Alabama Oversize Load Permits and Regulations
ALPASS permits, flat weight-band fees, escort tiers by road type, the Sunday ban and ALEA trooper escorts for superloads
Quick answer
How does Alabama price and issue oversize permits?
Permits are ordered in ALPASS, the online system of ALDOT's Vehicle Enforcement Office in Montgomery. Fees are flat by weight band with no mileage charge: $20 for a load over a legal dimension up to 100,000 lb, rising to $110 over 150,000 lb. A single-trip permit covers one round trip within 5 days, and loads move in daylight only, never on a Sunday.
Updated October 2026 by the HTS Logistics broker team (FMCSA MC# 1178470).
Checked October 2026; the issued permit controls
Alabama prices permits by weight band, never by the mile, so a 400-mile run pays the same permit fee as a 40-mile one; that sets it apart from the per-mile and ton-mile states in our oversize permits by state guide. What Alabama restricts is the calendar: permitted vehicles travel in daylight only and not at all on Sundays (Ala. Admin. Code 450-3-1-.04(2)), and ALDOT's 2026 holiday windows open at sunset one or two evenings before each holiday.
As a licensed property broker (MC 1178470) rather than a carrier, HTS Logistics handles heavy haul trucking through Alabama by booking the carrier, ordering the ALPASS permit and scheduling the escorts or troopers it calls for. ALDOT's FAQ says single-trip permits normally issue in under 2 hours, and loads over 100,000 lb gross or mobile homes over 12 ft wide first need a routing authorization with a turnaround of about 2 hours.
Legal limits in Alabama
The statute (Code of Ala. 32-9-20) and ALDOT's rule (Ala. Admin. Code 450-3-1-.02) set the limits. Off the Interstate, the statute's computed gross weight table and a 10% allowable load tolerance apply; on Interstates and on concurrent US and state routes, ALDOT says no tolerance applies (450-3-1-.04(10)).
| Limit | Alabama | Federal baseline | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Width | 8 ft 6 in | 8 ft 6 in (102 in) on the National Network | 102 in excluding mirrors and approved safety devices (32-9-20(a)(4)); ALDOT's rule treats 8 ft as legal on roads with lanes under 12 ft (450-3-1-.02(2)) |
| Height | 13 ft 6 in | No federal limit | Code of Ala. 32-9-20(a)(1); a front escort with a height pole is required over 15 ft 6 in |
| Semitrailer length | 57 ft | States must allow at least 48 ft | Semitrailer including load; over 53 ft 6 in only on highways designated under 32-9-1, with a kingpin-to-rear-axle distance of 41 ft or less and a rear underride guard; single vehicle 40 ft; 5 ft of legal overhang front and rear combined |
| Gross weight | 80,000 lb | 80,000 lb | Interstate cap including tolerance, under the federal bridge formula; off the Interstate the statute's table reaches 84,000 lb for 6 axles with 44 ft or more between the first and last axle |
| Single axle | 20,000 lb | 20,000 lb | Interstate figure including tolerance (32-9-20(a)(3)a.3); an APU or idle-reduction unit adds 400 lb |
| Tandem axle | 34,000 lb | 34,000 lb | Interstate figure including tolerance; natural gas vehicles may run up to 82,000 lb gross (32-9-20(c)) |
Federal baseline: 23 CFR Part 658, eCFR as of 2026-10-14
When Alabama requires a permit and how to get one
ALDOT's Vehicle Enforcement Office, also called the OS/OW Permit Office, issues permits through ALPASS. A single-trip permit is a round-trip permit, loaded one way and empty the other, valid 5 days under the rule; ALDOT's FAQ says 5 business days, so we plan on the shorter reading. An annual permit costs $100 per vehicle, is tied to the VIN and covers loads up to 12 ft wide, 14 ft high, 75 ft long and 150,000 lb with 22,000 lb on a single axle, and it can take up to 10 business days to issue (Code of Ala. 32-9-29(b)(1)a; 450-3-1-.09).
