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Kansas Oversize Permits

Kansas Oversize Permits

KDOT K-TRIPS fees, registered escort providers, daylight and city time limits, the Kansas Turnpike's own hours, superloads and the US-83 check-in

Quick answer

What does KDOT charge for an oversize permit?

A KDOT single-trip permit costs $40 under K.S.A. 8-1911, and one permit covers a load that is oversize, overweight or both, with no ton-mile or mileage charge. Superload and large structure single trips cost $200, as do annual permits. Permits are ordered in K-TRIPS through KDOT's Central Permitting Office, (785) 368-6501, and are not needed on the Kansas Turnpike, which sets its own rules.

Updated October 2026 by the HTS Logistics broker team (FMCSA MC# 1178470).

Checked October 2026; the issued permit controls

Kansas charges one flat fee for most single trips, $40 whether a load is oversize, overweight or both, and KDOT's rule says permitted loads 'may move every day of the year, including holidays' (K.A.R. 36-1-36(m)(3)). KDOT's Central Permitting Office issues permits in K-TRIPS for state highways, city connecting links and the Interstate, while the Kansas Turnpike Authority (KTA) runs the toll road under its own limits. Kansas is one of the Plains states in our oversize permits by state guide.

On heavy haul in Kansas, HTS acts as the broker (MC 1178470), booking the carrier that hauls the load and arranging the K-TRIPS permit, any KTA pre-authorization and escorts from a provider registered with KDOT. Kansas registers escort companies every year and requires operator training from a state it accepts (K.S.A. 8-1921), so we check the provider against KDOT's registered list before booking.

When Kansas requires a permit and how to get one

KDOT's Central Permitting Office, part of the Bureau of Structures and Geotechnical Services in Topeka, issues permits under K.S.A. 8-1911 and K.A.R. 36-1-28 to 36-1-38, and a permit is needed even to cross the state highway system (36-1-36(a)). Only the transporting carrier or an authorized permit service may apply, and permits are not transferable. A standard single-trip permit is valid 7 days, origin to destination on KDOT-designated routes, with repeat trips allowed on the same route for similar loads, up to 16 ft 6 in wide, 126 ft long, 18 ft high and 150,000 lb (36-1-37, 36-1-38).

K-TRIPS self-issues most permits; the 2017 user guide set self-issue limits of 120,000 lb, 15 ft high, 16 ft 6 in wide and 126 ft long and sent route changes adding more than 25% mileage to staff, figures that may have changed since. A permit is valid only if the power unit is registered for at least the total gross weight (8-1911(c)), the carrier carries at least $500,000 general liability and $500,000 auto liability with proof in the vehicle (36-1-36(i)), and an approved permit cannot be altered (36-1-36(o)).

Permit office

Issuing office
KDOT Central Permitting Office, Bureau of Structures and Geotechnical Services
Address
Eisenhower State Office Building, 700 SW Harrison Street, Topeka, KS 66603
Phone
(785) 368-6501; Bureau of Structures and Geotechnical Services (785) 296-3531
Email
None published; K-TRIPS offers live chat and callback requests
Hours
Not published by KDOT; a 2018 KHP handout listed Monday–Friday 7:30–5:00 (unconfirmed)
Roads covered
State highways, city connecting links and the Interstate; cities and counties may permit their own roads; the Turnpike follows KTA rules

Fees

KDOT permit fees since Jan 1, 2020 (K.S.A. 8-1911(f)(2); K-TRIPS price list, May 23, 2023)
PermitFee
Single trip covering oversize, overweight or both $40
Single-trip large structure (over 16 ft 6 in wide or 18 ft high) $200
Single-trip superload (over 150,000 lb or over the K.A.R. 36-1-37 axle limits) $200
Annual permit (oversize, overweight, ocean container, oil service rig, tow truck and other listed types) $200 per power unit
90,000 lb agricultural divisible-load annual permit (six or more axles, off the Interstate) $200; no single-trip version
Special vehicle combination (triples) $2,000 per carrier per year plus $50 per power unit
Custom combine header permit (May 1–Nov 15) $10 per power unit
Five-year hay-bale permit $25
KTA Access, Turnpike toll booth to terminal $10 a year or $5 for 6 months
Temporary weight permit ordered with a routed permit $46 for 72 hours, $92 for 6 days, $138 for 9 days

No weight, mileage or ton-mile band applies (8-1911(b)), so a 140,000 lb load within the 36-1-37 axle limits pays the same $40 as a 10 ft wide one.

