How much does an Illinois single-trip oversize permit cost?

It depends which table your load falls in: an over-dimension table priced by size category and distance, an overweight table priced by axle configuration, gross weight, and distance, or an axle-only table priced per distance increment. Loads that are both over-dimension and overweight can pay from two tables. The sourced tables on this page carry each figure.

When does an oversize load need an escort in Illinois?

Once it crosses a published width, height, or length line, and the count rises as it crosses more of them. The widest, tallest, and longest loads take an Illinois State Police escort booked directly with State Police headquarters ahead of the move. Night movement adds one civilian escort on its own.

What counts as a superload in Illinois?

Width, not weight. A vehicle or object wider than the published width line needs a superload permit, and a towed permit that misses the minimum axle spacing requirements is treated as one as well. Superload review takes bridge and pavement analysis billed hourly, so book the time before you book the load.

Does Illinois restrict oversize moves to daylight hours?

It depends on the tier. Overweight loads with legal dimensions run around the clock. Larger loads are restricted to sunrise-to-sunset windows, then to weekdays only, then to a few midday hours for the widest and tallest. Nine counties around Chicago apply the tightest weekday window, and six holidays close the road entirely.

Illinois Oversize and Overweight Permits

By Evan Reid, Founder of Haul Handbook · Updated Jul 25, 2026

Illinois legal limits (no permit needed at or under these)

Width: 8.5 ft8 feet 6 inches is the total outside width of any vehicle or load on Class III and non-designated State and local highways. The same 8 feet 6 inches applies on the Interstate system and on Class I and Class II highways, except that safety devices the Department deems necessary are excluded from the width calculation, and required mirrors may project up to 14 inches beyond each side. Hay, straw, and similar farm products up to 12 feet wide, and implements of husbandry being transported, may exceed 8 feet 6 inches during daylight under stated conditions.
Height: 13.5 ft13 feet 6 inches measured from the underside of the tire to the top of the vehicle, inclusive of load, on any highway in the State. Illinois does not have the 14-foot allowance some western states use, so a load that runs legal in Texas can need an Illinois permit.
Gross weight: 80,000 lb80,000 pounds gross for vehicle combinations of 5 or more axles, 20,000 pounds on a single axle, and 34,000 pounds on a tandem axle with no axle in the tandem exceeding 20,000 pounds. Groups of 2 or more consecutive axles are additionally capped by the Illinois bridge formula, W = 500 times the sum of (LN divided by N-1) + 12N + 36. Two consecutive sets of tandem axles may each carry 34,000 pounds when the first and last axles of the two tandems are 36 feet or more apart.
Length: single_vehicle: 42 ft
Length: single_vehicle_note: 42 feet is the maximum length of a single vehicle on any Illinois highway, except semitrailers, which are governed by the combination rules, charter or regulated route buses at up to 45 feet, and motor homes at up to 45 feet.
Length: class_i_and_class_ii_combination_overall: no overall limit
Length: class_i_and_class_ii_semitrailer: 53 ft
Length: class_i_and_class_ii_kingpin_to_rear_axle: 45.5 ft
Length: twin_trailer_each_unit: 28.5 ft
Length: class_ii_twin_combination_front_axle_to_rear_axle: 65 ft
Length: maxi_cube_overall: 65 ft
Length: auto_or_boat_transporter_overall: 65 ft
Length: stinger_steered_transporter_overall: 80 ft
Length: triple_saddlemount_overall: 97 ft
Length: towaway_trailer_transporter_overall: 82 ft
Length: non_designated_tractor_semitrailer_overall: 65 ft
Length: non_designated_semitrailer: 53 ft
Length: non_designated_twin_combination_overall: 60 ft
Length: non_designated_kingpin_to_center_axle: 42.5 ft
Width statute: 625 ILCS 5/15-102
Height statute: 625 ILCS 5/15-103
Length statute: 625 ILCS 5/15-107
Weight statute: 625 ILCS 5/15-111
Off interstate limits: Illinois regulates by highway class rather than by Interstate versus non-Interstate. IDOT designates Class I, Class II, and Class III highways; the 8 feet 6 inch width and 13 feet 6 inch height apply statewide, while the length allowances shrink on non-designated highways (65 feet overall for a tractor-semitrailer, 60 feet for a twin combination). Weight limits are the same statewide, subject to posted structures and to local ordinances that may allow 33.5 percent higher axle loads on 2-axle vehicles inside cities over 50,000 population, capped at 40,000 pounds gross.

