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Nebraska Oversize Permits

Nebraska Oversize Permits

NDOT flat-fee permits, escort and pole car rules, Lincoln and Omaha peak hours, football embargoes and the 2026 superload law

Quick answer

What is the fee for a Nebraska oversize permit?

NDOT charges a flat $15 for an over-dimensional single trip, $20 for overweight and $25 for both, whatever the weight or distance (408 NAC 3-009.04). LB1126 raised the legal caps in July 2026, including up to $250, $400 or $800 for superloads, but NDOT had published no new amounts by Oct. 17, 2026. Permits are applied for online only.

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

Checked October 2026; the issued permit controls

Nebraska's legal height, 14 ft 6 in, is a foot above Iowa's and ties Colorado's for the tallest of the 28 states in our oversize permits by state guide, and its size limits apply on every Nebraska highway rather than on a designated network (Neb. Rev. Stat. 60-6,289, 60-6,290). Above 12 ft 6 in, though, owners and operators are liable for damage to overhead obstructions, and no one has to raise a structure to let them pass.

Fees are the other headline. At a Feb 3, 2026 committee hearing on LB1126, the bill's sponsor said Nebraska's $25 cap was below surrounding states, and NDOT's Director testified that superloads often come through Nebraska rather than Kansas because it is cheaper. For heavy haul routes across Nebraska, HTS books the carrier as a licensed broker (MC 1178470) and files the NDOT permit online, since the Permits Office will not enter applications for anyone.

When Nebraska requires a permit and how to get one

NDOT's Operations Division Permits Office in Lincoln issues permits under Neb. Rev. Stat. 60-6,298 and 408 NAC 3 through the Automated Truck Permit System at ne.gotpermits.com. A single-trip permit is valid up to 10 moving days and covers State and US routes and the Interstates only; city and county permits are the hauler's responsibility, and NDOT's county list says to notify the county office about an overwidth load even where the county issues no permit.

Fees are paid before the permit issues and are never refunded, even for an unused or voided permit, and one amendment is allowed for $10 if it does not change the permit type. Requests not issued by 4:30 PM on the day before an office closure wait until it reopens. An I-80 run from Iowa to Wyoming deals with three state permit offices, and how oversize permits work covers how a move like that is permitted.

Permit office

Issuing office
NDOT Operations Division, Permits Office (over-dimensional and overweight permits)
Address
5001 S. 14th St., Lincoln, NE 68512 (mail: P.O. Box 94759, Lincoln, NE 68509)
Phone
402-471-0034
Hours
Monday–Friday, 7:30 AM–4:30 PM CT; no weekend staff
Roads covered
State and US routes and Interstates; city and county roads need local permits

Fees

NDOT permit fees (408 NAC 3-009; Neb. Rev. Stat. 60-6,298)
PermitFee
Single trip, over-dimensional only $15
Single trip, overweight only $20
Single trip, overweight and over-dimensional $25
Amendment, once, without changing the permit type $10
Continuous permits $25 per 90 days up to $100 per year
Conditional Interstate Use, divisible loads to 95,000 lb $10 per 10 days, up to $90 for 90 days
Extra-long vehicle combination (empty trailers) $250 a year
Statutory caps under LB1126 (from July 18, 2026) General permits up to $50; superloads up to $250 (300,000 lb or less), $400 (300,001–500,000 lb) or $800 (over 500,000 lb), plus NDOT's direct costs

As of Oct 17, 2026, 408 NAC 3 still lists the $15, $20 and $25 amounts, the Secretary of State's docket shows no NDOT rule change and NDOT has published no new figures, so we confirm the charged fee with the Permits Office before quoting. City of Lincoln street permits are separate: $15 over-width, $20 overweight or both.

Escort and pilot car rules in Nebraska

Under 408 NAC 3-003.19, NDOT may require escorts on any load over 8 ft 6 in wide, 90 ft long or 14 ft 6 in high and states the requirement on the permit; the tiers below are the minimums the rule writes out. Nebraska sets no escort-driver certification, though pilot car rules in other states often do.

Nebraska escort and pole car rules (408 NAC 3-003.19 to 003.21)
LoadEscort requirement
12 ft to 16 ft wide 1 escort within 300 ft of the load: in front on undivided highways, behind on divided highways
Between 125 ft and 150 ft long 1 escort, placed the same way
Over 16 ft wide or over 150 ft long Front and rear escorts, 2 in all
Over 150 ft long A pre-run route with no median or oncoming-lane crossings, unpaved shoulders, 3-point turns or backing against traffic; the NDOT survey is attached or the permit is invalid, and loads traveling together keep 60 miles apart (NSP Truck Guide)
Load height above 14 ft 6 in A front pole car may be required, with the pole at least 3 in above the load
16 ft high or more A front pole car and a written pre-run route survey on NDOT Form 85, signed by hand and valid 30 days, plus a sworn statement that every electric utility over the route was contacted (60-6,298(2))
Rear escort on listed divided highways May be dropped if the trailer carries rear-facing amber or yellow lights visible 800 ft; NDOT's list of those segments was not on its public pages when we checked

A Nebraska escort is a standard car or truck at least 60 in wide with a roof light whose base sits at least 53 in above the road, visible 800 ft, OVERSIZE LOAD signs at least 5 ft by 12 in with 8 in letters, and red flags on all four corners. The load vehicle carries 7 ft by 18 in signs once over 10 ft wide and corner flags once over 12 ft. No statewide law enforcement escort threshold is published; escort conditions are written on each permit.

Travel times, curfews and holidays

Over-dimensional permits are good from 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset unless the permit says otherwise (408 NAC 3-003.14), and overweight-only permits at legal size are valid 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, holidays included.

