Cart

North Carolina · Oversize & Overweight

North Carolina Oversize & Overweight Permits filed with NCDOT for you, 24/7

In North Carolina, a load over 8 ft 6 in wide, 14 ft high or 80,000 lbs needs an NCDOT oversize/overweight permit, filed in PIMS. Over 10 ft wide, the mountain routes on NCDOT's PF-8 list are closed, and over 12 ft the load stays out of Charlotte, Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill at rush hour. 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 North Carolina 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

North Carolina rules

North Carolina legal limits and permit rules

The size and weight North Carolina allows without a permit, when NCDOT asks for escorts and when a permitted load may run.

Legal limits without a permit

Width
8 ft 6 in
Height
14 ft
Single vehicle
40 ft
Combination
60 ft
Semitrailer, past the 60 ft cap
53 ft
Front overhang
3 ft
Single axle
20,000 lbs
Tandem axle
38,000 lbs
Gross weight, bridge table
80,000 lbs

Escorts

Over 12 ft wide
Front escort on two-lane roads; rear on multi-lane
Over 14 ft wide
Front and rear escorts on two-lane roads
Over 16 ft wide
Three escorts, one of them the State Highway Patrol
Over 14 ft 5 in high
Front escort with a height pole
Over 110 ft long
Rear escort; two escorts over 150 ft
150,000 lbs or more
Front escort
Escort drivers
North Carolina certified: 8-hour course and exam, good four years

When you can move

Permitted loads
Sunrise to sunset, Monday through Sunday, unless the permit says otherwise
Around the clock
Up to 112,000 lbs and 10 ft wide, with no other over-dimension
Holidays
July 4, Thanksgiving, Christmas: noon the weekday before to noon the weekday after
Metro curfew, over 12 ft wide
No moves 7–9 a.m. and 4–6 p.m. within 10 miles of Charlotte, Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill
Visibility
No moves under 500 ft
Convoys
At least two miles apart

Source: N.C.G.S. 20-116 and 20-118; 19A NCAC 02D .0600; NCDOT Oversize/Overweight Permit Unit publications ST-1, AN-1, E-9, SL-6, PF-8 and the 2026 holiday schedule. Your permit's own conditions always apply.

Which permit you need

North Carolina permits for oversize and overweight loads

  1. One one-way move

    Single-trip permit

    One one-way trip, valid 10 calendar days. Single-trip permits go up to 16 ft 11 in wide and 132,000 lbs.

  2. Repeat moves for 12 months

    Annual permit

    Up to 12 ft wide and 105 ft long. Over 90,000 lbs, the permit lists the routes it is good for, up to 10.

  3. 132,000 lbs or more, or 15 ft wide or more

    Superload permit

    Submit the application at least 10 business days before the move date.

  4. Over 14 ft high or 16 ft wide

    Written application

    These loads need a written application filed at least 2 business days ahead.

Routes and road rules

Where North Carolina routes add their own rules

The same load is treated differently in the mountains, around the big four metros and once it leaves state roads.

  1. PF-8 mountain routes

    NCDOT's PF-8 list closes mountain routes to loads over 10 ft wide, among them US-19, US-129 from Robbinsville to the Tennessee line and US-221 between Linville and Blowing Rock.

    Annual permits:Not valid on these routes; the move needs a single-trip permit.

  2. Charlotte, Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill

    Loads over 12 ft wide stay off the road from 7 to 9 a.m. and from 4 to 6 p.m. within 10 miles of the city limits.

    Plan:Schedule the crossing between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m.

  3. Two-lane highways

    Over 12 ft wide, the escort rides in front on a two-lane road and behind on a multi-lane one.

    Over 14 ft wide:Front and rear escorts on two-lane roads.

  4. Municipal streets

    An NCDOT permit is not valid on municipal streets, so the last miles to a delivery inside town are outside it.

    We check:Where the permitted route ends before the delivery address.

North Carolina industries

North Carolina permits for the loads North Carolina hauls

Beside the single-trip and annual permits, NCDOT has permits written for port freight, housing and farm equipment.

  1. Ports

    Sealed ship containers

    Permits for sealed ship containers moving to or from a designated seaport.

  2. Manufactured housing

    Mobile and modular homes

    Homes 16 ft wide move Monday to Saturday, 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Mobile homes over 10 ft wide stop when gusts exceed 25 mph.

  3. Structures

    House moves

    House-moving permits are issued to a licensed housemover.

  4. Agriculture

    Farm equipment annual permit

    A 12-month permit for farm equipment up to 14 ft wide.

How it works

Your North Carolina 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 North Carolina rules for your load and files with NCDOT Oversize/Overweight Permit Unit.

  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 North Carolina

  1. Does the route cross the mountains?

    Over 10 ft wide, we route around the PF-8 roads. If an annual-permit load needs one of them, we file a single-trip permit for that move.

  2. Wide loads and the metro rush

    Over 12 ft wide, Charlotte, Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill are closed at rush hour. We set the departure so the load reaches the city between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m.

  3. Tall and wide loads need lead time

    Over 14 ft high or 16 ft wide means a written application 2 business days ahead; a superload, 10 business days. We tell you the earliest date you can move.

FAQ

North Carolina oversize permit questions

Which loads go over North Carolina's legal limits?

A load over 8 ft 6 in wide or 14 ft high, a single vehicle over 40 ft, a combination over 60 ft (a semitrailer up to 53 ft may exceed it), or over 20,000 lbs on a single axle, 38,000 lbs on a tandem or the bridge table up to 80,000 lbs. Any of these needs an NCDOT permit.

How much does a North Carolina oversize permit cost?

It depends on the load's size and weight and on the route. 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.

How long does a North Carolina single-trip permit stay valid?

10 calendar days, for one one-way trip. From 132,000 lbs or 15 ft wide the move is a superload, which should be submitted at least 10 business days ahead.

Do escort drivers in North Carolina have to be certified?

Yes. They need North Carolina certification: an 8-hour course and an exam through the NC Community College System. The certificate is good for four years, and other states' certificates are accepted through reciprocity.

Which North Carolina mountain roads are closed to wide loads?

The routes on NCDOT's PF-8 list, such as US-19, US-129 from Robbinsville to the Tennessee line and US-221 between Linville and Blowing Rock, are closed to loads over 10 ft wide. Annual permits are not valid on them at all.

Does North Carolina stop oversize moves on every holiday?

No, only on three: Independence Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Movement stops from noon the weekday before to noon the weekday after; for Christmas 2026 that is noon Thursday, December 24, to noon Monday, December 28.

How does Route One GO get my North Carolina permit?

Send us the truck, trailer, load dimensions, axle weights and route. Our permit desk checks the route against the PF-8 mountain list and the metro curfews, files with NCDOT in PIMS 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 North Carolina for this load?

Send the details once. We file with NCDOT Oversize/Overweight Permit Unit, plus every other state on your route.

Request a permit