Axle weight limits

Gross weight is one ceiling; each axle group carries its own limit, and a load can be legal on gross weight yet overweight on an axle. Exceeding any of these needs an overweight permit.

Illinois legal axle weight limits by axle group
Axle group	Maximum weight
Single axle	20,000 lb (625 ILCS 5/15-111(a). Trucks used exclusively for rendering-material collection, and self-compacting garbage, refuse, or recycling trucks not in combination, may carry 22,000 pounds on a single axle off the Interstate system.)
Tandem axle	34,000 lb (625 ILCS 5/15-111(a), with no axle within the tandem exceeding 20,000 pounds. Two axles 96 inches apart or less are treated as a tandem and capped at 34,000 pounds even when the bridge formula would allow more.)
Gross weight, combination of 5 or more axles	80,000 lb (625 ILCS 5/15-111(a).)
Group of 2 or more consecutive axles	Set by the Illinois bridge formula rather than a flat figure: W = 500 times the sum of (LN divided by N-1) + 12N + 36, tabulated in 625 ILCS 5/15-111(a) by axle spacing. Vehicles permitted overweight under 625 ILCS 5/15-301 are not subject to the bridge formula.

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Permit fees

Single trip: $12 ($12 is the lowest single-trip over-dimension fee: Table 1 Category a (10 feet wide or less, 14 feet 6 inches high or less, 70 feet long or less) for a trip of 0 to 90 miles. Over-dimension fees run to $125 for Category e over 270 miles. Overweight loads are priced separately from Table 2 by axle configuration, gross weight, and distance, or from Table 3 when only an axle is over and the gross is legal. A load that is both over-dimension and overweight pays the Table 2 or Table 3 fee plus, where it exceeds 15 feet high, 145 feet long, or 14 feet 6 inches wide, an additional Table 1 fee; loads between 12 feet 7 inches and 14 feet 6 inches wide add a flat $15 to the Table 2 fee.)
Annual permit: Not confirmed
Annual eligibility: Illinois calls its blanket permit a Limited Continuous Operation (LCO) permit, priced by load family, maximum dimensions, and term. The general legal-weight oversize LCO covering construction equipment and other loads costs $100 for 3 months or $400 for 12 months at up to 10 feet wide, 14 feet 6 inches high, and 70 feet long, and $150 for 3 months or $600 for 12 months at up to 12 feet wide, 14 feet 6 inches high, and 115 feet long. The overweight and oversize LCO at practical maximum weights, up to 12 feet wide, 13 feet 6 inches high, and 115 feet long costs $250 for 3 months or $1,000 for 12 months. Manufactured housing, storage buildings, trusses, and stackable home frames have their own LCO families with a 14-foot or 16-foot top tier at $250 for 3 months and $1,000 for 12 months. A crossing permit runs up to 6 months for $15, and a grain permit runs 40 days at $5.00 per axle.

Single-trip permit fee schedule

A single-trip permit stacks a base fee with a weight-tiered maintenance fee, and the heaviest loads add a supervision fee.