ALDOT permits are not valid on city streets or county roads (ALDOT Permit FAQ), so a jobsite off a state route needs the local permit too. In ALPASS, ALDOT recommends Free Form route entry, with local segments written as 'CITY STREETS' or 'CO RDS'. Personal checks are not accepted, and the carrier's insurance must meet a $300,000 split limit or $1,000,000 combined single limit (450-3-1-.06).
Permit office
- Issuing office
- ALDOT Vehicle Enforcement Office (OS/OW Permit Office)
- Address
- 1409 Coliseum Blvd., Room K-101, Montgomery, AL 36110
- Permit system
- ALPASS
- Phone
- (800) 499-2782; local (334) 834-1092
- [email protected]
- Hours
- Monday–Friday, 7:00 AM–4:45 PM Central
- Roads covered
- ALDOT routes only; city streets and county roads need local permits
Fees
| Permit | Fee |
|---|---|
| Overweight only, 80,000–100,000 lb | $10 |
| Overweight only, 100,001–125,000 lb | $30 |
| Overweight only, 125,001–150,000 lb | $60 |
| Overweight only, over 150,000 lb | $100 |
| Over width, height or length, up to 100,000 lb | $20 |
| Over width, height or length, 100,000–125,000 lb | $40 |
| Over width, height or length, 125,000–150,000 lb | $70 |
| Over width, height or length, over 150,000 lb | $110 |
| Over-height only; off-road equipment | $10 each |
| Boats, mobile homes, portable buildings and modular homes up to 12 ft wide and 75 ft long | $10; $20 if larger |
| Houses; oversize loads not otherwise listed | $20 each |
| Annual permit, per vehicle; annual sealed-container permit | $100 each |
Each combined row equals the weight fee plus $10, the add-on rule 450-3-1-.10 charges when an overweight load is also over a legal dimension.
There is no mileage or ton-mile charge. A credit card fee applies, but the 2025 schedule leaves its amount blank (the March 2020 schedule showed $4). For example, a 13 ft wide machine on a 140,000 lb combination falls in the $70 band whatever the distance; the escorts are a separate cost.
Escort and pilot car rules in Alabama
Alabama's escort rule, Ala. Admin. Code 450-3-1-.05, places the escort by road type: a load just over 12 ft wide takes one escort in front on a two-lane road and one behind on a multilane road, and past 14 ft it takes both on every road. Our pilot car requirements by state table sets these triggers beside the other states' for multi-state planning.
| Load | Escort requirement |
|---|---|
| Width over 12 ft, up to 14 ft | 1 escort: in front on 2-lane roads, behind on multilane roads (.05(2)) |
| Over 14 ft wide | 1 front and 1 rear escort on all roads (.05(3)) |
| Over 15 ft 6 in high | Front escort with a height indicator (height pole) (.05(1)) |
| 90 ft to 125 ft long | 1 rear escort; mobile homes may use the approved rear lighting system instead (.05(5)(a)) |
| 125 ft to 150 ft long | 1 front and 1 rear escort; ALDOT may require more (.05(5)(a)) |
| Over 150 ft long | Front and rear law enforcement escorts: state troopers, sheriffs or deputies, or city police in marked cars with blue lights; constables may not escort (.05(5)(b); .02(9)) |
| Load more than 5 ft past the rear; 10 ft or more past the front | Rear escort; front escort (.05(5)(c)) |
| Mobile homes over 12 ft wide | Escort in front on 2-lane roads, moving to the rear on multilane roads, plus two 360-degree amber lights visible at 500 ft on the rear corners, about 6 ft up and controlled from the cab (.05(4), (9)) |
| Superload: over 16 ft wide, 16 ft high, 150 ft long or 300,000 lb | At least 2 State Trooper or police escorts. ALEA schedules them only after ALDOT pre-approval, and ALDOT issues the permit once ALEA confirms (ALDOT Superload Requirements) |
Escort drivers must be 18 or older, licensed, and have completed a pilot/escort flagging course equal to or exceeding Alabama's (.05(11)). The rule points to a list of approved states, but we found no current list on ALDOT's site.
| Charge | Amount |
|---|---|
| Administrative fee, per application | $200 |
| Officer time | $100 per hour per officer, 4-hour minimum, counted from 30 minutes before to 30 minutes after the escort |
| Mileage | IRS rate |
| Per diem | $12 over 4 hours; $12.75 for 6 to 12 hours; $34 for 12 hours or more |
| Cancellation more than 24 hours ahead | $200 |
| Cancellation inside 24 hours | $200 plus 4 hours per officer |
Invoices are due in 30 days. As an example from the rule, two officers on a 5-hour escort are billed 6 hours each, or $1,200, plus the $200 application fee, mileage and per diem.
