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South Dakota · Oversize & Overweight

South Dakota Oversize & Overweight Permits filed with the Highway Patrol for you, 24/7

In South Dakota, oversize and overweight permits come from the Highway Patrol Permit Center through SDAPS. A load over 8 ft 6 in wide, 14 ft high or 80,000 lbs on the interstate needs one, and the state has no weekend or holiday restrictions. The Black Hills and the Sturgis Rally add limits of their own. Send us the load and route: our permit desk quotes the price and files it for you.

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What will an oversize permit in South Dakota 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
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South Dakota rules

South Dakota legal limits and permit rules

The size and weight South Dakota allows without a permit, when escorts are required and when a permitted load may run.

Legal limits without a permit

Width
8 ft 6 in
Height
14 ft
Semitrailer
53 ft
Doubles, without tractor
81 ft 6 in
Overhang, front / rear
3 / 4 ft
Single axle
20,000 lbs
Tandem axle
34,000 lbs
Gross, interstate
80,000 lbs

Escorts

Interstate, over 16 ft wide
Escort required
Other highways, over 20 ft wide
Escort required
Listed Black Hills routes, over 10 ft wide
Front escort
US 16 to Wyoming, US 14A, SD 71, over 16 ft wide
Escort required
Earthmoving equipment
Front escort

When you can move

Weekends and holidays
No restrictions
Daylight only
With an escort, over 10 ft wide, over 14 ft 6 in high, single unit over 45 ft or combination over 110 ft
Off the interstate
Daylight only more than 2 miles from an interstate interchange
Weather
Not valid at half a mile of visibility or less, or on snow, ice, slush or frost
Spring load limits
February 15 to April 30; limited overweight permits
Sturgis Rally counties
Approved loads only, half an hour before sunrise to 10 a.m.

Source: South Dakota Motor Carrier Handbook, chapters 5 and 6, and FAQ (sdtruckinfo.sd.gov, Departments of Revenue, Transportation and Public Safety); SDCL 32-22; ARSD 70:03:01. Your permit's own conditions always apply.

Which permit you need

South Dakota permits for oversize and overweight loads

  1. One move

    Single-trip permit

    Covers one trip. Review takes up to two working days; loads over 200,000 lbs, overweight loads wider than 12 ft and loads over 16 ft high may take longer.

  2. All year

    Extended-period permit

    Valid one year, including an annual oversize permit for non-divisible loads up to 14 ft 6 in wide.

  3. Heavy on the interstate

    Interstate overweight permit

    Overweight moves on the interstate run on single-trip permits; the one annual option is the permit for over 80,000 lbs on the interstate.

  4. Up to 110 ft and 129,000 lbs

    Longer combination vehicle permit

    Valid for one trip or 24 hours.

Routes and road rules

Where South Dakota routes add their own rules

Most of the state is open to permitted loads around the week; the Black Hills and rally week are not.

  1. Black Hills routes

    On listed routes, including US 16A, SD 87, SD 244, SD 36, SD 89 and parts of US 385 and US 85, a load over 10 ft wide needs a front escort.

    Over 16 ft wide:An escort on US 16 to Wyoming, US 14A and SD 71.

  2. Tunnels on SD 87 and US 16A

    Tunnels as narrow as 8 ft 4 in and as low as 9 ft 10 in. Commercial traffic should not use these roads as through routes.

    Route:We plan around them for commercial loads.

  3. Sturgis Rally in August

    In Custer, Fall River, Lawrence, Meade and Pennington counties, from the Thursday before the first Friday in August through the Sunday after the second Friday, loads that need an escort, run over 110 ft or are too wide for the route need approval from the DOT Rapid City Region Engineer.

    Travel window:Half an hour before sunrise to 10 a.m.

  4. Off the interstate

    A permitted load that leaves the interstate for more than 2 miles past an interchange travels in daylight only. On the interstate, smaller loads may run at night.

    Local roads:Cities and counties may add their own requirements.

South Dakota loads

South Dakota permits for the loads South Dakota hauls

Beside the general permits, the Permit Center issues permits written for harvest, feed, housing and equipment.

  1. Harvest

    Custom harvest and harvest permits

    Permits for custom harvest fleets and for harvest hauling.

  2. Hay and feed

    Baled feed, straw and stack movers

    Permits for baled feed and straw and for stack movers; baled hay may be 15 ft high without a permit.

  3. Housing

    Manufactured homes

    Up to 16 ft wide, 15 ft high and 80 ft long, and no moves in winds over 25 mph.

  4. Equipment and utilities

    Implements, poles and self-propelled machines

    Permits for farm implement dealers, electric utility poles, oversize trailers and self-propelled equipment, plus emergency permits.

How it works

Your South Dakota 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 South Dakota rules for your load and files with SD Highway Patrol.

  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 South Dakota

  1. Spring limits from February 15

    From February 15 to April 30 spring load limits cut weights and overweight permits are limited. We check heavy loads against the season before you commit to a date.

  2. Daylight rules by size

    Over 10 ft wide, 14 ft 6 in high, 45 ft single or 110 ft combination, or with an escort, the load runs in daylight only. We tell you up front whether night miles on the interstate are possible.

  3. Rally week in the Black Hills

    During the Sturgis Rally window, escorted, long or wide loads in five Black Hills counties need Rapid City Region approval and run only until 10 a.m. We file early and plan the morning.

FAQ

South Dakota oversize permit questions

At what size does a South Dakota load need a permit?

Over 8 ft 6 in wide, 14 ft high (15 ft for baled hay), 53 ft for a semitrailer or 45 ft for a single vehicle, or over 20,000 lbs on a single axle, 34,000 lbs on a tandem or 80,000 lbs gross on the interstate. Off the interstate the gross limit comes from the bridge formula.

How much does a South Dakota oversize permit cost?

It depends on the permit type, size, weight and 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.

Are oversize loads banned on weekends or holidays in South Dakota?

No. South Dakota has no weekend or holiday restrictions. Size still decides the hours: escorted, wide, tall or long loads move in daylight only, and permits are not valid in low visibility or on slippery roads.

Which South Dakota loads are limited to daylight?

Loads that need an escort, are wider than 10 ft, higher than 14 ft 6 in, a single unit over 45 ft or a combination over 110 ft, and any load on a non-interstate road more than 2 miles from an interstate interchange.

At what width is an escort required on South Dakota highways?

Over 16 ft wide on the interstate and over 20 ft on other highways. On listed Black Hills routes a front escort starts at 10 ft wide, and earthmoving equipment always needs a front escort.

How do the Sturgis Rally dates affect oversize moves?

From the Thursday before the first Friday in August through the Sunday after the second Friday, loads in Custer, Fall River, Lawrence, Meade and Pennington counties that need an escort, run over 110 ft or are too wide for the route need Rapid City Region approval and may travel only from half an hour before sunrise to 10 a.m.

How does Route One GO get my South Dakota permit?

Send us the truck, trailer, load dimensions, axle weights and route. Our permit desk checks the South Dakota rules, files with the Highway Patrol Permit Center in SDAPS, and sends you the permit with a route map. Requests are taken 24/7.

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