KDOT publishes no amendment, refund, engineering, route-survey or escort fee, and escort provider registration is free. K-TRIPS takes escrow, credit card or electronic check with no stated surcharge. Vehicles owned by counties, cities and other political subdivisions pay no fee (8-1911(f)). The KTA lists no oversize permit fee on its page; tolls apply.

Escort and pilot car rules in Kansas

Kansas regulates the escort company as well as the trigger. Every escort vehicle service provider registers each year in K-TRIPS, free, and attests to insurance, registrations, approved training and no impaired or reckless driving conviction in 36 months; operators must be 18 or older and have finished a training course from a state KDOT accepts (K.S.A. 8-1921; K.A.R. 36-45-2 to 36-45-4). KDOT's October 2020 FAQ lists Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Utah, Virginia and Washington; those programs are compared on our pilot car certification by state page.

Kansas escort triggers (K.A.R. 36-45-8, effective Dec 18, 2020)
LoadEscort requirement
Over 14 ft wide, any highway At least 1 front and 1 rear escort; the rear one may be dropped with a warning light on top of the load, another on the rear of the load 2–8 ft above the road, and an OVERSIZE LOAD sign on the rear of the load (36-45-8(b)(4))
Taller than 16 ft At least 1 front escort with a height pole: retractable, flexible, nonconductive and set at the load height plus 3 in (36-45-8(b)(3); 36-45-1(f)); over 17 ft, the carrier also notifies the utilities (36-1-36(l)(2))
Large structure: over 16 ft 6 in wide or 18 ft high Front and rear escorts; an escort holds side roads, and traffic is stopped on both sides before the load crosses a bridge or critical location (36-45-8(b)(2); 36-1-38(d))
Superload: over 150,000 lb or any axle group over the 36-1-37 limits Front and rear escorts, plus one more if the permit requires slowing at bridges (36-45-8(b)(1))
Length alone No length-only trigger in 36-1-36 or 36-45-8; any escort for a long load is written into the permit
Implement dealer annual permit, over 14 ft wide Escorts as KDOT rules require; dealer moves stop at 17 ft 9 in wide, in daylight and off the Interstate (K.S.A. 8-1918(b))
Kansas Turnpike, over 14 ft wide At least 1 escort, Monday–Thursday 8:30 AM–4:30 PM, with KTA pre-authorization
Law enforcement KHP does not escort oversize loads; local police accompany a large structure on the Interstate, which is allowed only in extreme circumstances (36-1-38(d)(3))

The 1997 rule, K.A.R. 36-1-36(f), still in the code, required the over-14 ft escorts only on highways of fewer than four lanes. This table follows the newer, escort-specific 36-45-8, which matches the KHP FAQ ('loads exceeding 14 feet in width require escort vehicles').

Distances: the lead escort runs no more than 500 ft ahead inside city limits and 1,000 ft outside, the rear escort no more than 500 ft behind (36-45-8(h)), and traffic stops are limited to 15 minutes before the local police or KDOT area office is told (36-45-8(g)). The escort vehicle has at least two axles, a GVWR of no more than 16,000 lb and a width of 60–102 in, the provider's name on both sides, an OVERSIZE LOAD sign 5 ft long and 12 in high lettered 8 in high, an amber light of at least 6 in visible 500 ft from all directions, and kit that includes STOP/SLOW paddles, 8 reflective triangles, 8 red LED flares and three 18 in cones (36-45-5, 36-45-6).

Travel times, curfews and holidays

KDOT sets no weekend or holiday ban, so the Kansas clock comes down to daylight, a list of cities and the Turnpike. Overwidth and overlength permit loads may not move between half an hour after sunset and half an hour before sunrise unless another rule allows it (K.S.A. 8-1911(m)(1)(A)).

  • Night: an oversize load moves after dark only under an emergency authorization noted on the permit (K.A.R. 36-1-36(m)(2)). Overweight-only loads within legal width and length may run 24 hours a day except on ice, snow pack or drifting snow (8-1911(m)(2)), and so may cotton modules under permit (8-1916(a)).
  • City time limits: the KHP FAQ says restrictions of 7–9 AM and 4–6:30 PM may exist in Kansas City, Lawrence, Leavenworth, Leawood, Lenexa, Olathe, Overland Park, Shawnee, Topeka and Wichita, with pickups and deliveries in those cities excluded. KHP publishes no size threshold, weekday scope or boundaries, and the limits are not in K.A.R. 36-1, so we read them from the conditions printed on each permit.
  • Holidays: KDOT and K-TRIPS publish no 2026 holiday list because the rule has no holiday ban. Triples under special vehicle combination permits are the exception, with no travel on holidays or holiday weekends (K.A.R. 36-1-28(k)), terms the rule does not define. A non-government summary says Kansas restricts major holidays; we found no official source that supports it.
  • Weather: no oversize or overweight movement with visibility under 1/2 mile, in moderate to heavy rain, sleet, snow, fog or smoke, or on surfaces slippery from ice, packed snow or rain (36-1-36(p)); manufactured homes and modular sections stop when sustained ground wind passes 30 mph at the nearest weather reporting station (36-1-36(k)).
  • Convoys and spacing: no more than two permitted loads per convoy, no more than 1,000 ft apart; permitted vehicles follow other traffic by at least 300 ft except when passing; and an oversize load may not hold up traffic on a bridge for more than 5 minutes (36-1-36).

