South Carolina Oversize / Overweight Permit Requirements
Legal-without-permit dimension limits, escort and pilot car thresholds, height pole rules, daylight-only windows, and holiday restrictions for South Carolina oversize moves.
Legal limits without a permit
In South Carolina, 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 South Carolina. Thresholds are conservative — your specific permit conditions may impose tighter limits depending on the route.
| Trigger | Dimension | Threshold | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Front pilot car | Length | 150 ft | Length over 150 ft: 1 front + 1 rear escort required. |
| Rear pilot car | Length | 150 ft | Length over 150 ft: 1 front + 1 rear escort required. |
| Rear pilot car | Length | 125 ft | Length 125–150 ft: 1 rear escort required. |
| Police escort | Width | 16 ft | Width over 16 ft: 1 front police + 1 rear police escort required, in addition to civilian front and rear escorts. |
| Front pilot car | Width | 16 ft | Width over 16 ft: 1 front + 1 rear civilian escort required (in addition to police front and rear). |
| Rear pilot car | Width | 16 ft | Width over 16 ft: 1 front + 1 rear civilian escort required (in addition to police front and rear). |
| Height pole | Height | 16 ft | Height ≥16 ft: 1 front escort with height measuring device (vertical height indicator) required. |
| Rear pilot car | Rear overhang | 15 ft | Rear overhang over 15 ft up to 25 ft: 1 rear escort required; red flag must be displayed. |
| Front pilot car | Width | 14 ft | Width over 14 ft up to 16 ft: 1 front + 1 rear civilian escort required. |
| Rear pilot car | Width | 14 ft | Width over 14 ft up to 16 ft: 1 front + 1 rear civilian escort required. |
| Front pilot car | Width | 12 ft | Width over 12 ft up to 14 ft: 1 front escort required on 2-lane roads only. |
| Daylight-only movement | Width | 12 ft | Over 12 ft wide: 1/2 hr after sunrise to 1/2 hr before sunset. Over 15 ft: highly restricted hours with metro-area curfews. |
| Weekend / holiday restriction | Width | 12 ft | Travel prohibited on New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day. |
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.