Illinois single-trip oversize permit fee components
Fee component	Applies to	Amount
Table 1 Category a over-dimension	10 ft wide or less, 14 ft 6 in high or less, 70 ft long or less; 0 to 90 miles	$12
Table 1 Category a over-dimension	10 ft wide or less, 14 ft 6 in high or less, 70 ft long or less; 91 to 180 miles	$15
Table 1 Category a over-dimension	10 ft wide or less, 14 ft 6 in high or less, 70 ft long or less; 181 to 270 miles	$18
Table 1 Category a over-dimension	10 ft wide or less, 14 ft 6 in high or less, 70 ft long or less; over 270 miles	$21
Table 1 Category b over-dimension	12 ft wide or less, 14 ft 6 in high or less, 85 ft long or less; 0 to 90 miles	$15
Table 1 Category b over-dimension	12 ft wide or less, 14 ft 6 in high or less, 85 ft long or less; 91 to 180 miles	$20
Table 1 Category b over-dimension	12 ft wide or less, 14 ft 6 in high or less, 85 ft long or less; 181 to 270 miles	$25
Table 1 Category b over-dimension	12 ft wide or less, 14 ft 6 in high or less, 85 ft long or less; over 270 miles	$30
Table 1 Category c over-dimension	14 ft wide or less, 15 ft high or less, 100 ft long or less; 0 to 90 miles	$25
Table 1 Category c over-dimension	14 ft wide or less, 15 ft high or less, 100 ft long or less; 91 to 180 miles	$30
Table 1 Category c over-dimension	14 ft wide or less, 15 ft high or less, 100 ft long or less; 181 to 270 miles	$35
Table 1 Category c over-dimension	14 ft wide or less, 15 ft high or less, 100 ft long or less; over 270 miles	$40
Table 1 Category d over-dimension	18 ft wide or less, 16 ft high or less, 120 ft long or less; 0 to 90 miles	$30
Table 1 Category d over-dimension	18 ft wide or less, 16 ft high or less, 120 ft long or less; 91 to 180 miles	$40
Table 1 Category d over-dimension	18 ft wide or less, 16 ft high or less, 120 ft long or less; 181 to 270 miles	$50
Table 1 Category d over-dimension	18 ft wide or less, 16 ft high or less, 120 ft long or less; over 270 miles	$60
Table 1 Category e over-dimension	more than 18 ft wide, more than 16 ft high, or more than 120 ft long; 0 to 90 miles	$50
Table 1 Category e over-dimension	more than 18 ft wide, more than 16 ft high, or more than 120 ft long; 91 to 180 miles	$75
Table 1 Category e over-dimension	more than 18 ft wide, more than 16 ft high, or more than 120 ft long; 181 to 270 miles	$100
Table 1 Category e over-dimension	more than 18 ft wide, more than 16 ft high, or more than 120 ft long; over 270 miles	$125
Table 2 width surcharge	Overweight load between 12 ft 7 in and 14 ft 6 in wide, added to the Table 2 fee	$15
Table 4 agricultural overweight, per axle	Overweight 2 to 5 axle trucks carrying agricultural commodities including corn, soybeans, wheat, oats, grain, sorghum, canola, rice, livestock, ensilage, fruits, and vegetables	$5
Table 4 repeated crossing move, each vehicle	Repeated overweight or over-dimension moves directly across a highway	$15
Supplemental permit fee	One revision and/or one extension of an issued permit	$5
Supplemental permit surcharge	Supplements to superload permits with weight and to limited continuous operation permits, non-refundable	$50
Bridge structural analysis	Engineering inspection, per hour plus computer costs	$40
Pavement structural analysis	Engineering inspection, per hour	$40
Interim or final inspection for damages	Engineering inspection, per hour	$40
District investigation of movement feasibility	Field investigation, per IDOT District	$40
IDOT employee accompanying the move	Field investigation, per hour	$40
Illinois State Police escort	Per escort vehicle per Illinois State Police District, paid to the Permit Office; the Illinois State Police charge an additional hourly fee	$80

Scroll sideways to see every column.

To price a specific load, try the oversize permit cost estimator, or compare every state on the national oversize permit table.

To see how these fees combine on real loads, walk through Illinois oversize permit cost worked examples.

Escort thresholds

Dimension	Threshold	Escorts	Police escort
width	over 14 ft 6 in	1	No
length	over 110 ft	1	No
height	over 14 ft 6 in	1	No
width and height	over 14 ft 6 in wide and over 14 ft 6 in high	2	No
height and length	over 14 ft 6 in high and over 110 ft long	2	No
width and length	over 14 ft 6 in wide and over 110 ft long	2	No
width	over 16 ft	3	No
length	over 145 ft	3	No
height	over 18 ft	3	No
width	over 18 ft	Illinois State Police	Yes
length	over 200 ft	Illinois State Police	Yes
height	over 18 ft	Illinois State Police	Yes
bridge restriction	overweight move where bridge restrictions require all other traffic to be kept off the structure while the permitted vehicle crosses	Illinois State Police	Yes
darkness	overweight and/or oversize load up to 12 ft wide, 13 ft 6 in high, and/or 200 ft long moving during the hours of darkness	1	No

What the escort itself has to be

Hitting the threshold is only half of it. The escort vehicle, its equipment, its driver's certification and where it rides are all regulated, and the carrier is the one holding the permit when they are not met.