The escort vehicle is a licensed single unit (car, pickup or SUV, or a flatbed or service truck with clear sightlines) that never tows a trailer. It runs low beams and a 360-degree amber light visible at 500 ft, shows an OVERSIZE LOAD sign with 10 in black letters on yellow only during the move, and keeps two-way contact with the load; drivers make no non-emergency phone calls (.05(6), (10)).
Travel times, curfews and holidays
Permitted vehicles in Alabama travel in daylight only, Monday through Saturday, and not at any hour on Sunday (450-3-1-.04(2)). The rule never defines daylight, so we read the hours printed on the permit together with the holiday windows below.
- Weather: no movement when visibility is under 500 ft or weather makes travel hazardous; the load pulls off at the first safe area (450-3-1-.04(3)).
- Around-the-clock exceptions: sealed ocean-going containers at legal dimensions up to 100,000 lb may move 24 hours a day, Monday through Sunday (450-3-1-.08(1)(f)), and construction equipment on a work-zone annual permit may move 24/7 inside the project limits (450-3-1-.20(1)(e)).
- Superloads at night: ALDOT requires most superloads to travel 9:00 PM to 6:00 AM, Sunday through Thursday, unless the Permit Office approves otherwise (ALDOT Superload Requirements).
- City hours: we found no time-of-day curfew for Birmingham, Mobile or any other city in rule 450-3-1 or on ALDOT's OS/OW pages, but ALDOT may set time limits on any permit (Code of Ala. 32-9-29(a)(5)), and the local permit for city streets can add its own.
- Spacing and traffic: permitted loads keep 1/2 mile apart and leave the travel lanes when traffic backs up behind them (450-3-1-.04).
- Office closures: the permit office closes Jan 19, Feb 16, Apr 27, Jun 1, Jun 19, Oct 12 and Nov 11, 2026, but a valid permit still allows travel on those dates. ALDOT asks for permits that fall on special-restriction dates by noon the business day before.
- Frost: Alabama runs no seasonal frost or thaw program. ALDOT can attach seasonal limits to a permit, and counties may set lower limits on county highways by resolution (32-9-29(a)(5); 32-9-20(a)(3)h).
| Holiday | No permitted travel |
|---|---|
| New Year's Day | Sunset Wed Dec 31, 2025 to sunrise Fri Jan 2 |
| Memorial Day | Sunset Sat May 23 to sunrise Tue May 26 |
| Independence Day | Sunset Thu Jul 2 to sunrise Mon Jul 6 |
| Labor Day | Sunset Sat Sep 5 to sunrise Tue Sep 8 |
| Thanksgiving | Sunset Wed Nov 25 to sunrise Mon Nov 30 |
| Christmas | Sunset Thu Dec 24 to sunrise Mon Dec 28 |
| New Year's Day 2027 | Sunset Thu Dec 31, 2026 to sunrise Sat Jan 2, 2027 |
These are ALDOT's published windows. With Sunday already closed, the Thanksgiving window parks loads from Wednesday evening to Monday morning, and the Christmas window from Thursday evening to Monday morning.
What catches carriers in Alabama
Strip removable parts first
Buckets, booms, counterweights and other removable parts come off before a permitted load moves, so the permit is applied for at the stripped dimensions and weight, not the machine's working configuration.
Ala. Admin. Code 450-3-1-.04
Two insurance triggers
ALDOT's Nov 16, 2024 memo requires an original certificate naming ALDOT as holder, with 30-day cancellation notice, for annual permits, house moves and single trips over 14 ft wide, 16 ft high, 150 ft long or 150,000 lb. Rule .06(2) still sets a lower line, over 12 ft wide or 100,000 lb, for PSC minimum insurance on file, so the certificate goes in when a load crosses either one.
