Hawaii Oversize Permits

Legal size/weight limits, escort thresholds, travel restrictions, and permit office contact for Hawaii.

⚠ REFERENCE ONLY — NOT A PERMIT. VERIFY WITH THE STATE BEFORE YOU TRAVEL.

These figures are a reference summary of publicly published state rules, not a substitute for a state-issued permit and not legal advice. Rules change — always confirm current limits and requirements directly with the state permit office before you plan or run a move. Last verified: 2026-07-16. Oversize Ops is NOT responsible and CANNOT be held liable for decisions made from this reference. Official source ↗

Data confidence: Medium. We could not fully corroborate every figure on this page against a primary official source. Treat these numbers as a starting point and confirm with the permit office before you plan a move.
Values verbatim from official State of Hawaii HAR Title 19 Ch. 104 + official HDOT permit guide. NOTE Hawaii's legal width is 108 in (9 ft), higher than typical 102 (federal 102 applies on the National Network). Length config-specific (single 40 ft; tractor-semi 58 ft; 65 ft combos). MEDIUM because: HAR 19-104 dates to 1981; rule requires 'an escort' over 12 ft without codifying front/rear split or two-escort width (rear/both/height/weight null); rush-hour/holiday bans are district-engineer discretionary (holiday null); Hawaii has no online permit portal (apply by email/paper to district offices).

Legal Maximum Dimensions (no permit required)

Width: 9ft (108in)
Height: 14ft (168in)
Length: Partly unconfirmed — at least one length limit for this jurisdiction could not be verified against an official source. Any figures shown below ARE sourced; see the notes for what is missing. Confirm with the permit office before planning a move.
Gross Weight: 80,000 lbs
Single Axle: 22,500 lbs
Tandem Axle: 34,000 lbs

HRS 291-34(a): no motor vehicle or other power vehicle having an overall width greater than 9 ft (108 in) INCLUDING LOAD may be operated on any public road, street or highway in the State. Hawaii genuinely differs from the 8 ft 6 in (102 in) limit used across the mainland and Canada.

Official source for this width limit →

HRS 291-34 (Size of vehicles; width, height, and length): no motor vehicle or other power vehicle having an overall height greater than 14 ft (168 in) including load may be operated on any public road, street or highway in the State. ⚠️ Separately, no vehicle may pass under any bridge or highway structure if its height exceeds the POSTED height for that structure — the posted clearance governs the route regardless of the statewide limit.

Official source for this height limit →

⚠️ NOT CONFIRMED — do not rely on any length figure for Hawaii from this site. Two sources conflict and we could not resolve them: HDOT's own posted permit rule HAR 19-104-14(b) gives 58 ft for a truck-tractor and semi-trailer, but that rule was adopted in 1981, BEFORE the federal STAA; every reproduction of the current statute HRS 291-34 gives 65 ft overall / 48 ft semitrailer on non-Interstate roads. These cannot both be right. capitol.hawaii.gov blocks automated retrieval, so the current statutory text could not be read from a State of Hawaii source. Verify by phone with the HDOT Highways Division before planning any move in Hawaii.

Official source for these length limits →

Escort / Pilot Car Thresholds (see glossary for terms, certification requirements for the driver)

These escort figures are route-dependent — they can change with road classification, lane width, two-lane vs multilane, and time of day. Confirm with the permit office before dispatching.

Front escort required over: 12ft wide
Rear escort required over: 12ft wide
Both escorts required over: 14ft wide
Height escort required over: 14ft tall

Per HAR 19-104-15(c): all loads exceeding 12 ft (144 in) wide require an escort vehicle; the permit designates front or rear placement. The rule does NOT codify a separate rear-only width or a two-escort threshold (secondary sites cite 14 ft for two escorts but that is not in the official HAR). An escort may also be required over 10 ft on two-lane roads through mountain/winding coastal areas, and whenever horizontal projection exceeds 4 ft. The district engineer may require a POLICE escort for traffic flow or public safety. Escort spec: passenger car or 2-axle truck <=20,000 lb GVW, amber rotating light visible 500 ft, two-way radio, standoff 200-600 ft by combined speed. No pilot-car certification required. Overwidth >12 ft must display a 6 ft x 1 ft WIDE LOAD sign.

Travel Restrictions

Night travel: Generally allowed
Weekend travel: Generally allowed
Sunday travel: Generally allowed

HAR 19-104-25: movement during darkness allowed ONLY when stipulated in the permit, with conforming lighting; moves must stop when visibility is impaired by rain/fog/smog. HAR 19-104-11(16): movement prohibited on days/hours when the district engineer expects extremely heavy (rush-hour) traffic. Commonly cited Oahu weekday peak-hour curfews (~5:00-8:30 a.m. and 3:00-6:00 p.m.) are imposed per-permit/per-district under this discretionary authority and are NOT fixed hours in HAR 19-104. The traveled way must remain open to traffic at all times.

Holiday blackouts: Major US holidays.

See how Hawaii compares to every state ›

Extreme-Load Escalation Triggers

This jurisdiction does not define a "superload" class. The figures below are triggers for other escalations — read the note beneath them before planning against these numbers.

Width over: 14ft
Length over: 100ft

HAR 19-104 does not define a 'superload' category or numeric thresholds. Unusually large/heavy moves get individualized review: freeway moves case-by-case referred to Division; overloads exceeding axle tables referred to construction/design branches for bridge/pavement analysis; the official permit guide states excessive size/weight loads may need headquarters review taking a minimum of 3 weeks. No fixed numeric superload definition exists.

Estimated Permit Cost Verify before relying

Official page states only a "$5.00 to $25.00" range — no itemized table found

Source: Hawaii DOT — verify current fee with the permit office before budgeting a move.

Permit fee only — does not include escort/pilot-car service costs (market-rate, arranged separately) or third-party permit-service fees. This is an estimate for planning purposes, not a quote.

Get a Permit

Online portal: https://hidot.hawaii.gov/highways/home/doing-business/guide-to-permits/oversized-and-overweight-vehicles-on-state-highways/
Phone: 808-831-6700 ext. 107

No unified portal — per-island district offices. Oahu: DOT.HWYO.Permits@hawaii.gov / (808) 831-6712. Max permitted width 16ft (192in). HAR §19-104-14.

Planning a move through Hawaii?

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