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South Dakota Oversize Permits

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

⚠ 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.
Legal dimensions, escort thresholds, night rules, and the manual-review ('superload-equivalent') tier from the official SD Truck Information site (SDDOT/SDHP Motor Carrier Handbook Ch. 5 & 6), partly via page summaries rather than a fully parsed PDF (hence medium). Weekend/Sunday true (daylight oversize); holiday_blackouts null (no confirmed ban found). escort_both/escort_height null (SD triggers extra escorts by lane-encroachment, not a single codified number). Portal is the SD Automated Permitting System.

Legal Maximum Dimensions (no permit required)

Width: 8.5ft (102in)
Height: 14ft (168in)
Max semitrailer length: 53ft
Gross Weight: 80,000 lbs
Single Axle: 20,000 lbs
Tandem Axle: 34,000 lbs

SDCL ch. 32-22: statutory maximum height in South Dakota is 14 ft (168 in). Farm machinery operated by a farmer and firefighting vehicles have no height limitation; trailers carrying baled hay may reach 14 ft 3 in.

Official source for this height limit →

SDCL 32-22-8.1 sets 53 ft for the semitrailer in a truck tractor-semitrailer combination and closes: "No other length limitation may be imposed on the vehicles described in this section." ⚠️ Our previous 85 ft came from the SD Motor Carrier Handbook's Oversize Permit — Non-divisible Loads section ("Total length for a two-unit combination is limited to 85 feet, including load overhang") — that is a PERMIT ceiling that only applies once you already hold a permit, not a legal limit. A separate 85 ft LCV truck-trailer figure also exists. Neither is a semitrailer length.

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: 16ft wide
Rear escort required over: 16ft wide
Both escorts required over: 16ft wide
Height escort required over: 14ft tall

Per SD Truck Information / SD Highway Patrol Motor Carrier Services codified escort rules: one escort required for loads wider than 16' (over 192 in) on the Interstate Highway System; wider than 20' (over 240 in) on the State Highway System; and for all combinations exceeding 130' overall length. In the Black Hills area, a FRONT escort is required for loads exceeding 10' wide on state highways (notably Hwys 16 and 18). Escort travels in FRONT on undivided/two-lane highways and in the REAR on divided highways. Additional escorts required if the load extends more than 2' into an adjacent lane. Escort vehicles: passenger car or 2-axle truck, at least 60" wide, GVW <= 12,000 lbs, 1-3 amber roof lights visible 500' and a 12"x60" OVERSIZE LOAD sign.

Travel Restrictions

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

Per SD permit rules: no night movement of OVERSIZE vehicles is allowed except under permits issued for overlength Longer Combination Vehicles, emergency movement, or national defense. Overweight-only loads may move at night if they do not require escorts. Oversize movement is daylight only; nighttime movement restrictions on the Interstate apply above 14'6" height. Weekend/holiday-specific bans were not confirmed in the reviewed official pages; verify holiday restrictions with SDHP Motor Carrier Services before a weekend/holiday move.

See how South Dakota compares to every state ›

Superload Thresholds

Width over: 12ft
Height over: 16ft
Length over: 150ft
Weight over: 200,000 lbs

SD officially does NOT use the term 'superload' and has no named heavy-load class. Instead, three conditions push a single-trip permit out of routine automated processing into MANUAL review by SDDOT and the SD Highway Patrol: (1) gross weight over 200,000 lbs; (2) a load that is both overweight AND wider than 12' (144 in); or (3) a load taller than 16' (192 in). Loads over 16' high may also require a route survey. Legal length: single unit 60', two-unit combination 85'. LCV permits allow up to 129,000 lbs.

Estimated Permit Cost Current

$25 flat + $0.02 per ton-mile excess

Typical processing: up to 2 business days

Source: SD Motor Carrier Handbook.

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://sdtruckinfo.sd.gov
Phone: 605-224-7364

Planning a move through South Dakota?

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