Connecticut Oversize and Overweight Permits
CTDOT single-trip permits, escort tables, the three-day window, I-95 bridge caps and the per-mile highway use fee
Quick answer
How do you get an oversize or overweight permit in Connecticut?
Apply to CTDOT's Oversize/Overweight Permit Office through the CVO WebPortal, run by CT DMV. A single-trip permit costs $30 plus a $12 electronic transmittal fee, with no weight charge below 200,000 lb, and covers one one-way or round trip over three days in daylight. Superloads need at least 5 business days and a route survey by a Connecticut-based surveyor.
Updated October 2026 by the HTS Logistics broker team (FMCSA MC# 1178470).
Checked October 2026; the issued permit controls
Connecticut, like Georgia, limits permitted moves to one-half hour after sunrise until one-half hour before sunset (RCSA 14-270-18(b)), one of the narrower daylight windows in our oversize permits by state list. That is two hours shorter than the window in New York, Ohio and Texas, which runs from a half hour before sunrise to a half hour after sunset, and it is the clock a three-day Connecticut permit runs on.
When HTS arranges heavy haul transport into Connecticut, the CTDOT permit is not the only state charge. The carrier we book also has to be registered for the per-mile Highway Use Fee, which is filed with the Department of Revenue Services and has nothing to do with the permit office.
Legal limits in Connecticut
Connecticut's statute sets a 22,400 lb single axle (CGS 14-267a(b)(1)) and publishes no tandem figure; on the Interstate, the federal bridge formula and its 34,000 lb tandem govern an 80,000 lb load. Length also depends on the road here, with 53 ft trailers held to the designated routes, so our oversize load checker is a quick way to compare Connecticut's limits with the rest of a route.
| Limit | Connecticut | Federal baseline | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Width | 8 ft 6 in | 8 ft 6 in (102 in) on the National Network | 102 in (CGS 14-262(a)(1)) |
| Height | 13 ft 6 in | No federal limit | CGS 14-264 |
| Semitrailer length | 53 ft | States must allow at least 48 ft | 53 ft only with a kingpin of 43 ft or less, on US and CT routes 1–399, 450, 476, 508, 693 and 695, the Interstates, and up to 1 mile off them; 48 ft elsewhere; single unit 45 ft; truck-trailer combination 65 ft |
| Gross weight | 80,000 lb | 80,000 lb | With federal bridge-formula compliance (14-267a(b)(8)); CTDOT lists 80,000 lb for a tractor-trailer with 5 or more axles and a wheelbase of 51 ft or more |
| Single axle | 22,400 lb | 20,000 lb | CTDOT's FAQ shows 24,400 lb for axles 6 ft or more apart, which conflicts with the statute; the statute is used here |
| Tandem axle | Not published | 34,000 lb | None published; axles under 6 ft apart carry 18,000 lb each |
Federal baseline: 23 CFR Part 658, eCFR as of 2026-10-14
When Connecticut requires a permit and how to get one
CTDOT's Bureau of Highway Operations issues OS/OW permits under CGS 14-270 and RCSA 14-270-1 and following. Applications and payment go through the CVO WebPortal, which accepts Visa, MasterCard or Discover only.
Excess dimensions usually mean an engineering route review, and RCSA 14-270-24 asks for two weeks. Width normally stops at 16 ft, except for house moves and national-defense moves, and the maximum height is whatever the structures on the route allow.
Permit office
- Issuing office
- CTDOT Bureau of Highway Operations, Oversize/Overweight Permit Office
- Phone
- (860) 594-2880
- [email protected]
Fees
| Permit | Fee |
|---|---|
| Single trip: one one-way or round trip over 3 days | $30 |
| Electronic transmittal, per permit | $12 |
| Engineering analysis over 200,000 lb | $2.00 per 1,000 lb or fraction over 200,000 lb |
| Annual indivisible (Connecticut-based carriers, May 1–April 30), annual divisible and annual milk permits | $9 per 1,000 lb of permitted weight plus $12 |
| Annual oversize indivisible, statutory minimum | $650 |
| Monthly divisible | $100 per calendar month plus $12 |
A 250,000 lb single trip, for example, pays $30 plus $12 plus $100 in engineering analysis (50 units of 1,000 lb at $2), or $142.
Escort and pilot car rules in Connecticut
CTDOT's escort table splits divided from undivided highways. Where CTDOT orders a CT State Police escort, the trooper can replace one required civilian escort, and CTDOT may add civilian or State Police escorts for construction, road geometry, time of day or bottlenecks (CTDOT FAQ).