No spring thaw program in Kansas: posted limits and weather rules

Kansas has no frost law. K.S.A. 8-1901 to 8-1921 and K.A.R. 36-1 and 36-45 contain no spring-thaw season and no lowered spring axle weights, and no KDOT, K-TRIPS or KHP page announces one. The northern programs a Kansas load may meet on the way are compared on our frost laws by state page.

  • Local roads: by ordinance or resolution, cities and counties may ban vehicles from their roads, or cut weights, for as long as 90 days in a calendar year when deterioration, rain, snow or other climatic conditions would seriously damage them, and the limits bind only after signs go up at both ends of the affected section (K.S.A. 8-1912(a)–(b)).
  • State highways: the Secretary of Transportation has the same power by resolution, effective when signs are posted (8-1912(d)), and KDOT may attach seasonal or time limits to an individual permit to prevent undue road damage (8-1911(d)), so the permit's conditions are where a seasonal limit would show up.
  • Checking conditions: current closures and restrictions are on KanDrive, KDOT's traveler information site.

What catches carriers in Kansas

No WIDE LOAD banners

The KHP FAQ asks 'Can I display a Wide Load banner in Kansas?' and answers 'No.' Every overwidth or overlength permit load carries an OVERSIZE LOAD sign no smaller than 7 ft long and 18 in high, lettered 10 in high with a 1 2/5 in stroke, black on yellow, on the front of the vehicle and the rear of the load, readable from 500 ft, plus red flags at least 12 in square on all four corners. The sign comes off once the load is legal size, and an overweight-only load may not carry it at all. Our guide to OVERSIZE LOAD sign rules compared by state covers the wording other states accept.

K.S.A. 8-1911(l); K.A.R. 36-1-35(k), 36-1-36(q); KHP Commercial Vehicle FAQ

Escort paperwork before the move

Each escorted trip needs a planning meeting no more than 7 days before the move and a route survey by an escort operator no more than 14 days before it, and the provider keeps a post-trip report for 3 years.

K.A.R. 36-45-7

Loading decides divisibility

A load is non-divisible only if splitting it would take more than 8 work hours, cut its value or compromise the vehicle's use. The smallest dimension goes as the width, side-by-side articles are barred when more than one makes the load overwidth, multiple-item loads stay within legal axle and gross weights, and construction equipment rides on a trailer except for incidental moves of 1 mile or less inside project limits.

K.A.R. 36-1-35(i), 36-1-36

Registration has to cover the gross

A Kansas permit is valid only if the power unit is registered for at least the total gross weight, so a carrier registered at 80,000 lb hauling a 120,000 lb load can add a temporary weight permit to the routed permit in K-TRIPS: $46 for 72 hours, $92 for 6 days or $138 for 9 days.

K.S.A. 8-1911(c); K-TRIPS price list

The Kansas Turnpike, superloads and the US-83 corridor

The Kansas Turnpike is the only toll facility in the Kansas permit sources we checked, and the KTA says 'Special permits from KDOT are not required to move oversized loads on the Kansas Turnpike'; its pre-authorization and hours are what apply there.

Turnpike limits (KTA page, updated May 16, 2026)

Loads up to 125 ft long and 8.5 ft wide may run 24 hours. Over 125 ft needs pre-authorization and no night travel except in emergencies. Up to 12 ft wide may run in daylight without restriction; over 12 ft needs pre-authorization, and anything over 8.5 ft wide is barred at night. Over 14 ft wide moves only Monday–Thursday, 8:30 AM–4:30 PM, with at least one escort, and over 16 ft is 'rarely' authorized. A load over 14 ft high stops until a KHP trooper measures it. The driver checks that toll plazas have room, and KTA oversize questions go to (316) 682-4537 ext. 2202.

Turnpike rule versus page

The KTA's own rule, K.A.R. 39-1-1 (amended 1999), still bars without authorization loads over 12 ft 6 in wide in darkness or 14 ft wide in daylight, over 119 ft overall and over 120,000 lb gross, and it bans farm implements. The page is silent on weight, so we follow the page for dimensions and hours and treat the 120,000 lb cap as standing.