What counts as an escort vehicle: A civilian escort vehicle may not exceed a gross vehicle weight rating of 26,000 pounds and must be designed to afford a clear and unobstructed view to both front and rear.
Police escort arrangements: The permittee arranges Illinois State Police escorts directly with State Police Headquarters at (217) 782-6527 at least 24 hours before the move. The Permit Office may waive the State Police escort where local police are used inside a municipality, where the object only crosses a State highway with minimal disruption, or where a District investigation finds no overhead obstructions on a move over 18 feet high.
When the state adds escorts at its discretion: Civilian escorts may also be required when the Department's Bridge Office analysis or a District investigation calls for them, and any move needing extra warning to the traveling public requires one civilian escort.
Amber warning light: All loads moving under an oversize or overweight permit display an operable oscillating, rotating, or flashing amber light.

Escort rules beyond the thresholds

Knowing when you need an escort is half of it. These are the Illinois rules on who may run one, what the vehicle has to carry, and how the move is conducted.

Civilian escort vehicle: A civilian escort vehicle may not exceed a gross vehicle weight rating of 26,000 pounds and must be designed to afford a clear and unobstructed view to both front and rear.
Police escort arrangements: The permittee arranges Illinois State Police escorts directly with State Police Headquarters at (217) 782-6527 at least 24 hours before the move. The Permit Office may waive the State Police escort where local police are used inside a municipality, where the object only crosses a State highway with minimal disruption, or where a District investigation finds no overhead obstructions on a move over 18 feet high.
Discretionary: Civilian escorts may also be required when the Department's Bridge Office analysis or a District investigation calls for them, and any move needing extra warning to the traveling public requires one civilian escort.
Amber light: All loads moving under an oversize or overweight permit display an operable oscillating, rotating, or flashing amber light.

Conditions attached to every permit

The standing conditions Illinois writes into the permit itself, which apply whether or not they are printed on your copy.

Non divisible rule: A permit is issued only for a load that cannot reasonably be dismantled or disassembled; the applicant carries the burden of establishing that. No State or local agency may permit divisible excess size or weight loads, except for fluid milk products, and a permit issued in violation of that rule is void at issue.
Sealed containers: A sealed international shipping container counts as non-divisible only when it is en route for import or export and the driver can produce a bill of lading or manifest tying the container number to the permit and naming the foreign country.
Carrying: The original permit, any subsequent permits, and Form OPER 993 must be carried in the vehicle, in written or electronic form, and presented to police or Department officials on request.
Statute: 625 ILCS 5/15-301

Travel restrictions

Daylight only: Tiered by dimension. Overweight loads with legal dimensions, and overweight or oversize loads up to 12 feet wide, 13 feet 6 inches high, and 200 feet long, may move 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (the second group needs one extra civilian escort during darkness). Loads up to 14 feet 6 inches wide and 15 feet high move from a half hour before sunrise to a half hour after sunset, 7 days a week. Loads up to 16 feet wide and 17 feet high move a half hour before sunrise to a half hour after sunset Monday through Friday and until noon Saturday. Loads over 16 feet wide or 17 feet high move 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Monday through Friday only. Loads longer than 200 feet move a half hour before sunrise to a half hour after sunset Monday through Friday only.
Curfews: In Cook, DuPage, Lake, Kane, Madison, McHenry, Monroe, St. Clair, and Will counties, loads in the up-to-16-foot-wide and 17-foot-high tier are limited to 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. Loads over practical maximum weights, over 12 feet wide, or over 13 feet 6 inches high are prohibited on Cook County expressways except stated segments of I-55, I-57, I-290, and I-80. Superload movement windows are often set at 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. City of Chicago Central Business District routes carry additional restrictions handled by the City.
Weekend / holiday: Oversize permit loads are restricted from noon the day before through a half hour before sunrise the day after New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day. Implements of husbandry that are overwidth only are exempt. Loads over 16 feet wide or 17 feet high, and loads longer than 200 feet, get no Saturday or Sunday movement at all.
Wind / weather: Movements of house trailers over 12 feet wide are prohibited when wind gusts exceed 25 miles per hour.
Regulation: 92 Ill. Adm. Code 554.1210

Weather: No movement when the highway is covered with snow or ice, when visibility is unduly impaired by rain, snow, fog, or smog, or at any time the Illinois State Police consider travel conditions unsafe.
Regulation: 92 Ill. Adm. Code 554.1210

Superload and beyond-permit review

Loads past the standard single-trip permit thresholds get individual state review rather than an off-the-shelf permit.

Illinois triggers superload treatment on width rather than on a single gross-weight figure: moving a vehicle or object exceeding 14 feet 6 inches in width requires a superload permit. Any towed permit that fails the minimum axle-spacing requirements is also processed as a superload. Superload moves, and moves on nonstandard vehicles or nonstandard axle configurations, are authorized only if allowable pavement and bridge stresses are not exceeded, and normally take additional time and engineering fees.

