Virginia OS/OD Overview
Permit Required
Yes – any load exceeding legal dimensions or weight requires a permit from the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles (Virginia DMV), Hauling Permits Section.
Legal Limits (Without Permit)
- Width: 8'6"
- Height: 13'6"
- Length: 65' (combo); 53' trailer allowed
- Weight: 80,000 lbs GVW (with standard axle spacing)
Permitted Loads — Escort Tiers and Upper Limits
- Width: escort counts step up at over 12', over 14', and over 16', and each tier differs on interstate vs. noninterstate routes; over 18' wide is handled case-by-case
- Height: over 14'5" takes a front escort running a height pole set 3" above the load height
- Length: rear escort over 90' on noninterstate routes and over 120' on interstate routes; front and rear over 150' on all routes; over 200' is handled case-by-case
- Weight: Over 150,000 lbs with bridge and engineering analysis
Loads over 18' wide or over 200' long fall outside the escort table entirely — 24VAC20-82-130 says they are handled on a case-by-case basis, so the escort count for those comes from the permit itself, not from a published tier. The escort regulation sets no state-police threshold; if a permit calls for a trooper, that comes out of that load's own provisions.
Travel Hours
- Standard: Sunrise to sunset, Monday through Saturday
- Saturday: A normal travel day, sunrise to sunset. There is no noon Saturday cutoff — the “nothing moves after noon Saturday” version that circulates is the holiday rule flattened onto the weekend
- Sunday: No travel, except loads that are overweight only, or overlength at 85' or less
- Holidays: No travel on six state holidays — New Year's, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas. The permit is void from noon of the preceding weekday through the holiday
- Night travel: The window is daylight only. The two exceptions are the overweight-only and overlength-85'-or-less cases above — the “under 10' wide and under 14' high may run at night” allowance you will find on other sites is not in the rule
Escort Requirements (24VAC20-82-130)
| Dimension | Escort Requirement |
|---|---|
| Width over 12' | Noninterstate: 1 front + 1 rear. Interstate: 1 rear only. |
| Width over 14' | Noninterstate: 2 front + 1 rear (three cars). Interstate: 1 front + 1 rear. |
| Width over 16' | Noninterstate: 2 front + 2 rear. Interstate: 1 front + 2 rear. |
| Width over 18' | No published tier — handled case-by-case. |
| Length over 90' | Noninterstate: 1 rear. Interstate: nothing required yet at this length. |
| Length over 120' | Interstate: 1 rear. On noninterstate routes the rear escort has already applied since 90'. |
| Length over 150' | 1 front + 1 rear on all routes. |
| Length over 200' | No published tier — handled case-by-case. |
| Height over 14'5" | 1 front escort with a height pole, both road types. Pole set 3" above load height. |
| Front overhang over 10' | 1 front escort, both road types. |
| Rear overhang over 15' | 1 rear escort, both road types. |
Two things to get right about this table. First, the split is interstate vs. noninterstate — not two-lane vs. multi-lane. A divided four-lane US or state route is noninterstate and takes the noninterstate count, which is the higher one. Second, every trigger reads “exceeds,” so a load measuring exactly 12'0", 14'0", 16'0", 90'0", 120'0" or 150'0" does not trip that tier. If you have seen a Virginia table showing a flat “1 escort over 12 feet,” a length trigger at 125', or a height pole at 14' even, none of those are in the regulation — over 12' wide on a noninterstate route is two cars, front and rear, and 125' appears nowhere in 24VAC20-82-130. Source: 24VAC20-82-130.
Additional Notes
- Loads must display “Oversize Load” signs, red/orange flags, and amber flashing lights
- Urban areas like Northern Virginia may have time-of-day restrictions
- Permits are issued through the Virginia Hauling Permit System (Vahps)
- Every escort must hold the Virginia Certified Vehicle Escort Driver credential; the certification runs a five-year term (24VAC20-82-130)
Detailed Information
PERMITS: Permits valid for thirteen consecutive days. For loads over 14’ wide, permits valid for five days. Must have permit prior to entering the state.