| Load | Escort requirement |
|---|---|
| Up to 12 ft wide | None, unless the load is wider than the lane (RCSA 14-270-21(d)) |
| Over 12 ft and under 13 ft 6 in wide | Divided highway: 1 rear escort. Undivided highway: 1 front escort and no rear (CGS 14-270(b)) |
| 13 ft 6 in wide or more | Front and rear civilian escorts on divided and undivided highways |
| 15 ft wide or more | 1 front and 2 rear civilian escorts |
| Over 14 ft high | 1 front civilian escort |
| 14 ft 6 in high or more | Front pole car, which counts as the civilian escort if it is at least 60 in wide, rated 1.5 tons or less, with a top-mounted amber light, two-way radio and OVERSIZE LOAD sign (RCSA 14-270-21) |
| Over 15 ft high and over 13 ft 5 in wide | CT State Police front and rear |
| 15 ft 4 in high or more, or 15 ft 1 in high or more and 13 ft 6 in wide or more | Front civilian escort plus CT State Police front and rear |
| Over 80 ft long | Undivided highways: 1 rear civilian escort |
| Over 100 ft long | Divided: 1 rear. Undivided: front and rear |
| Over 119 ft 11 in long | Front and rear civilian escorts plus CT State Police front and rear |
| Front or rear overhang over 25 ft from the last visible support | Pilot car (RCSA 14-270-21(e)) |
Mobile, modular and sectional housing has its own table, including a Pilot Program for night moves of units over 14 ft wide or over 90 ft and up to 104 ft long, which run with front and rear civilian escorts plus a State Police rear escort.
Travel times, curfews and holidays
Connecticut moves only in daylight unless special permission is obtained before the move (RCSA 14-270-18(b)), and the regulation on its face bars Saturday, Sunday and holiday permits (14-270-18(a)).
- Weekend permits on request: CTDOT currently issues Saturday and Sunday permits, daylight to noon, for loads up to 12 ft wide, 13 ft 6 in high, 80 ft long and 160,000 lb.
- Night: superloads move only at night, and any other night move needs the Commissioner's permission in advance plus good weather and highway conditions.
- Traffic: a load holding up more than 10 vehicles must pull off and let them pass (RCSA 14-270-19(b)), and a permit may limit hours or days for local traffic (14-270-18(c)).
- Rush hours: no statewide curfew appears on current CTDOT pages.
- Seasonal limits: no frost or seasonal weight restriction appears in CGS 14-262, 14-264, 14-267a or 14-270, in RCSA 14-270, or on CTDOT's OS/OW pages.
| Holiday | No permit travel |
|---|---|
| New Year's Day | Thu Jan 1 |
| Good Friday and Easter | Fri Apr 3 until daylight Mon Apr 6 |
| Memorial Day | 12 noon Fri May 22 until daylight Tue May 26 |
| Independence Day | Sat Jul 4 |
| Labor Day | 12 noon Fri Sep 4 until daylight Tue Sep 8 |
| Thanksgiving | 12 noon Wed Nov 25 until daylight Mon Nov 30 |
| Christmas | 12 noon Thu Dec 24 until daylight Sat Dec 26 |
What catches carriers in Connecticut
The highway use fee sits outside the permit
Since January 1, 2023, carriers running vehicles of 26,000 lb or more (FHWA Classes 8–13) on any Connecticut public road register with the Department of Revenue Services through myconneCT and pay a per-mile fee, filed quarterly. Rates climb in 2,000 lb steps from $0.025 a mile at 26,000–28,000 lb to $0.10 at 78,001–80,000 lb, then jump to $0.175 a mile at 80,001 lb and over, so a permitted overweight load pays the top rate.
CT DRS Highway Use Fee
Axle count sets the overweight ceiling
No overweight permit is issued below 80,000 lb on 5 axles. Up to 122,000 lb needs 5 axles and 130,000 lb needs 6, and anything heavier gets special consideration that can take up to two weeks.
RCSA 14-270-22
Off-route fines stack
Running on a road not listed on the permit costs $1,500 per violation of each statutory limit, plus weight penalties. A forged permit means a fine of at least $10,000 and an impounded vehicle.
CGS 14-270(g)(6), (i)
No staging on the state highway
Loading, unloading or parking the vehicle or its load on the State Highway System, day or night, needs the Commissioner's written permission, so line up an off-highway spot for every transfer.
RCSA 14-270-19(c)
Parkways and I-95 and I-84 bridge limits
CTDOT's January 2026 list of non-posted bridge restrictions caps indivisible-load permits at named structures, and each weight holds only with the axle count listed; fewer axles means a lower limit.
Merritt, Wilbur Cross and Milford Parkways
Route 15 from the New York line in Greenwich to the I-91 overpass in Meriden, plus SR 796, allows no vehicle over 8 ft tall, 24 ft long or 7 ft 6 in wide, mirrors excluded. Box trucks, tractor-trailers, rental trucks and trailers of any kind are barred, and combination-plated vehicles are allowed only at 7,500 lb GVW or less. An OSTA Parkway Permit exempts only parkway work, service-plaza deliveries and life-saving transport.
I-95 Gold Star Memorial Bridge, New London
Over the Thames River (structures 03819 northbound and 02514A southbound), indivisible-load permits are held to legal weight.
I-95 in Norwalk and Westport
The Yankee Doodle Bridge in Norwalk and the Saugatuck River Bridge in Westport take 160,000 lb on 8 axles.
I-84 Hartford viaduct
Structures 03160A and 03160B, over Amtrak and city streets, take 140,000 lb on 7 axles.