Bridge structural analysis, pavement structural analysis, and District investigations are billed at $40 per hour or per District, and an unusually large movement is covered by a written agreement between the applicant and the Department. A Superload Fee Calculator is published in ITAP.

Width trigger ft: 14.5
Practical maximum dimensions: 14 feet 6 inches wide, 15 feet high, 145 feet long. Permits above these are considered case by case.
Practical maximum weights: 120,000 pounds gross on a 6-or-more-axle tractor semitrailer (48,000 on the drive tandem, no axle over 25,000; 60,000 on the semitrailer tandem, no axle over 21,000); 100,000 pounds gross on a 5-axle tractor semitrailer (48,000 maximum on either tandem, no axle over 25,000); 76,000 pounds on a 4-or-more-axle vehicle with 23 feet or more axle spacing; 68,000 pounds on a 3-or-more-axle vehicle with 18 feet or more axle spacing; 48,000 pounds on a 2-axle vehicle.
Axle spacing minimums: Steer axle to first tractor tandem axle at least 8 feet 1 inch; at least 18 feet 6 inches before the first trailer axle; and all axle spacings summing to at least 43 feet 6 inches.
Regulation: 92 Ill. Adm. Code 554.1320, 554.1415, 554.1420, 554.1305, 554.1405, 554.1640

More Illinois permit rules

Single trip fee USD: 12
Single trip fee note: $12 is the lowest single-trip over-dimension fee: Table 1 Category a (10 feet wide or less, 14 feet 6 inches high or less, 70 feet long or less) for a trip of 0 to 90 miles. Over-dimension fees run to $125 for Category e over 270 miles. Overweight loads are priced separately from Table 2 by axle configuration, gross weight, and distance, or from Table 3 when only an axle is over and the gross is legal. A load that is both over-dimension and overweight pays the Table 2 or Table 3 fee plus, where it exceeds 15 feet high, 145 feet long, or 14 feet 6 inches wide, an additional Table 1 fee; loads between 12 feet 7 inches and 14 feet 6 inches wide add a flat $15 to the Table 2 fee.
Overweight fee schedule note: Table 2 fees include dimensions up to 15 feet high, 145 feet long, and 12 feet 6 inches wide. A load between 12 feet 7 inches and 14 feet 6 inches wide adds $15. A load exceeding 15 feet high, 145 feet long, or 14 feet 6 inches wide adds the applicable Table 1 fee on top.
Axle only overweight note: Table 3 applies when an axle or axle group is overweight but the gross weight is legal. Each figure is charged for each 45-mile increment of the move and excludes any over dimension; an over-dimension load adds the Table 1 fee.
Annual permit eligibility: Illinois calls its blanket permit a Limited Continuous Operation (LCO) permit, priced by load family, maximum dimensions, and term. The general legal-weight oversize LCO covering construction equipment and other loads costs $100 for 3 months or $400 for 12 months at up to 10 feet wide, 14 feet 6 inches high, and 70 feet long, and $150 for 3 months or $600 for 12 months at up to 12 feet wide, 14 feet 6 inches high, and 115 feet long. The overweight and oversize LCO at practical maximum weights, up to 12 feet wide, 13 feet 6 inches high, and 115 feet long costs $250 for 3 months or $1,000 for 12 months. Manufactured housing, storage buildings, trusses, and stackable home frames have their own LCO families with a 14-foot or 16-foot top tier at $250 for 3 months and $1,000 for 12 months. A crossing permit runs up to 6 months for $15, and a grain permit runs 40 days at $5.00 per axle.
Annual permit details: three month fees USD: oversize construction equipment and other loads 10ft: 100
Annual permit details: three month fees USD: oversize construction equipment and other loads 12ft: 150
Annual permit details: three month fees USD: oversize trusses 10ft: 100
Annual permit details: three month fees USD: oversize trusses 12ft: 150
Annual permit details: three month fees USD: oversize trusses 14ft: 250
Annual permit details: three month fees USD: manufactured housing or storage buildings 10ft: 100
Annual permit details: three month fees USD: manufactured housing or storage buildings 12ft: 150
Annual permit details: three month fees USD: manufactured housing or storage buildings 16ft: 250
Annual permit details: three month fees USD: stackable manufactured home frames 10ft: 100
Annual permit details: three month fees USD: stackable manufactured home frames 12ft: 150
Annual permit details: three month fees USD: stackable manufactured home frames 16ft: 250
Annual permit details: three month fees USD: overweight oversized 12ft: 250
Annual permit details: three month fees USD: movement from disablement sites: 50
Annual permit details: regulation: 92 Ill. Adm. Code 554.1115 (Permits for Limited Continuous Operation); statutory fee authority at 625 ILCS 5/15-301 and the fee sections of the Illinois Vehicle Code
House trailer permit fees: summary: House trailers, oversize storage buildings, modular home sections, and units carrying roof or floor trusses have their own statutory fee ladder: single trip $12 for the first 90 miles, $15 from 90 to 180 miles, $18 from 180 to 270 miles, and $21 beyond 270 miles at 10 feet wide, 14 feet 6 inches high, and 70 feet long; $15 / $20 / $25 / $30 at 12 feet wide and 115 feet long; and $25 / $30 / $35 / $40 at 14 feet wide, 15 feet high, and 115 feet long. The matching 90-day limited continuous operation fees are $100, $150, and $250, and the annual limited continuous operation fees are $400, $600, and $1,000.
House trailer permit fees: statute: 625 ILCS 5/15-304
Escort notes: civilian escort vehicle: A civilian escort vehicle may not exceed a gross vehicle weight rating of 26,000 pounds and must be designed to afford a clear and unobstructed view to both front and rear.
Escort notes: police escort arrangements: The permittee arranges Illinois State Police escorts directly with State Police Headquarters at (217) 782-6527 at least 24 hours before the move. The Permit Office may waive the State Police escort where local police are used inside a municipality, where the object only crosses a State highway with minimal disruption, or where a District investigation finds no overhead obstructions on a move over 18 feet high.
Escort notes: discretionary: Civilian escorts may also be required when the Department's Bridge Office analysis or a District investigation calls for them, and any move needing extra warning to the traveling public requires one civilian escort.
Escort notes: amber light: All loads moving under an oversize or overweight permit display an operable oscillating, rotating, or flashing amber light.
Permit conditions: non divisible rule: A permit is issued only for a load that cannot reasonably be dismantled or disassembled; the applicant carries the burden of establishing that. No State or local agency may permit divisible excess size or weight loads, except for fluid milk products, and a permit issued in violation of that rule is void at issue.
Permit conditions: sealed containers: A sealed international shipping container counts as non-divisible only when it is en route for import or export and the driver can produce a bill of lading or manifest tying the container number to the permit and naming the foreign country.
Permit conditions: carrying: The original permit, any subsequent permits, and Form OPER 993 must be carried in the vehicle, in written or electronic form, and presented to police or Department officials on request.
Permit conditions: statute: 625 ILCS 5/15-301

