Wisconsin Oversize Permits

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

⚠ 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.
Escort tiers and weight/height escort triggers from the official WisDOT escort grid PDF; travel restrictions from official Trans 254.11. Legal width from the escort grid; legal height 13'6" and gross 80,000 are Wisconsin's standard Ch. 348 limits. legal_max_length_ft null (configuration-specific). No single official superload-definition threshold located, so superload width/length null.

Legal Maximum Dimensions (no permit required)

Width: 8.5ft (102in)
Height: 13.5ft (162in)
Max semitrailer length: 53ft on designated routes · 48ft elsewhere
Max overall combination length: 75ft
Max single-unit vehicle length: 45ft
Max kingpin to rear axle: 43ft
Gross Weight: 80,000 lbs
Single Axle: 20,000 lbs
Tandem Axle: 34,000 lbs

Wis. Stat. 348.06(1): maximum height of vehicle and load without a permit is 13 ft 6 in (162 in). Exceptions: no height limitation for implements of husbandry temporarily operated on a highway (348.06(2)(a)), and double-decked buses up to 14 ft 5 in may operate without an excessive-height permit on certain highways under stated conditions.

Official source for this height limit →

Three-way split. Wis. Stat. 348.07: no overall limit on designated long truck routes (sub. (2)(f) via sub. (4)); 75 ft on the rest of the state trunk highway system (sub. (2)(fs)); 70 ft residual base elsewhere including local roads (sub. (1)). Trailer: 53 ft where kingpin-to-axle is 43 ft or less (sub. (2)(gv)), otherwise 48 ft (sub. (2)(g)). ⚠️ On Trans 276.065 "65-foot restricted routes" the 53 ft trailer is AFFIRMATIVELY PROHIBITED — 48 ft only — regardless of overall length. ⚠️ WisDOT SP4415 headlines "70 feet", an OVERALL COMBINATION residual figure superseded on almost every road a semi actually runs. ⚠️ STALE CROSS-REFERENCE: Trans 276.02(fm) still says those routes are "limited to 65 feet under s. 348.07(1)" while the current certified statute reads 70 ft; we publish 65 ft as the operating number on restricted routes as the conservative reading. ⚠️ SP4415 also miscites the no-limit provision as sub. (4m) when the statute says sub. (4) — sub. (4m) is the opposite; do not propagate that typo.

Kingpin-to-axle 43 ft or less is a condition of the 53 ft trailer allowance.

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: 15ft wide
Rear escort required over: 15ft wide
Both escorts required over: 18ft wide
Height escort required over: 16ft tall
Weight escort required over: 350,000 lbs

Per official WisDOT escort grid (general OS/OW permits). WIDTH: over 12 ft up to 15 ft - no escort (unless on an MV2740-listed 'escort highway'); over 15 ft up to 18 ft - 1 private escort; over 18 ft up to 20 ft - 2 private escorts; over 20 ft - adds law-enforcement escort. LENGTH: over 110 ft up to 160 ft - 1 private escort; over 160 ft up to 200 ft - 2 private escorts; over 200 ft - 2 private + 1 law enforcement. HEIGHT: loads over 16 ft (192 in) require a pole (high-pole) vehicle, in addition to other escorts. WEIGHT: loads over 350,000 lbs require 1 law-enforcement escort. Also, escort required whenever any part of the load crosses the centerline (2-way) or left edge of right lane (multilane). SM and MH permit types have separate escort rules.

Travel Restrictions

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

Per Trans 254.11: overweight-only (not oversize) may run 24/7 incl. weekends/holidays. Loads over 12 ft wide, 13 ft 6 in high, or 150 ft long are PROHIBITED during hours of darkness, from noon Saturday to sunrise Sunday, Sunday 4-8 p.m., and noon the day before through sunrise the day after restricted-travel holidays. In Columbia, Dane, Milwaukee, Rock, and Waukesha counties oversize cannot run 4-8 p.m. Sundays, summer Fridays, and holidays. Milwaukee County Freeway System has additional weekday peak-hour bans.

Holiday blackouts: Loads over 12 ft wide / 13 ft 6 in high / 150 ft long prohibited from noon the day before through sunrise the day after each restricted-travel holiday (Trans 254.11). Wisconsin restricted-travel holidays include New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.

See how Wisconsin 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: 15ft
Height over: 16ft
Length over: 150ft
Weight over: 350,000 lbs

WisDOT reviews large loads case-by-case. Official escort-grid thresholds triggering enhanced control: over 16 ft high requires a pole vehicle, over 20 ft wide requires law-enforcement escort, and over 350,000 lbs requires a law-enforcement escort. A single clean statutory 'superload' definition was not confirmed from an official WisDOT page in this pass (width/length left null).

Estimated Permit Cost Current

$15–$30 by dimension category + weight fee ($20–$35+)

Source: Wis. Stat. §348.25(8)(a) (current through 2025 Wis. Act 247).

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://wi.gotpermits.com/wiconnect
Phone: 608-266-7320

Spring frost laws widely applied March-May.

Planning a move through Wisconsin?

Enter your load's exact size to see whether it needs a permit or escort here, plan a truck-legal route, or find a transporter or escort.

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