Route 34 Stevenson Dam Bridge, Monroe
The bridge is posted at 15 tons.
Superloads
A load over 150 ft long, 16 ft wide, 16 ft high or 200,000 lb is a superload. It usually moves at night only with State Police escorts, needs a certified route survey by a Connecticut-based surveyor within one week of the move with encroachment permits attached, gets a load inspection 1–2 days before plus a same-day Level 7 inspection, and is applied for at least 5 business days ahead.
Crossing into a neighboring state
- West into New York: I-95 crosses the Byram River Bridge in Greenwich at the state line, capped at 180,000 lb on 9 axles, and the New York leg needs a NYSDOT permit from HOOCS; our New York oversize permit guide covers the Thruway and city permits too.
- North into Massachusetts: MassDOT's OASIS permit is a flat $40 a trip, and the Boston tunnels clear as little as 12 ft 6 in, both covered on our Massachusetts overweight and oversize permits page.
Connecticut oversize permit questions
How much is a CT overweight permit?
The single-trip fee is the same for oversize and overweight: $30 plus a $12 electronic transmittal fee, with no weight surcharge until 200,000 lb. Above that, CTDOT adds $2 per 1,000 lb. Overweight permits need 5 axles up to 122,000 lb and 6 axles up to 130,000 lb. Separately, Connecticut's Highway Use Fee charges $0.175 a mile for vehicles over 80,000 lb.
When does a wide load need an escort in Connecticut?
Over 12 ft wide, one escort rides behind the load on divided highways and in front of it on undivided ones. At 13 ft 6 in wide, front and rear escorts are required on every highway, and at 15 ft wide, one front and two rear. Loads up to 12 ft wide need none unless they are wider than the lane, and CTDOT can add State Police or civilian escorts for construction, geometry or traffic.
Does Connecticut issue weekend oversize permits?
For smaller loads, and only in the morning. The regulation bars weekend permits, but CTDOT now issues Saturday and Sunday permits on request, from daylight to noon, for loads up to 12 ft wide, 13 ft 6 in high, 80 ft long and 160,000 lb. Larger loads wait for a weekday, and holiday periods such as Good Friday through Easter weekend are closed to all of them.
How long is a Connecticut oversize permit good for?
A single-trip permit covers one one-way or round trip over a three-day period, in daylight hours only, which in Connecticut means one-half hour after sunrise to one-half hour before sunset. Loads that need an engineering route review take longer to issue, and CTDOT asks for two weeks on excess dimensions and on overweight loads over 130,000 lb.
Can trucks use the Merritt Parkway?
No, the Merritt, Wilbur Cross and Milford Parkways (Route 15 from Greenwich to Meriden) allow nothing over 8 ft tall, 24 ft long or 7 ft 6 in wide, and they bar tractor-trailers, box trucks, rental trucks and every kind of trailer. The only exemptions are OSTA Parkway Permits for parkway work, service-plaza deliveries or life-saving transport.
What makes a load a superload in Connecticut?
Any load over 150 ft long, 16 ft wide, 16 ft high or 200,000 lb. Superloads usually move at night with CT State Police escorts, and the application goes in at least 5 business days ahead with a certified route survey by a Connecticut-based surveyor, done within a week of the move. The load is inspected 1 to 2 days before, then again the same day (Level 7).
Where do I apply for a Connecticut oversize permit online?
In the CVO WebPortal at cvoportal.ct.gov, the Commercial Vehicle Operations portal run by CT DMV for CTDOT permits, which takes Visa, MasterCard or Discover only. CTDOT's Oversize/Overweight Permit Office answers at [email protected] and (860) 594-2880, the number on its January 2026 bridge list.
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)
- CTDOT Oversize/Overweight Permits
- CTDOT Oversize/Overweight Permit FAQ
- CTDOT 2026 Permit Holiday Travel Restrictions
- CTDOT Indivisible Load Permit (Non-Posted) Bridge Restrictions, rev. Jan 2026
- CTDOT Parkway Use and Restrictions
- CT General Statutes ch. 248 (14-262, 14-264, 14-267a, 14-270)
- CT General Statutes 2026 Supplement, ch. 248
- RCSA 14-270-18 Restrictions on travel time
- RCSA 14-270-19 Highway to remain open
- RCSA 14-270-21 Escort (pilot car) vehicles
- RCSA 14-270-22 Overweight permit limits
- RCSA 14-270-24 Excess dimensions
- CT DMV/CTDOT CVO WebPortal
- CT DRS Highway Use Fee information and rate table
Need a Connecticut permit and carrier?
A Connecticut single-trip permit gives you three short daylight windows, so dates matter. Share the load size and the dates, and we will plan the CTDOT permit, the escorts and the I-95 bridge limits together.
- 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
- New York Oversize PermitsNYSDOT, Thruway, NYC DOT, MTA and Port Authority rules for oversize loads in New York.
- Massachusetts Oversize PermitsMassDOT limits, fees, escorts and the Turnpike and Boston tunnel rules.
- 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.