Category	Total axles	Max gross weight lb	Front tandem or axle	Rear tandem or axle	Note
f	6 or more	88,000	34,000 lb / 2 axles	48,000 lb / 3 axles
g	6 or more	100,000	44,000 lb / 2 axles	54,000 lb / 3 axles
h	6 or more	110,000	44,000 lb / 2 axles	54,000 lb / 3 axles
i	6 or more	120,000	48,000 lb / 2 axles	60,000 lb / 3 axles
j	5	88,000	44,000 lb / 2 axles	44,000 lb / 2 axles
l	5	100,000	48,000 lb / 2 axles	48,000 lb / 2 axles
m	4 or more	72,000	34,000 lb / 2 axles	40,000 lb / 2 axles
n	4 or more	76,000	44,000 lb / 2 axles	44,000 lb / 2 axles
o	3 or more	60,000	21,000 lb / 1 axle	40,000 lb / 2 axles
p	3 or more	68,000	21,000 lb / 1 axle	48,000 lb / 2 axles
q	2	48,000	25,000 lb / 1 axle	25,000 lb / 1 axle
r	2	54,000	28,000 lb / 1 axle	28,000 lb / 1 axle	Table 2 labels category r the Super Load Fee Category.

Distance band
0 to 45 miles
46 to 90 miles
91 to 135 miles
136 to 180 miles
181 to 225 miles
226 to 270 miles
271 to 315 miles
316 to 360 miles
361 to 405 miles
406 to 450 miles
451 to 495 miles

Axle weight over legal lb	Single axle fee USD	Two axle tandem fee USD	Three axle tandem fee USD	Note
1 to 6,000	5	5	5
6,001 to 11,000	8	7	6
11,001 to 17,000		8	7	Table 3 prints Not available for the single-axle cell at this excess.
17,001 to 22,000			9	Table 3 prints Not available for the single-axle and 2-axle tandem cells at this excess.
22,001 to 29,000			11	Table 3 prints Not available for the single-axle and 2-axle tandem cells at this excess.

