North Dakota Oversize / Overweight Permit Requirements
Legal-without-permit dimension limits, escort and pilot car thresholds, height pole rules, daylight-only windows, and holiday restrictions for North Dakota oversize moves.
Legal limits without a permit
In North Dakota, 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 North Dakota. Thresholds are conservative — your specific permit conditions may impose tighter limits depending on the route.
| Trigger | Dimension | Threshold | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rear pilot car | Length | 120'0" | Rear civilian pilot car required for combinations over 120' overall length. |
| Police escort | Width | 18'0" | NDHP escort required for widths over 18' (§37-09-04-01). Advance scheduling required. |
| Height pole | Height | 18'0" | Front pilot car with height pole required when load exceeds 18' in height. |
| Daylight-only movement | Width | 16'0" | Sunrise-to-sunset travel only when width exceeds 16'; loads 12' or narrower or overweight-only may travel any time. |
| Weekend / holiday restriction | Width | 16'0" | Loads over 16' wide restricted noon-to-sunrise on major state holidays. |
| Front pilot car | Width | 16'0" | Front + rear civilian pilot cars required on 2-lane highways for widths over 16'. |
| Rear pilot car | Width | 16'0" | Rear civilian pilot car required on 4-lane divided roads for widths over 16'. |
| Front pilot car | Width | 14'6" | 1 pilot car required for widths 14'6"–16' on 2-lane roads; amber lights may substitute below 16'. |
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.