Colorado Oversize / Overweight Permit Requirements
Legal-without-permit dimension limits, escort and pilot car thresholds, height pole rules, daylight-only windows, and holiday restrictions for Colorado oversize moves.
Legal limits without a permit
In Colorado, you can move a load without an OSOW permit up to these dimensions on the Interstate and designated highways. Anything over the limits requires a permit (and may require escorts — see below).
| Dimension | Without a permit | Permit required when |
|---|---|---|
| Width | 8′6″ (federal limit) | Anything wider |
| Height | 13′6″ | Anything taller |
| Combo length | 75′0″ | Anything longer |
| Gross weight | 80,000 lb | Anything heavier |
Escort and pilot car thresholds
When permitted, the following escort or movement-restriction rules apply in Colorado. Thresholds are conservative — your specific permit conditions may impose tighter limits depending on the route.
| Trigger | Dimension | Threshold | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rear pilot car | Length | 110'0" | Rear pilot added for overall lengths over 110'. Lead+chase both required on all route types (2 CCR 601-11 §703). |
| Front pilot car | Length | 100'0" | Escort required for overall lengths over 100' on 2-lane highways. Lead+chase required over 110' on any highway (2 CCR 601-11 §703). |
| Police escort | Width | 18'0" | Colorado State Patrol escort required for widths over 18' or as specified on the permit face (CRS §42-4-510). |
| Height pole | Height | 16'0" | Front pilot car must carry a height-clearance pole for loads exceeding 16' tall (2 CCR 601-11 §703). |
| Rear pilot car | Width | 14'6" | Rear pilot car required in addition to front escort when width exceeds 14'6" on any highway. Lead+chase required on all routes above this threshold (2 CCR 601-11 §703). |
| Front pilot car | Width | 14'0" | Front pilot car required on 2-lane and undivided highways when width exceeds 14'. On divided/Interstate, permit conditions specify position (2 CCR 601-11 §703). |
| Certified escort required | Width | 14'0" | Colorado requires CDOT-certified escort vehicle operators for all oversize permitted moves. Reciprocal with AZ, OK, UT, WA, NC, FL, VA, MN, GA (2 CCR 601-11 §703). |
| Daylight-only movement | Width | 14'0" | Loads over 14' wide restricted to daylight-only movement. Night travel requires written CDOT authorization on permit face (2 CCR 601-11 §703). |
| Weekend / holiday restriction | Width | 14'0" | No oversize movement on Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's Day. Holiday window begins noon preceding day for loads over 14' wide (2 CCR 601-11 §703). |
Stop tracking these rules by hand.
OverSizeTMS encodes the per-state escort and dimension rules for every state plus DC. Enter the load dimensions and route, and the platform tells you which permits, escorts, and time windows apply automatically.
See how it works →Last updated 2026-06-06. Cross-checked against the state admin code.