Nevada Oversize & Overweight Permits for Heavy Haul
Nevada permit rules, legal limits and escort triggers, and how we book heavy haul carriers for moves in and through the state.
Quick answer
Do I need a permit to move an oversize load in Nevada?
Yes, once the load is over 8 ft 6 in wide, 14 ft high or 70 ft long, or heavier than the bridge formula allows, generally 80,000 lbs. NDOT's single trip permit is a flat $25 for five days and an annual permit is $60, with no per-mile or per-axle charge. NDOT issues them from Carson City or online, and nowhere else.
Updated November 2026 by the Quickway Transports broker team (FMCSA MC# 1245224).
Heavy haul and oversize freight in Nevada
Nevada's heavy freight follows I-80 from the California line through Reno, Winnemucca and Elko toward Utah, and I-15 from Southern California through Las Vegas to Utah and Arizona. Gold and lithium mining in the north, data center and solar construction around Reno and Las Vegas, and freight between California and the Mountain West keep oversize loads moving. We book carriers for moves inside Nevada or across it.
Distances are long and the rules are short. NDOT charges a flat fee, routine permits run to 14 ft wide, and most limits come from the calendar: oversize loads move in weekday daylight unless the permit allows more, I-15 weekend traffic to and from Las Vegas narrows the width allowed on Friday and Sunday afternoons, and overweight permits are barred from listed rural routes from February through April.
What are the legal size and weight limits in Nevada?
Under the oversize load regulations in Nevada, a load above any of these limits needs a state oversize or overweight permit.
| Width | 8 ft 6 in |
|---|---|
| Height | 14 ft |
| Semitrailer length | 53 ft |
| Gross weight | 80,000 lbs |
| Single axle | 20,000 lbs |
| Tandem axle | 34,000 lbs |
Limits are set by NRS 484D.605 to 484D.685. Nevada sets no single gross number: the bridge formula governs, and NDOT requires a permit for non-reducible loads above 80,000 lbs. Loads over 70 ft long, or 75 ft with overhang, also need one.
Who issues Nevada oversize permits?
NDOT's Over Dimensional Vehicle Permits Office in Carson City issues permits online through NDOT OPS or at that office, and no port of entry sells them. Single trip permits go in before 4 PM on the business day ahead of the move and run five days, while annual and special permits need 10 business days.
Routine permits stop at 14 ft wide, 15 ft high, 110 ft long (120 ft with steerable rear axles) and 15 ft of overhang, and NDOT approves more case by case. The permit covers NDOT highways only, so city and county roads, including Las Vegas and Reno streets, need local permits.
Permit system: Nevada DOT Overdimensional Permitting System (NDOT OPS)
What do Nevada oversize and overweight permits cost?
- request_quote Single trip (five-day) permit: $25, with no per-mile, ton-mile or per-axle charge.
- request_quote Annual multiple-trip permit: $60. Replacing a lost annual permit: $10.
- request_quote Super Loads: from $25, plus NDOT's coordination costs with other agencies.
- request_quote Engineering research or inspection that a permit needs is charged at NDOT's cost.
- request_quote Pilot cars need a Nevada Highway Patrol amber light permit, $2 per vehicle.
Worked example: a 14 ft wide excavator from Reno to Elko
The five-day permit costs $25 whatever the weight or distance. At 14 ft wide the load needs no pilot car on four-lane I-80 in weekday daylight, but front and rear pilot cars if the permit allows night, weekend or holiday hours. Pilot cars and any local permit at either end are the larger costs.
Nevada pilot car and escort requirements
- local_police 12 to 14 ft wide: a lead pilot car on two- and three-lane roads; four-lane highways need none in daylight.
- local_police Over 14 ft to 16 ft wide: front and rear on two- and three-lane highways, one rear on four-lane highways. Over 16 ft: front and rear everywhere.
- local_police Over 12 ft wide at night, on weekends or in holiday hours: front and rear pilot cars.
- local_police Over 15 ft 6 in high: a front pilot car with a clearance pole.
- local_police Longer than 110 ft, or 120 ft when the rear axles steer: a pilot car behind. Overhang over 25 ft: a pilot car on that end.
- local_police Super Loads travel with Nevada Highway Patrol escorts; that class starts past 17 ft of width on two- or three-lane roads or 19 ft on four-lane roads, and at 18 ft high, 200 ft long or 500,000 lbs.
What hours can oversize loads move in Nevada?
- calendar_today By default, oversize loads move only in weekday daylight unless the permit allows night, weekend or holiday hours.
- calendar_today Five-day permits can allow night, weekend and holiday moves up to 14 ft wide, 15 ft high and 110 ft long; annual permits allow them up to 12 ft wide.
- calendar_today I-15 at Las Vegas: single trip loads are held to 12 ft wide northbound from the California line on Fridays 2 to 10 PM, and southbound to it on Sundays 2 to 10 PM.
- calendar_today Holiday hours, generally noon to midnight on set days around Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day and Labor Day, follow the weekday each holiday falls on.
- calendar_today Restricted routes such as Mt. Rose Highway, Kingsbury Grade and SR 28 at Lake Tahoe are closed to loads over 8 ft 6 in wide or 70 ft long except to reach a site on them.
Seasonal weight limits in Nevada
From February 1 through April 30 every year, NDOT-permitted overweight loads may not use the routes on its Spring Thaw list, mostly rural state routes in Elko, Nye, Esmeralda, White Pine and other counties, which stay at legal axle weights. Weight fines double on those roads in that window. Oversize loads at legal weight can still use them, and I-80 and I-15 are not on the list.
Nevada Oversize Load Questions
Permits, escorts and travel rules for oversize moves in Nevada.
How much is a Nevada oversize permit?
Can oversize loads travel at night in Nevada?
What is Nevada's spring thaw restriction?
When is a Nevada load a Super Load?
Are there weekend limits on I-15 near Las Vegas?
Sources
We last checked the figures above against these official sources in October 2026. Before each move, the carrier's permit service confirms the rules in force that day.
- NDOT Over Dimensional Vehicles (permit requirements, Super Loads, attachments, office)
- NDOT Over Dimensional Vehicle Permit Request (fees, maximum dimension charts)
- NDOT Pilot Car Information and Guidelines
- NDOT Holiday Travel Restrictions
- NDOT Overdimensional Permitting System (NDOT OPS) login and announcements
- NDOT Restricted Route List (rev. 2-10-26)
- NDOT Spring Thaw / Frost Law List (rev. 3/10/26)
- NDOT Weight Restricted Bridges and Routes (rev. 3/10/26)
- NRS Chapter 484D (rev. 4/15/2026)
- NAC Chapter 484D (rev. 8/26/2026)
- NRS Chapter 408 (408.210, 408.214) (rev. 4/15/2026)
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Heavy Haul Solutions for Oversized and Specialized Loads
Near Nevada: states and services
- Heavy Haul in Utah →Oversize moves in and through Utah: Salt Lake City, Ogden, Provo and the UT permit rules.
- Heavy Haul in California →Oversize moves in and through California: Los Angeles, San Francisco, Sacramento and the CA permit rules.
- Heavy Haul in Arizona →Oversize moves in and through Arizona: Phoenix, Tucson, Mesa and the AZ permit rules.
- Heavy Haul in Oregon →Oversize moves in and through Oregon: Portland, Salem, Eugene and the OR permit rules.
- Heavy Equipment Transport →Which trailer, permits and preparation each kind of construction, farm, mining and industrial machine needs.
- Heavy Haul Trucking →Oversize and overweight loads on RGN, step-deck and flatbed trailers, with permits, pilot cars and route surveys arranged.