Name	Detail	Fee USD	Fee basis	Statute
Grain Permit	Limited continuous operation permit for legal-dimension loads, 40 days, $5.00 per axle.	5	per axle
Agricultural commodities limited continuous operation permit	A special permit lets a 2-axle vehicle exceed the Section 15-111 axle loads by up to 35 percent, a 3-axle or 4-axle vehicle by up to 20 percent, and a 5-axle vehicle by up to 10 percent, without exceeding the registration class gross weight. Valid up to 40 days for moves of up to 50 miles from a field, on-farm grain storage facility, warehouse, or livestock management facility, on any highway except the Interstate system, and subject to posted bridge and highway weight limits.			625 ILCS 5/15-301(e)
Harvest season permit, September 1 through December 31	A free special permit is issued for a vehicle that exceeds the Section 15-111 axle and gross weight limits, or its registered gross weight, by not more than 10 percent. Valid only on federal and State highways under IDOT jurisdiction, excluding Interstate highways. Local authorities may waive the permit requirement on their own roads on the same 10 percent terms.	0		625 ILCS 5/15-301(e-1)
Local authority annual permit	IDOT issues a free annual permit letting a local authority move oversize highway construction, transportation, utility, and maintenance equipment owned by or registered to that local authority over IDOT roads.	0		625 ILCS 5/15-301(d)

The Illinois permit office

Agency: Illinois Department of Transportation, Bureau of Operations, Permit Office
System: Illinois Transportation Automated Permit system (ITAP)
System url: https://webapps1.dot.illinois.gov/ITAP/
Phone: (217) 785-1477 from the Springfield area or out of state; (800) 252-8636 elsewhere in Illinois
Email: [email protected]
Address: 2300 South Dirksen Parkway, Springfield, Illinois 62764
Note: Most permits are issued immediately through ITAP. Permits for roads under Cook County jurisdiction go to the Cook County Permit Office at (312) 603-1670, and routes under City of Chicago jurisdiction, including the Central Business District, go to the City of Chicago at (312) 744-4696.

Legal limits before you need a permit

Illinois publishes width, height, length, gross weight, and axle group limits, and applies them by highway class rather than by Interstate status. Width and height are the same everywhere in the state. Height is the one that catches western carriers: Illinois allows no taller corridor of the kind several western states use, so a load that runs legal out of Texas can cross into permit territory at the Illinois line.

Length is where the class system bites. On designated Class I and Class II highways a combination has no overall length cap, subject to a semitrailer limit and a kingpin to rear axle measurement. Drop onto a non-designated highway and the combination picks up an overall cap, twin combinations get a shorter one, and the kingpin measurement tightens. Longer combinations get a short access allowance off designated highways for loading, fuel, repairs, food, and rest.

Weight follows the familiar axle and gross pattern plus a bridge formula for consecutive axle groups. Local ordinances can allow higher axle loads on two-axle vehicles inside larger municipalities, capped at a stated gross. The tables on this page carry every figure with its statute section.

How single-trip pricing works

Illinois prices a single trip from whichever table fits the load. Over-dimension loads price by size category and distance band. Overweight loads price by axle configuration, gross weight, and distance. When only an axle is over and the gross weight stays legal, a third table prices it per distance increment instead.

Stacking is where estimates go wrong. An overweight permit already includes dimensions up to stated height, length, and width ceilings. A load a little wider than that ceiling adds a flat charge to the overweight fee. A load past the higher height, length, or width lines adds the whole over-dimension fee on top. House trailers, storage buildings, modular home sections, and truss loads have their own statutory fee ladder rather than using the general tables.

Every table on this page is stored with the Department table or statute section it came from, so you can price a move against the source rather than against a quote.

Limited continuous operation permits

Illinois calls its blanket permit a limited continuous operation permit, and prices it by load family, by the maximum dimensions you need, and by term. General oversize work covering construction equipment and other loads has two dimension tiers. Trusses, manufactured housing and storage buildings, and stackable home frames each get a third, taller tier. Overweight combined with oversize has its own family at practical maximum weights.

