Cart

Michigan · Oversize & Overweight

Michigan Oversize & Overweight Permits filed with MDOT for you, 24/7

In Michigan, a load over 8 ft 6 in wide on designated highways, 13 ft 6 in high or the legal axle weights needs an MDOT transport permit, filed in MiTRIP. That permit covers state trunklines only; county and city roads need their own permits. Send us the load and route: our permit desk quotes the price and files every permit the trip needs.

Request a permit

What will an oversize permit in Michigan cost?

Enter your pickup and delivery locations, choose your permit type, and compare estimated permit costs across route options.

  1. Oversize and overweight permits across the lower 48 and DC
  2. State-by-state fee breakdown for each route option
  3. Order your permit or talk to a specialist
Calculate permit cost

Michigan rules

Michigan legal limits and permit rules

The size and weight Michigan allows without a permit, when MDOT asks for escorts and when a permitted load may run.

Legal limits without a permit

Width, designated highways
8 ft 6 in
Width, other roads
8 ft
Height
13 ft 6 in
Single vehicle
40 ft
Semitrailer
50 ft; 53 ft on designated highways
Axle, 9 ft spacing or more
18,000 lbs
Axle, under 9 ft spacing
13,000 lbs
Axles
11 max
Gross, interstates
80,000 lbs
Gross, 11 axles off the interstate
164,000 lbs

Escorts

Escort vehicle
Car or pickup with an amber light and a 5 ft x 12 in OVERSIZE LOAD sign
How many
Set by your permit's conditions
Over 14 ft 6 in high
Lead escort with a fixed measuring device
Police supervision
When the permit requires it
Mobile homes over 12 ft to 14 ft wide
Rear escort
Mobile homes over 14 ft wide or 100 ft long
Front and rear escorts
Mackinac Bridge
Mackinac Bridge Authority escort

When you can move

Permitted loads
Monday to Friday, ½ hour before sunrise to ½ hour after sunset
Weekends, up to 10 ft wide, 14 ft high, 90 ft long
All day Saturday and Sunday until 3 p.m.; not mobile homes
Holidays
New Year's, Memorial Day, July 4, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas: noon the day before to daylight the day after
Friday or Monday holiday
No movement all three days of the weekend
Metro curfew
No moves 7–9 a.m. and 3–6 p.m. in 11 counties
Wind
Permit not valid over 25 mph
Spring restrictions, March–May
No overweight permits; 11 axles and 14 ft wide max

Source: Michigan Vehicle Code MCL 257.717, 257.719 and 257.722; MDOT Transport Permits publications T-1, T-2, T-3, Form 2260A permit conditions and the oversize-overweight FAQ; House Fiscal Agency 2018 report. Your permit's own conditions always apply.

Which permit you need

Michigan permits for oversize and overweight loads

  1. One move in a five-day window

    Single-trip permit

    One trip within five days, with the return trip allowed inside the same window. Single-trip permits go up to 16 ft wide, 15 ft high and 150 ft long.

  2. Over 16 ft wide, 15 ft high or 150 ft long

    Superload permit

    Apply at least 10 working days ahead, with a letter and MDOT's route survey form.

  3. Annual, for listed load types

    Extended permit

    Covers construction equipment, agricultural loads, mobile homes, poles, logging and milk. Extended permits are not available to for-hire carriers.

  4. Off the state trunklines

    County and city permits

    An MDOT permit covers state trunklines only. Where the route uses county roads or city streets, those roads need their own permits.

Routes and road rules

Where Michigan routes add their own rules

Bridges to the Upper Peninsula and Canada and the metro counties each change how a permitted load moves.

  1. Mackinac Bridge

    Notify the bridge at least 24 hours ahead. A Mackinac Bridge Authority escort takes the load across, in daylight only.

    Wind:No crossing when wind exceeds 25 mph.

  2. International Bridge, Sault Ste. Marie

    The International Bridge Administration needs 24 hours' notice and escorts the load across.

