kingpin setting over 43' if you are traveling empty unless the return trip is shown on your permit!
Overhang: No permit need for overhang, but overhang over 4’ needs flagged for day and lighted for night.
Weight: 80,000 Gross Single – 22,400 Tandem – 36,000 Tridem – 42,500
ROUTINE PERMIT LIMITS: Width: 16' Height: 14' (Route survey required for height over 14'); 13'6” is the maximum height for any kind of building Length: 130' Weight: Tridem – 67,500. Single – 22,500 Tandem – 40,000 Connecticut does not go strictly by axle weights. They will go as high as 25,000 on a single, providing that the manufacturer’s rating is not exceeded and provided that the gross is within the limits stated above for 5, 6 or 7 axles. Over 14' wide, 14' high or 120 long is considered a Super Load. Over 140,000 lbs. requires an engineer review.
ESCORTS: Width: Over 12' – 1 rear pilot on divided highways, front and rear on undivided highways; over 13'6" – front and rear on all routes. Height: Over 14' – 1 front pilot with pole on all routes (route survey required at 14'1" and up, before ordering the permit). 15'4" and up – CT State Police front and rear, and that State Police requirement starts at 15'1" when the load is 13'6" wide or wider. A load over 13'5" wide that is also over 15' high takes State Police front and rear as well. Length: Over 80' – 1 rear pilot on undivided highways; over 100' – front and rear pilot on all routes. Overhang: Front or rear overhang over 25' – front and rear escort on undivided highways. Connecticut has no three-escort width tier and no separate over-120' length tier, though both are printed elsewhere; and the State Police height trigger is 15'4", not the 15'3" that circulates.
MISCELLANEOUS: When hauling equipment with a blade up to 14' wide, blade can remain attached. If overweight and weight can be reduced by removing the blade, then the blade must be hauled separately. Connecticut does not issue permits for containers. Connecticut will not issue a permit of overheight on any kind of building.
SIGNS & FLAGS: "Oversize Load" signs are required on loads over 10' wide or 13'6" high. Over 4' of overhang must be flagged during the day and lighted at night. Flags are required on all corners of the permitted vehicle on any oversize or overweight load, and on widest points of wide loads.