Superloads and large structures

A superload (over 150,000 lb, or any axle group over 22,000 lb single non-drive, 24,000 lb drive, 45,000 lb tandem, 60,000 lb triple or 65,000 lb quad) is single-trip only, needs a KDOT bridge analysis before travel, and the mover pays for all damage. In K-TRIPS the first permit on a new Bridge Study goes in at least 3 days before the start date; an approved study is good for 30 days and up to 10 later permits with the same load and route, which then self-issue. Large structures (over 16 ft 6 in wide or 18 ft high) get a 30-day permit, use state highways as little as possible, notify utilities and railroads, and travel on a route, date and time a district KDOT employee approves.

US-83 location sharing

On the 131-mile U.S. 83 corridor from the southern Finney County line to the east Thomas County line, loads 14 ft or wider or 126 ft or longer share their live location through the KanDrive app. The requirement prints on the permit, the driver enters the permit number in the app, and only location and permitted size are shown publicly (KDOT letter to carriers, Aug 2, 2024).

Annual permit envelope

The $200 annual permit is tied to one power unit and allows continuous daylight movement up to 16 ft 6 in wide, 126 ft long, 15 ft high and 120,000 lb, leaving approved routes only at origin and destination by the shortest safe roads (36-1-37, 36-1-38(a)); poles, pipe, girders and double derricks may be permitted to 140 ft (36-1-36(l)(4)).

Crossing into a neighboring state

  • East into Missouri: MoDOT sets a weekday Kansas City curfew of 7–9 AM and 4–6 PM for oversize loads, requires an escort above 12 ft 6 in wide, and stops permitted loads, overweight-only ones included, from noon on the last business day before each holiday; see Missouri oversize permit rules.
  • South into Oklahoma: ODOT halts every permitted vehicle on its six holidays, Thanksgiving and Christmas among them, requires escorts over 12 ft wide on all highways and needs Oklahoma Turnpike Authority approval for turnpike travel; see our Oklahoma oversize permit rules.
  • West into Colorado on I-70: CDOT requires certified pilot escorts, loads over 11 ft wide stop for permission at the Eisenhower-Johnson Tunnel, and the tunnel takes nothing taller than 13 ft 11 in, as our Colorado oversize and overweight rules explain.

Kansas oversize permit questions

What does a K-TRIPS permit cost in Kansas?

A single-trip permit costs $40 under K.S.A. 8-1911(f)(2), and one permit covers a load that is oversize, overweight or both, with no ton-mile or mileage band. Superload and large structure single trips are $200, and annual permits are $200 per power unit. The K-TRIPS price list, current as of May 23, 2023, states no price increases. Escort provider registration is free.

Do I need a KDOT permit on the Kansas Turnpike?

No. The Kansas Turnpike Authority states that special permits from KDOT are not required on the Turnpike, but its own limits apply: loads over 12 ft wide need KTA pre-authorization, anything over 8.5 ft wide is barred at night, and loads over 14 ft wide move only Monday to Thursday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM, with an escort. Call (316) 682-4537 ext. 2202.

Can oversize loads move on holidays in Kansas?

Yes. K.A.R. 36-1-36(m)(3) says carriers of oversize or overweight loads may move every day of the year, including holidays, and KDOT publishes no holiday list. The limits that remain are daylight for overwidth and overlength loads, the city time windows printed on some permits and the Kansas Turnpike's Monday to Thursday hours for loads over 14 ft wide. Triple-trailer combinations may not travel on holidays.

At what size does a Kansas load need escorts?

Over 14 ft wide on any highway, front and rear, with the rear escort replaceable by lights and a rear sign on the load. Over 16 ft high, a front escort with a height pole. Large structures over 16 ft 6 in wide or 18 ft high and superloads over 150,000 lb need front and rear escorts. Every escort company registers yearly in K-TRIPS, and operators need training from an accepted state.

Can I use a WIDE LOAD sign in Kansas?

No. The Kansas Highway Patrol answers that question with a plain no. Kansas requires an OVERSIZE LOAD sign of 7 ft by 18 in or larger, with 10 in black letters on yellow, on the front of the vehicle and the rear of the load, and K.S.A. 8-1911(l)(2) bars the sign on overweight-only loads that are within legal width and length.

What makes a Kansas load a superload?