ALDOT insurance memo (Nov 16, 2024); 450-3-1-.06
No tolerance on the Interstate
The statute's 10% allowable load tolerance applies only off the Interstate, and ALDOT says it does not apply on concurrent US and state routes either. On Interstates, 20,000 lb single, 34,000 lb tandem and 80,000 lb gross are hard caps that already include tolerance.
Code of Ala. 32-9-20(a)(3); 450-3-1-.04(10)
Banner, flags and light are specified
OVERSIZE LOAD banners measure 7 ft by 18 in with 10 in letters, front and rear, and no other signage is allowed. Fluorescent orange or red flags of 18 in go on the four corners, and the transport carries an amber 360-degree light.
Ala. Admin. Code 450-3-1-.04
Superloads, sealed containers and house moves
Three Alabama permit types run outside the routine ALPASS order: superloads, sealed ocean-going containers such as Port of Mobile freight, and house moves.
Superload submittals
Over 16 ft wide, 16 ft high, 150 ft long or 300,000 lb, ALDOT wants a justification letter from the manufacturer or shipper (product, original origin, final destination, delivery date, a statement that the load is reduced to its smallest size and why rail or barge cannot carry it), dimensioned shop drawings, and longitudinal and transverse axle drawings with spacings and weights. Weight superloads need a Special Work Authorization so the Bridge Rating Office can analyze every structure on the route. The hauler surveys the route and, for height, lists each conflict point by route and milepost with how it is cleared and where the load can pull off; utility notice may be required over 16 ft 6 in and a bucket truck is required over 16 ft 5 in. City streets and county roads need the city or county engineer's approval (ALDOT Superload Requirements).
Sealed ocean-going containers
Since May 3, 2019, sealed containerized cargo counts as nondivisible (450-3-1-.08). A trip permit allows up to 100,000 lb gross on at least 5 full-time load-bearing axles with no axle over 20,000 lb, at legal width, length and height, and the bill of lading with an equipment interchange and inspection report is submitted before issue and carried in the cab. The $100 annual container permit is not route-restricted. We found no designated Port of Mobile overweight corridor or higher container allowance in statute, rule or on ALDOT's site.
Houses and mobile homes
House moves need pre-approval over 28 ft wide or 16.5 ft high, are limited to 50 miles, and need a route survey and utility notice over 17 ft high; the ALDOT District Manager approves the route and gets a call again at least 24 hours before the move (450-3-1-.07). Single-trip mobile homes stop at 16 ft wide by 16 ft high, and annual mobile home permits at 14 ft wide, 14 ft high and 85 ft long.
Crossing into a neighboring state
- Florida, on I-10 past Pensacola: FDOT wants its permit issued before the truck reaches the line, but it lets escorted loads entering from Alabama on I-10 run at night as far as the eastbound Pensacola weigh station. The rest of the Florida oversize permit rules apply from there.
- Georgia: GDOT's single trip is a flat $30 up to 16 ft wide, 16 ft high and 150,000 lb, but its escort drivers must hold Georgia or reciprocal certification, and Alabama is not among the states GDOT lists, so an escort qualified only under Alabama's rule does not meet it. The accepted states are on our Georgia oversize and overweight permits page.
Alabama oversize permit questions
How much does an Alabama oversize permit cost by weight?
ALDOT charges flat fees by weight band with no mileage: $20 for a load over a legal width, height or length up to 100,000 lb, $40 to 125,000 lb, $70 to 150,000 lb and $110 above that. Overweight-only permits run $10 to $100, over-height only is $10 and an annual permit is $100 per vehicle (ALDOT fee schedule, revised March 11, 2025). Superload trooper escorts are billed separately by ALEA.
Can oversize loads travel on Sunday in Alabama?
No. Ala. Admin. Code 450-3-1-.04(2) bars permitted travel at any time on Sundays, and permitted loads move in daylight only on the other six days. Saturday daylight travel is allowed. ALDOT's 2026 holiday windows open at sunset before each holiday; Thanksgiving runs from sunset Wednesday, Nov 25 to sunrise Monday, Nov 30. Sealed-container permits are the main exception and may run every day.
