Virginia Oversize & Overweight Permits for Heavy Haul
Virginia 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 Virginia?
Yes, once the load is wider than 8 ft 6 in, taller than 13 ft 6 in or heavier than 80,000 lbs. Virginia DMV, not the highway department, issues hauling permits through EZ Haul: $20 for a single trip, plus $0.30 a mile when the load is overweight. Permitted loads move from sunrise to sunset, and several cities need their own permits.
Updated November 2026 by the Quickway Transports broker team (FMCSA MC# 1245224).
Heavy haul and oversize freight in Virginia
Virginia's heavy freight centers on the Port of Virginia in Norfolk and Portsmouth, Northern Virginia's construction market and the industrial corridors along I-81 and I-85. I-95 runs north and south through Richmond, I-64 links Hampton Roads with Richmond and the Shenandoah Valley, and I-81 carries much of the truck traffic between Tennessee and Pennsylvania. We book carriers for port cargo, construction machines and plant equipment moving within Virginia or through it.
Water crossings shape a Hampton Roads route. The Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel takes loads only up to 10 ft 6 in wide, and only midday Tuesday through Thursday, so wider loads use the Monitor-Merrimac Memorial Bridge-Tunnel on I-664. Northern Virginia, Richmond and Hampton Roads also keep weekday rush-hour bans, and many cities accept the state permit only on listed routes. We check the tunnel and city rules before quoting a port move.
What are the legal size and weight limits in Virginia?
Under the oversize load regulations in Virginia, a load above any of these limits needs a state oversize or overweight permit.
| Width | 8 ft 6 in |
|---|---|
| Height | 13 ft 6 in |
| Semitrailer length | 53 ft |
| Gross weight | 80,000 lbs |
| Single axle | 20,000 lbs |
| Tandem axle | 34,000 lbs |
Limits are set by Va. Code 46.2-1105 to 46.2-1127. A $250 annual overload permit lets a truck carry 5% more off the Interstate, up to 84,000 lbs.
Who issues Virginia oversize permits?
Virginia DMV's Hauling Permits Section in Richmond issues oversize and overweight permits through EZ Haul, while VDOT handles the engineering and bridge analysis and keeps the lists of structures a permitted load must not cross. A single trip permit covers one move between two points and is valid up to 13 days.
Cities, towns and counties that sign an agreement with DMV may issue their own permits, and several accept the state permit only on certain routes. Norfolk, Richmond, Alexandria and Arlington all limit where it applies and the City of Fairfax does not accept it at all, so the carrier's permit service adds local permits where the route needs them.
Permit system: EZ Haul (Virginia DMV hauling permit system; replaced VAHPS in 2022)
What do Virginia oversize and overweight permits cost?
- request_quote Single trip: $20, valid up to 13 days for one move.
- request_quote Overweight, or a configuration that cannot be licensed in Virginia: $0.30 per mile on top of the permit fee.
- request_quote Superload single trip: $30, plus $0.30 a mile if overweight.
- request_quote Blanket permit for repeat moves: $100 for one year or $200 for two, with a $40 mileage fee and a $360 damage fee each year if overweight.
- request_quote VDOT engineering analysis can be added for some loads, and unused permits are not refunded.
Worked example: an overweight single trip over 180 miles
The permit is $20 and the overweight mileage fee is 180 x $0.30 = $54, so DMV charges $74 for the move. A superload on the same route would start at $30 instead, and escorts and any city permits are separate.
Virginia pilot car and escort requirements
- local_police Wider than 12 ft: a rear escort on the Interstate, and escorts at both ends on other roads.
- local_police Over 14 ft wide: two front and one rear off the Interstate, one front and one rear on it.
- local_police Over 16 ft wide: two front and two rear off the Interstate, one front and two rear on it. Past 18 ft wide or 200 ft long, DMV decides the escorts for each move.
- local_police Taller than 14 ft 5 in: a lead escort on every route, with its height pole 3 in above the top of the load.
- local_police Length: one rear escort over 90 ft off the Interstate or over 120 ft on it, and front and rear over 150 ft anywhere.
- local_police Escort drivers need a Virginia certificate or one from North Carolina, the only state Virginia lists for reciprocity.
What hours can oversize loads move in Virginia?
- calendar_today Permitted loads normally move from sunrise to sunset, and some superloads are required to move at night.
- calendar_today Inside city and town limits: no permitted travel 7 to 9 AM or 4 to 6 PM, unless the load is over weight alone, or over length alone and no longer than 85 ft.
- calendar_today Northern Virginia, Richmond-Petersburg and Hampton Roads: no overwidth or overlength travel 7 to 9 AM or 4 to 6 PM on weekdays on listed Interstates, including the Capital Beltway.
- calendar_today Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel: up to 10 ft 6 in wide, Tuesday to Thursday, 9:30 AM to 3:30 PM. Wider loads use the Monitor-Merrimac Memorial Bridge-Tunnel, which takes up to 23 ft wide.
- calendar_today Holidays: permits are void from noon on the weekday before Christmas, New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day and Thanksgiving, through the holiday itself.
Seasonal weight limits in Virginia
Virginia has no frost law. VDOT can lower weight, size or speed limits on a road or bridge after an engineering study, and counties, cities and towns can cut weights on their own roads for a total of 90 days or less each year for deterioration or weather, effective only where signs are posted. Wind is the seasonal factor on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, which restricts lightly loaded and high-profile trucks from 40 mph and closes at 60 mph.
Virginia Oversize Load Questions
Permits, escorts and travel rules for oversize moves in Virginia.
How much is a Virginia oversize permit?
Can oversize loads travel at night in Virginia?
How do oversize loads get through Hampton Roads?
When does a Virginia load need an escort?
What is a superload in Virginia?
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.
- Virginia DMV Hauling Permits page (EZ Haul, contacts, fees)
- DMV 109 Size, Weight and Equipment Requirements (07/01/2024)
- 24VAC20-82 Overload and Hauling Permits Regulation (eff. March 1, 2023)
- DMV Form MP 227 Hauling Permit Geographical Regulations (rev. 08/14/2026, valid through 12/31/2026)
- DMV Escort Vehicle Driver Certification
- DMV Escort Vehicle Driver FAQs (North Carolina reciprocity)
- Va. Code 46.2-1139 Permits for excessive size and weight
- Va. Code 46.2-1126 and 46.2-1127 weight limits
- Va. Code 46.2-1104 Reduction of limits
- VDOT Truck restrictions (tunnel limits; updated Sept 17, 2026)
- VDOT Hampton Roads bridges and tunnels (updated May 27, 2026)
- Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel wind restrictions
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Heavy Haul Solutions for Oversized and Specialized Loads
Near Virginia: states and services
- Heavy Haul in North Carolina →Oversize moves in and through North Carolina: Charlotte, Raleigh, Greensboro and the NC permit rules.
- Heavy Haul in Tennessee →Oversize moves in and through Tennessee: Nashville, Memphis, Knoxville and the TN permit rules.
- Heavy Haul in Pennsylvania →Oversize moves in and through Pennsylvania: Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown and the PA permit rules.
- Heavy Haul in New Jersey →Oversize moves in and through New Jersey: Newark, Jersey City, Trenton and the NJ 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.