OPERATING TIME: Sunrise to sunset, Monday through Saturday. Saturday is a full travel day under that same window. No Sunday travel, with two exceptions: loads that are overweight only, and overlength loads of 85' or less. On holidays, the permit is void from noon of the preceding weekday through the holiday itself, and the holiday list is six days — New Year's, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas.
RESTRICTED TRAVEL: Except when travel is on the Interstate system, no travel is permitted within the corporate limits of cities/towns between the hours of 7:00 to 9:00 AM or 4:00 to 6:00 PM. In addition, these curfew hours apply to Interstate routes in the Capital Beltway area (I-495, I-395, I95), in the Richmond area (I-64 between I-95 and I-295 east and west, on I-95 from Route 73 North of Richmond to I-295 South of Richmond), within the city limits of Petersburg (South of Richmond) on I-85 and I-95, on I-581 and Loop 419 in the Roanoke area, and in the Tidewater Area (Newport News, Hampton, Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Portsmouth on I-64 south of US17, and on I-264, I-464, I-564, and I-664). No travel on the six state holidays listed above, and the permit is void from noon of the preceding weekday through the holiday itself. Newport News-Portsmouth-Norfolk area note: Permits are required on all but the main Interstate Highways in this area. Fines are very high for unauthorized travel. Permit turnaround time is 24 – 72 hours, so planning ahead is recommended.
LEGAL DIMENSIONS: Width: 8'6" Height: 13'6" Length: 48' semitrailer/53' semi trailer, with 41' kingpin to center of rear tandem; 65' on non-designated highways Overhang: 3' front, 4' rear Weight: 80,000 Gross Single – 20,000 Tandem – 34,000 Tridem – 42,500 (designated highways, 9' axle spacing)
ROUTINE PERMIT LIMITS: Width: 15' Height: 15' Length: 150' Overhang: Rear overhang not to exceed 1/3 length of load, 2/3 of which must rest upon truck or trailer bed. Weight: Single – 24,000 Tandem – 44,000 Tridem – 54,500 Quad – 64,500 Loads exceeding these dimensions are treated as super loads. Allow 5 to 10 days for processing.
ESCORTS: Virginia splits every escort tier by interstate vs. noninterstate route, and the counts below are positions, not a lump total. Width: over 12' – 1 front + 1 rear on noninterstate routes, rear only on interstate; over 14' – 2 front + 1 rear on noninterstate, 1 front + 1 rear on interstate; over 16' – 2 front + 2 rear on noninterstate, 1 front + 2 rear on interstate; over 18' – case-by-case. Length: over 90' – 1 rear on noninterstate routes; over 120' – 1 rear on interstate routes; over 150' – 1 front + 1 rear on all routes; over 200' – case-by-case. Height: over 14'5" – 1 front escort with a height pole, both road types, pole set 3" above the load height. Overhang: front over 10' – 1 front escort; rear over 15' – 1 rear escort, both road types. Every trigger is written as “exceeds,” so the round figure itself does not trip the tier. Every escort must hold the Virginia Certified Vehicle Escort Driver credential, a five-year certification. Source: 24VAC20-82-130.
MISCELLANEOUS: The attachment shall be pointed to the rear. Blade, bucket or scoop attachments that are 12 feet wide or less may remain attached to the equipment.
SIGNS, FLAGS & LIGHTS: "Oversize Load" signs are required on front and rear of the vehicle/load for all over-dimensional permit loads. Flags must be displayed on all four corners of all oversize loads, and at the widest extremities of the vehicle or load on wide loads and at the extreme rear of overlength loads. Flags must also be used on rear overhangs exceeding 4 feet, and a red light visible for at least 500 feet must be displayed if traveling at night. When vehicle/load exceeds 12' wide or 75' long, flashing amber lights, visible for 500', must be displayed on the tractor and at the upper rear end of the load or vehicle. However, amber lights are not needed if the load is accompanied by escort vehicles with amber flashing lights on each escort vehicle. Signs are not required for movements that are overweight only.