What is the ALPASS login for Alabama permits?
Permits are ordered in ALPASS at alpass.dot.state.al.us, run by ALDOT's Vehicle Enforcement Office in Montgomery. Call (800) 499-2782 or (334) 834-1092, Monday to Friday from 7:00 AM to 4:45 PM Central, or email [email protected]. ALDOT permits do not cover city streets or county roads, so those segments need local permits.
At what width does Alabama require a pilot car?
Over 12 ft wide, one escort runs in front on two-lane roads and behind on multilane roads; over 14 ft, front and rear on every road. Over 15 ft 6 in high, the front escort carries a height pole. Length brings a rear escort from 90 ft, front and rear from 125 ft and law enforcement escorts over 150 ft. Overhang over 5 ft at the rear or 10 ft in front adds an escort at that end.
What counts as a superload in Alabama?
ALDOT treats any load over 16 ft wide, 16 ft high, 150 ft long or 300,000 lb gross as a superload. It needs a justification letter, shop and axle drawings, a hauler's route survey and, for weight, a Special Work Authorization for bridge analysis. At least two troopers or police escort it, scheduled through ALEA at $100 per officer-hour with a 4-hour minimum, and most superloads move 9 PM to 6 AM, Sunday through Thursday.
What does Alabama's $100 annual permit cover?
Yes. The $100 annual permit is issued per vehicle by VIN and covers loads up to 12 ft wide, 14 ft high, 75 ft long and 150,000 lb gross, with 22,000 lb on a single axle; mobile homes may go to 14 ft wide and 85 ft long. ALDOT allows up to 10 business days to issue it, and the carrier's original insurance certificate must be on file.
Sources
Facts on this page were checked in October 2026 against the sources below. Rules and rates change; we confirm current requirements on every move.
- eCFR 23 CFR Part 658: Truck Size and Weight (federal baseline)
- ALDOT Commercial Vehicle Permits (OS/OW)
- ALDOT OS/OW First Time Users page
- ALPASS permit login
- ALDOT Permit Fee Schedule (revised March 11, 2025)
- ALDOT 2026 Holiday Restrictions
- ALDOT Alabama Superload Requirements
- ALDOT Permit Ordering FAQ
- ALDOT insurance requirements memo (Nov 16, 2024)
- ALDOT Rules and Regulations presentation (2017)
- Ala. Admin. Code ch. 450-3-1 (Supp. 12/31/21; rules .01 to .20)
- Ala. Admin. Code ch. 760-X-2 ALEA Superload Law Enforcement Escorts (rev. 3/17/23)
- Code of Ala. 32-9-20 Schedule of Restrictions (through Act 2025-272)
- Code of Ala. 32-9-29 Permits for Movement of Oversized Vehicles or Loads
Routing an oversize load across Alabama?
Daylight-only hours and the Sunday ban set the schedule, and 150 ft of length brings troopers. Tell us the machine, its weight and the pickup and delivery towns, and we will price the ALPASS permit, the escort count and a carrier who can run it Monday through Saturday.
- FMCSA-licensed property broker, MC# 1178470
- Permits, escorts and route surveys arranged for each move
- Carriers checked for authority, insurance and safety record
- Commercial shippers, dealers, contractors and auction buyers
Prefer to talk? Call (631) 683-8275.
Request a Commercial Quote
Keep reading
- Florida Oversize PermitsFDOT limits, fees, escort qualification and holiday travel rules.
- Georgia Oversize PermitsGDOT flat fees, escorts, superload tiers and the inside-I-285 windows.
- Oversize PermitsLegal limits, permit fees, escort triggers and travel rules by state, from official sources.
- Legal Load LimitsLegal width, height, length and axle weights by state, plus night, weekend and 2026 holiday travel rules.
- Pilot Car RequirementsWhen each state requires escorts: width, length, height and overhang triggers, certification and police escorts.
- Frost LawsSpring thaw weight restrictions by state, with Michigan's 25% and 35% axle cuts, 2026 dates and how to check posted roads before a heavy move.