    Plan:Build the notice period into the delivery date.

  3. Blue Water and Ambassador bridges

    Both crossings to Canada need contact at least 24 hours before an oversize load arrives.

    Also:MDOT presumes the carrier knows the current construction bulletins.

  4. Detroit, Grand Rapids and nine more counties

    Permits are not valid from 7 to 9 a.m. and 3 to 6 p.m. in Genesee, Ingham, Jackson, Kalamazoo, Kent, Macomb, Muskegon, Oakland, Saginaw, Washtenaw and Wayne counties.

    Plan:Cross metro counties between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m.

Michigan industries

Michigan permits for the loads Michigan hauls

Beside the single-trip permit, MDOT has extended permits written for equipment, timber and manufactured housing.

  1. Construction

    Construction equipment

    Extended permits up to 12 ft 6 in wide, 14 ft high, 85 ft long, 24,000 lbs per axle and 150,000 lbs gross.

  2. Timber

    Raw forest products

    Moved on extended permits only, on specific routes between Michigan and Wisconsin.

  3. Manufactured housing

    Mobile homes

    A rear escort over 12 ft wide, front and rear over 14 ft wide or 100 ft long. Mobile homes do not get the weekend window.

  4. Farm and utility

    Agricultural, poles, logging and milk

    More extended permit categories, open to carriers that are not for-hire.

How it works

Your Michigan permit in three steps

  1. Send the load and route

    Truck, trailer, dimensions, weight, origin and destination. Your fleet details are saved for next time.

  2. We check and file

    Our permit desk checks the Michigan rules for your load and files with MDOT.

  3. Get your permit

    You get the permit PDF, a written route and an interactive route map to share with the driver.

From our permit desk

What we check before filing in Michigan

  1. Is the move in spring?

    From March to May axle loads drop 25% on concrete and 35% on other roads, and MDOT issues no overweight permits. We check the dates and the load before we promise a move.

  2. Holiday weekends run three days

    When a holiday falls on a Friday or Monday, the whole weekend is closed. We plan the departure so the load is delivered before the ban starts.

  3. Does the route leave the trunklines?

    An MDOT permit ends where a county road or city street begins. We mark those segments so the local permits are in place too.

FAQ

Michigan oversize permit questions

Does an MDOT permit cover Michigan county roads and city streets?

No. MDOT transport permits cover state trunklines only. County roads and city streets need their own permits from the county or city.

How much does a Michigan oversize permit cost?

It depends on the load's size and weight and on the route; Michigan bases its permit fees on the state's legal axle weights. Put your route into our permit cost calculator for an estimate, or send us the load and our permit desk quotes the exact price before filing.

Can a permitted load run on a Saturday or Sunday in Michigan?

Yes, if it is no more than 10 ft wide, 14 ft high and 90 ft long: all day Saturday and on Sunday until 3 p.m. Mobile homes and bigger loads move Monday to Friday only.

What happens to overweight permits during Michigan's spring weight restrictions?

MDOT issues none. From March to May axle loads are cut 25% on concrete roads and 35% on other roads, and permitted loads are limited to 11 axles and 14 ft wide.

How does a wide load get across the Mackinac Bridge?

Notify the bridge at least 24 hours ahead. The Mackinac Bridge Authority escorts the load across in daylight, and the crossing is off when wind exceeds 25 mph.

Is there a gross weight limit in Michigan?

Not as such. Michigan law limits axle weights and allows up to 11 axles, which puts an 11-axle combination at 164,000 lbs. Interstates follow the federal formula and the 80,000 lbs cap.

How does Route One GO get my Michigan permit?

Send us the truck, trailer, load dimensions, axle spacing and weights, and route. Our permit desk checks the season, the bridges and the metro curfews, files with MDOT in MiTRIP and sends you the permit with a route map. Requests are taken 24/7.

Keep going

More on truck permits

24/7 permit desk

Need a permit in Michigan for this load?

Send the details once. We file with MDOT, plus every other state on your route.

Request a permit