A non-divisible load over 150,000 lb gross, or any axle group over the K.A.R. 36-1-37 limits, such as 45,000 lb on a tandem or 60,000 lb on a triple. A superload permit costs $200, is single-trip only and needs a KDOT bridge analysis first; in K-TRIPS the first permit on a new Bridge Study is submitted at least 3 days before the start date.

Do Kansas oversize permits allow night travel?

Not by default. Overwidth and overlength permit loads stop 30 minutes after sunset and may not start again until 30 minutes before sunrise under K.S.A. 8-1911(m), unless the Secretary authorizes an emergency move noted on the permit. Overweight-only loads within legal size may run around the clock except on ice, snow pack or drifting snow. On the Turnpike, nothing over 8.5 ft wide runs at night.

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.

  1. eCFR 23 CFR Part 658: Truck Size and Weight (federal baseline)
  2. K-TRIPS login page (permits, links to price list, regulations, escort trip report, registered escort providers)
  3. K-TRIPS Permit Price List (current as of 05/23/2023)
  4. K-TRIPS Company User Guide and Training v2.0 (05.17.2017)
  5. K-TRIPS Helpful Hints tutorial transcript
  6. KDOT Message to Oversize Load Carriers, U.S. 83 location reporting (Aug 2, 2024)
  7. K-TRIPS-hosted Kansas escort vehicle regulations (2020 pre-adoption draft; the adopted K.A.R. 36-45 text is cited instead)
  8. KDOT Commercial Vehicle Information page
  9. KDOT Kansas Escort Vehicles FAQ (Oct 2020)
  10. KDOT EVSP registration appeal form (rev. 08-2021; Central Permitting Office address)
  11. K.S.A. 8-1902 Width
  12. K.S.A. 8-1904 Height and length
  13. K.S.A. 8-1905 Projecting loads front and rear
  14. K.S.A. 8-1908 Wheel and axle weights
  15. K.S.A. 8-1909 Gross weight table
  16. K.S.A. 8-1909a Interstate weights
  17. K.S.A. 8-1911 Permits and fees
  18. K.S.A. 8-1912 Restrictions by KDOT and local authorities
  19. K.S.A. 8-1914 Turnpike toll booth to terminal permits
  20. K.S.A. 8-1915 Special vehicle combination permits
  21. K.S.A. 8-1916 Cotton modules
  22. K.S.A. 8-1917 Idle reduction weight
  23. K.S.A. 8-1918 Implement dealer permits
  24. K.S.A. 8-1919 90,000 lb agricultural annual permit
  25. K.S.A. 8-1921 Escort vehicle company registration
  26. K.S.A. 8-1901 Penalties and exemptions
  27. K.S.A. 8-1715 Lamps or flags on projecting loads
  28. Kansas Revisor 2026 composite list of new, amended and repealed statutes (Aug 13, 2026)
  29. Kansas Revisor 2025 composite list of new, amended and repealed statutes
  30. K.A.R. 36-1-28 Special vehicle combinations
  31. K.A.R. 36-1-35 Definitions (signs, large structure, superload)
  32. K.A.R. 36-1-36 Common requirements
  33. K.A.R. 36-1-37 Maximum dimensions and gross weights
  34. K.A.R. 36-1-38 Types of permits
  35. K.A.R. 36-36-1 Vehicle widths
  36. K.A.R. 36-45-1 Escort definitions (height pole, large structure, superload)
  37. K.A.R. 36-45-2 EVSP registration
  38. K.A.R. 36-45-4 Escort vehicle operator
  39. K.A.R. 36-45-5 Escort vehicle
  40. K.A.R. 36-45-6 Escort equipment
  41. K.A.R. 36-45-7 Documentation for permitted route
  42. K.A.R. 36-45-8 Trip procedures (escort triggers)
  43. K.A.R. 39-1-1 Kansas Turnpike use limitations
  44. Kansas Turnpike Authority Oversized Vehicles page (updated May 2026)
  45. Kansas Highway Patrol Commercial Vehicle FAQs (sizes, weights, signs, curfews, escorts)
  46. Kansas Highway Patrol FAQ: Oversize load permits and restrictions
  47. Kansas Highway Patrol FAQ: Size and weight restrictions
  48. Kansas Highway Patrol Custom Harvester Operations Requirements
  49. Kansas Highway Patrol Intrastate Farming handout (2024)
  50. Kansas Highway Patrol custom harvester handout (rev. 06/2018, dated)
  51. KanDrive (KDOT traveler information)

Running an oversize load through Kansas?

A flat $40 permit makes Kansas look simple, but Turnpike hours, city time windows and US-83 check-ins still shape the trip. Send us the dimensions, weight and both addresses, and we will plan the K-TRIPS permit, KTA approval and registered escorts 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.

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