California Oversize Load Permit Requirements
Legal truck dimensions, oversize load travel hours, pilot car and escort requirements, and how to order an oversize/overweight permit from Caltrans Division of Traffic Operations - Transportation Permits (Permits Issuance Branch).
CA, reviewed October 2026
Check your load for California
Oversize permit required in California
- Width 10 ft 0 in exceeds the 8 ft 6 in legal limit.
No width-based pilot car at 10 ft 0 in wide.
California Truck Legal Width, Height & Length
A truck and load at or under these dimensions can travel California highways without an oversize permit. Exceed any one of them and you need a permit before you move.
| Legal width | 8 ft 6 in |
|---|---|
| Legal height | 14 ft 0 in |
| Legal length | Semitrailer 48 ft (53 ft if kingpin to rearmost axle is 40 ft or less); semitrailers/trailers in doubles 28 ft 6 in each; kingpin-to-rear-axle 40 ft on California Legal routes (CVC 35400-35401.5). |
| Gross weight | 80,000 lbs |
California Oversize Load Travel Hours
- Daily movement window
- Yellow routes: 24/7. Green routes with pilot car: daylight to 15 ft wide, darkness to 14 ft wide. Blue/brown routes with pilot car: daylight only on weekdays, no darkness. Loads over 10 ft wide are barred weekdays in curfew zones (LA, SD, SF, Sacramento). Darkness is 30 min after sunset to 30 min before sunrise.
- Weekend movement
- Yellow and green routes: weekends allowed (same width limits as weekdays). Blue and brown routes with pilot car: Saturday and Sunday only from 30 min before sunrise to 12 noon. Loads without a pilot car may travel 24/7.
- Holiday restrictions
- Special Conditions for Holiday Travel (applies only to loads required to have a pilot car): prohibited from 4:00 PM the day before the holiday to midnight, and from noon to midnight on the holiday and on each day of the holiday weekend (travel allowed midnight/sunrise to noon on weekend days). Thanksgiving: from 4 PM Wednesday through midnight Sunday (noon-midnight restricted Thu-Sun). Also covers Washington's Birthday. Holiday on Sat/Sun with no Fri/Mon off: 24/7 rules apply. See this year's holiday dates for all states.
California Pilot Car Requirements
Pilot cars depend on route color: on yellow routes over 12 ft wide needs one pilot car and over 15 ft two; stricter brown/blue routes start at over 10-11 ft; over 120 ft long (yellow/green) needs a pilot car; rear overhang over 25 ft needs a following pilot car.
| First pilot car (width) | 12 ft 0 in wide and over |
|---|---|
| Two pilot cars (width) | 15 ft 0 in wide and over |
| Height-pole escort | Not confirmed: check your permit conditions |
| Length escort | 120 ft 0 in long and over |
California pilot car requirements by load width and height. Crossing a border? Compare with Arizona, Nevada.
How to order a California oversize permit
Caltrans Division of Traffic Operations - Transportation Permits (Permits Issuance Branch)
Overweight as well? Check axle limits with the bridge formula calculator.
Crossing California without California apportioned plates? Estimate the temporary trip permit cost with the trip permit cost estimator.
California Oversize Load FAQs
- What are the oversize load travel hours in California?
- Yellow routes: 24/7. Green routes with pilot car: daylight to 15 ft wide, darkness to 14 ft wide. Blue/brown routes with pilot car: daylight only on weekdays, no darkness. Loads over 10 ft wide are barred weekdays in curfew zones (LA, SD, SF, Sacramento). Darkness is 30 min after sunset to 30 min before sunrise. Weekends: Yellow and green routes: weekends allowed (same width limits as weekdays). Blue and brown routes with pilot car: Saturday and Sunday only from 30 min before sunrise to 12 noon. Loads without a pilot car may travel 24/7.
- When is a pilot car required in California?
- Pilot cars depend on route color: on yellow routes over 12 ft wide needs one pilot car and over 15 ft two; stricter brown/blue routes start at over 10-11 ft; over 120 ft long (yellow/green) needs a pilot car; rear overhang over 25 ft needs a following pilot car.
- What is the legal truck width in California?
- The standard legal width in California is 8 ft 6 in (102 inches), the federal minimum width allowed on the National Network of highways. A load wider than that needs an oversize permit.
- How tall can a truck be in California without a permit?
- The legal height limit in California is 14 ft 0 in, measured from the road surface to the highest point of the vehicle or load. Taller loads need an oversize permit and a surveyed route for bridge and wire clearances.
- Can oversize loads move on holidays in California?
- Special Conditions for Holiday Travel (applies only to loads required to have a pilot car): prohibited from 4:00 PM the day before the holiday to midnight, and from noon to midnight on the holiday and on each day of the holiday weekend (travel allowed midnight/sunrise to noon on weekend days). Thanksgiving: from 4 PM Wednesday through midnight Sunday (noon-midnight restricted Thu-Sun). Also covers Washington's Birthday. Holiday on Sat/Sun with no Fri/Mon off: 24/7 rules apply.
- How do I get an oversize or overweight permit in California?
- Apply through Caltrans Division of Traffic Operations - Transportation Permits (Permits Issuance Branch) (916-322-1297) or its online permit portal. Have your USDOT number, vehicle and load dimensions, axle weights and route ready. Permit expediting agents can file on your behalf if you need the permit the same day.
Regulations change. This page summarises published California rules as reviewed October 2026 and is not legal advice; the conditions printed on your permit control. Note: California escort rules are route-color dependent (Caltrans single-trip pilot car legend, June 2021). Reading of the legend table (column alignment inferred): Yellow none to 12 ft, 1 pilot car >12-15 ft, 2 >15-16 ft; Green 1 >12-14, 2 >14-15, CHP >15; Blue 1 >11-14 (2 >13), CHP >15; Brown 1 from >10 ft, 2 >12; red routes have operational restrictions. Pilot for length: >120 ft yellow/green, >100 ft blue, >85 ft brown; rear overhang >25 ft. CHP escort table: width >16 ft (yellow/green) and >15 ft (blue/brown) plus length/height thresholds. Verify against the legend PDF before publishing. No height-pole threshold found. Gross weight not verified from a fetched source. Legal height 14 ft per CVC 35250 (loads over 13 ft 6 in limited to designated highways). Holiday start/end do not fit the schema options (4 PM prior day to midnight, then noon-midnight).