District of Columbia Oversize / Overweight Permit Requirements
Legal-without-permit dimension limits, escort and pilot car thresholds, height pole rules, daylight-only windows, and holiday restrictions for District of Columbia oversize moves.
Legal limits without a permit
In District of Columbia, 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 | 55′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 District of Columbia. Thresholds are conservative — your specific permit conditions may impose tighter limits depending on the route.
| Trigger | Dimension | Threshold | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Police escort | Weight | 120,000 lb | GVW 120,000 lb or greater: police escort required. |
| Front pilot car | Weight | 79,000 lb | GVW over 79,000 lb: 1 front escort vehicle required. |
| Front pilot car | Length | 80'0" | Length 80' or greater: 1 front escort vehicle required. |
| Police escort | Length | 75'0" | Length 75' or greater: police escort required. |
| Police escort | Height | 13'6" | Height over 13'6": police escort required. |
| Front pilot car | Height | 13'6" | Height over 13'6": 1 front escort vehicle required. |
| Police escort | Width | 12'0" | Width 12' or greater: police escort required (in addition to lead civilian). |
| Front pilot car | Width | 12'0" | Width over 12': 1 front escort vehicle required. |
| Weekend / holiday restriction | Width | 10'0" | Rush-hour movement prohibited 7:00–9:30am and 4:00–6:30pm on weekdays. |
| Daylight-only movement | Width | 10'0" | Overheight/overwidth loads restricted to 10pm–5am only (off-peak window); standard permitted loads may travel 24 hrs. |
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. Single-source or pending re-verify — confirm with the permit office.