Each family is sold for three months or twelve months, and the twelve-month price is roughly four times the quarter. Crossing permits run up to six months for a small flat fee, and grain permits run forty days priced per axle. The sourced tables on this page carry both terms for every family.

Escort requirements

Escorts phase in by dimension, and Illinois counts them by how many lines you cross. Crossing the first width, height, or length line takes one civilian escort. Crossing two of those lines at once takes two. Crossing the higher lines takes three. Past the top width, height, and length lines the Illinois State Police take over, and the permittee books them directly with State Police headquarters at least a day before the move.

One extra escort applies purely to timing: an overweight or oversize load moving during the hours of darkness needs a civilian escort on top of whatever its dimensions already require. Bridge-restricted overweight moves that need all other traffic kept off a structure also take a State Police escort.

Civilian escort vehicles have their own rules. They may not exceed a stated gross vehicle weight rating and must give a clear unobstructed view front and rear. Every permitted load displays an operable oscillating, rotating, or flashing amber light. The permit office can waive a State Police escort in stated cases, including when local police are used inside a municipality.

When oversize loads can move

Illinois tiers movement windows by size. Overweight loads with legal dimensions can move around the clock, every day. Move up a tier and you are restricted to a half hour before sunrise through a half hour after sunset, seven days a week. Move up again and Saturday is cut to a half day and Sunday disappears. The widest and tallest loads get a weekday window of a few midday hours only.

The Chicago region tightens all of it. In nine named counties, including Cook, DuPage, Lake, Kane, and Will, wide and tall permit loads are squeezed into that same short weekday window. Loads over the practical maximum weights, or over stated width or height, are barred from Cook County expressways except for named segments.

Holidays and weather close the rest. Oversize loads are restricted from noon the day before through the morning after six named holidays, with an exemption for overwidth implements of husbandry. House trailers over a stated width stop when wind gusts pass the published speed. Nothing moves on snow or ice, in rain, snow, fog, or smog that unduly impairs visibility, or whenever the State Police call conditions unsafe.

Superloads

Most states define a superload by gross weight. Illinois defines it by width: a vehicle or object wider than the stated width line needs a superload permit. Any towed permit that misses the minimum axle spacing requirements is processed as a superload too, whatever it weighs.

Superload moves and moves on nonstandard axle configurations are authorized only when allowable pavement and bridge stresses are not exceeded, which takes extra time and engineering review. Bridge structural analysis, pavement analysis, and district investigations are billed hourly, and unusually large movements are covered by a written agreement between the applicant and the Department. The state's permit system publishes a superload fee calculator.

How to read this page

A value reading "Not confirmed" means we could not verify the figure on an official agency page at review time, so it stays open rather than guessed. Superload moves above the standard permit thresholds get individual review by the state; contact the permit office named on this page. For the rest of the Illinois permit stack, see Illinois trucking permits.

Frequently asked questions

What can I haul in Illinois without an oversize permit?: Anything inside the published width, height, length, gross weight, and axle group limits. Watch the height line, because Illinois allows no taller corridor of the kind several western states use. Length depends on whether you are on a designated Class I or Class II highway or a non-designated one.
How much does an Illinois single-trip oversize permit cost?: It depends which table your load falls in: an over-dimension table priced by size category and distance, an overweight table priced by axle configuration, gross weight, and distance, or an axle-only table priced per distance increment. Loads that are both over-dimension and overweight can pay from two tables. The sourced tables on this page carry each figure.
When does an oversize load need an escort in Illinois?: Once it crosses a published width, height, or length line, and the count rises as it crosses more of them. The widest, tallest, and longest loads take an Illinois State Police escort booked directly with State Police headquarters ahead of the move. Night movement adds one civilian escort on its own.
What counts as a superload in Illinois?: Width, not weight. A vehicle or object wider than the published width line needs a superload permit, and a towed permit that misses the minimum axle spacing requirements is treated as one as well. Superload review takes bridge and pavement analysis billed hourly, so book the time before you book the load.
Does Illinois restrict oversize moves to daylight hours?: It depends on the tier. Overweight loads with legal dimensions run around the clock. Larger loads are restricted to sunrise-to-sunset windows, then to weekdays only, then to a few midday hours for the widest and tallest. Nine counties around Chicago apply the tightest weekday window, and six holidays close the road entirely.

Haul Handbook publishes educational information about trucking registration and compliance requirements. This is not legal, financial, or tax advice. Rules, fees, and deadlines change; confirm with the agency before you file or pay.