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Mississippi Oversize Permits
Legal size/weight limits, escort thresholds, travel restrictions, and permit office contact for Mississippi.
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 ↗
Legal Maximum Dimensions (no permit required)
- Width
- 8.5ft (102in)
- Height
- 13.5ft (162in)
- Max semitrailer length
- 53ft
- Max single-unit vehicle length
- 40ft
- Gross Weight
- 80,000 lbs
- Single Axle
- 20,000 lbs
- Tandem Axle
- 34,000 lbs
Miss. Code § 63-5-17 (Height of vehicles): no vehicle unladen or with load shall exceed a height of 13 ft 6 in (162 in). ⚠️ Structures such as underpasses need not be raised to accommodate a vehicle over 12 FT 6 IN, and the motor carrier bears FULL liability for any damage caused by a vehicle exceeding 12 ft 6 in. (§ 63-5-19 is length, not height.)
Official source for this height limit →
Miss. Code 63-5-19: "No semitrailer operating in a truck tractor-semitrailer combination shall exceed a length of fifty-three (53) feet"; no single vehicle in excess of forty (40) feet. The STATUTE sets no overall combination limit. ⚠️ OUR PREVIOUS 99 FT WAS A PERMIT THRESHOLD, NOT A LEGAL LIMIT — MDOT Permit Rules 311/312: "Vehicles with a total length exceeding ninety-nine (99) will require a permit and a front and/or rear escort", and Rule 1000 caps the Over Length blanket permit at 99 ft. Publishing 99 as a trailer length would put a grossly illegal, unpermitted and UNESCORTED load on the road. Correct framing: "permit AND escort required above 99 ft overall" — never "legal length 99 ft". ⚠️ The 40 ft single-vehicle figure is statute-sourced via a commercial publisher; billstatus.ls.state.ms.us could not be retrieved (TLS failure), so treat it as statute-sourced but not primary-verified.
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
- 13ft wide
- Rear escort required over
- 13ft wide
- Both escorts required over
- 16ft wide
- Height escort required over
- 15.6ft tall
Per MDOT Over-Dimensional Permit Rules (Ch. 03001): Daylight - loads >=13' wide need a front escort on 2-lane roadways or a rear escort on divided highways (plus rear amber lights). Night - loads >=10' wide need a front escort (2-lane) or rear escort (divided) plus rear amber lights. Police escorts may be required for loads 20' wide and over depending on route/conditions. Rear overhang >=15' and front projection >=15' require a front and/or rear escort. High-pole escort may be required for height (tied to 15'7" superload/high-clearance). Loads <10' wide need only rear amber lights (no escort).
Travel Restrictions
- Night travel
- Generally allowed
- Weekend travel
- Generally allowed
- Sunday travel
- Generally allowed
Daylight for loads >12' wide = 30 min after sunrise to 30 min before sunset; loads <=12' wide use sunrise to sunset. Night movement permitted for loads not exceeding 12' wide, 150,000 lbs, 99' long, 13'6" high, and 4' rear overhang (front/rear escort + amber lights per road type). Sealed-container overweight, Special Heavy Equipment blanket, and 57' box-van blanket permits authorize 24/7 movement. Overwidth loads may not move in inclement weather. The official rules do not impose a blanket Sunday ban.
Holiday blackouts: No movement after 12:00 noon on days preceding or on: New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas.
Superload Thresholds
- Width over
- 17ft
- Height over
- 15.6ft
- Length over
- 121ft
- Weight over
- 189,999 lbs
MDOT 'Super Load' = any vehicle exceeding ANY of: overall width 17', overall length 121', overall height 15'7", or gross weight 189,999 lbs or greater. Requires route survey, traffic-control plan, and utility/railroad acknowledgements (railroad for length >120'; utility+railroad for height >16').
Estimated Permit Cost Verify before relying
$10 oversize / $0.05 per 1,000 lb × mile overweight; $25 for a 72-hour trip permit
Source: MDOT fee schedule — 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://mdot.ms.gov/portal/over-dimensional_permits
- Phone
- 601-359-1717
Planning a move through Mississippi?
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