  • Weekends: no statewide ban, so daylight Saturday and Sunday moves are allowed outside holiday windows and football embargoes.
  • Lincoln and Omaha: no over-dimensional movement 7:00–9:00 AM or 4:00–6:00 PM on weekdays on State Highways 2, 6, 34 and 77 inside Lincoln (not I-80), or on any State highway or Interstate in the Omaha area bounded by NE-36, NE-31/US-6, NE-370 and the Iowa border, plus I-80 from the Iowa line to milepost 432 at Gretna. The rule has no size threshold, and overweight-only permits are exempt.
  • Husker home games: on UNL home football game days no permitted load moves on any highway from the Iowa border west to NE-14 and from the Kansas line north to NE-91, and I-80 loads must reach Exit 395 westbound or Exit 409 eastbound by sundown Friday to keep going on a football Saturday. Overweight-only permits are exempt, and the embargo prints on the permit.
  • Weather: no over-dimensional travel when wind creates a hazard, when visibility is under 1/2 mile, in rain, sleet or snow, or on slippery or debris-covered roads. The rule treats wind under 25 mph as not inclement, and the NSP Truck Guide lists winds over 25 mph.
  • Omaha streets: a city permit, emailed in at least 3 business days ahead, keeps loads on truck routes and off posted bridges. The Public Works page says no movement 7–9 AM and 3–6 PM on weekdays, while its permit form says 6–9 AM and 4–6 PM.
  • Night-only rule: implements of husbandry over 18 ft and up to 20 ft wide on the US-34/US-75 freeway over the Platte River may move only 9 PM–6 AM (408 NAC 3-007.05F).
NDOT observed holidays, 2026 (no over-dimensional movement)
HolidayOver-dimensional permits stopThey resume
New Year's Day Noon, Wed Dec 31, 2025Sunrise, Fri Jan 2
Memorial Day Noon, Fri May 22Sunrise, Tue May 26
Independence Day Noon, Fri Jul 3Sunrise, Mon Jul 6
Labor Day Noon, Fri Sep 4Sunrise, Tue Sep 8
Thanksgiving (Nov 26–27) Noon, Wed Nov 25Sunrise, Mon Nov 30
Christmas Noon, Thu Dec 24Sunrise, Sat Dec 26
New Year's Day, 2027 Noon, Thu Dec 31Sunrise, Sat Jan 2, 2027

Overweight-only permits keep moving through every window. The Permits Office also closes on MLK Day, Presidents' Day, Arbor Day (Apr 24), Juneteenth, Indigenous Peoples' Day (Oct 12) and Veterans Day, but travel is allowed on those days.

Nebraska seasonal load limits

Nebraska has the legal tools for frost limits but no published state calendar: NDOT may restrict legal wheel and axle loads for a reasonable period when climate weakens subgrades or pavements (Neb. Rev. Stat. 60-6,294(6)), and counties and cities may close roads or lower weights for up to 180 days a calendar year, twice the 90 days Iowa and Indiana allow (60-681). For the northern states that do publish spring dates, see our frost laws by state page.

  • Who sets limits: county boards and city governments, by ordinance or resolution, with signs at each end of the restricted section before the limit takes effect. NDOT has no posting program or 2026 schedule on its permit pages, in 408 NAC 3 or in the NSP 2025-2026 Truck Guide.
  • 2026 dates: none published statewide. Each county decides its own dates and limits, so there is no Nebraska figure to plan around, and the posted sign is the limit.
  • Effect on permits: NDOT may write seasonal or other time limits into special permits (60-6,298(3)) and may shorten overweight continuous permits to protect road foundations and surfaces (408 NAC 3-005.01A). No NDOT permit waives a posted road or bridge limit (003.08).
  • Frost on the pavement: separate from weight limits, over-dimensional permit travel stops when the road is slippery from ice, snow, slush or frost (003.16C4).
  • How to check: NDOT's county road permit list (rev. 1-17-2018) gives the office for each county, such as Douglas (402) 444-6460, Lancaster (402) 441-7681 and Sarpy (402) 339-4606. Moving a building or object over 15 ft 6 in high, or wider than the roadway, on a county or township road takes 10 days' notice to the local authority and the electric utility (60-6,288.01).

What catches carriers in Nebraska

Width must be the smallest dimension

NDOT requires a load to be placed so that its least dimension is the width, and no part may cross the centerline except to avoid a collision.

408 NAC 3-003.12

Register before the overweight permit

The vehicle must be registered for its maximum legal gross weight before NDOT issues an overweight permit, and gross may never exceed the registered weight plus 1,000 lb.

408 NAC 3-003.07; Neb. Rev. Stat. 60-6,298(8), 60-6,300

Every open scale

Permitted vehicles enter every open scale, even with pre-clearance, and NDOT may ask for certified scale tickets.

NSP 2025-2026 Truck Guide; 408 NAC 3-003.11

Single axles stay at 20,000 lb

Single-trip permits normally hold each single axle to the legal 20,000 lb. NDOT allows more only on approval, for example a superload spread over more than one lane with at least 14 ft between the interior of the external axles, backed by a drawing of axle weights and spacings.

408 NAC 3-004.01A

Escort-free I-80 permits have fixed detours

If law enforcement or NDOT orders an escort-free I-80 load off the Interstate, it may use only US-30 (Wyoming line to Grand Island), US-34 (Grand Island to I-80 north of Lincoln) or US-6 (I-80 west of Waverly to I-80 south of Gretna), with its rear trailer lighting on, and must rejoin at the nearest point.

408 NAC 3-003.20

Nebraska superloads, Missouri River crossings and the 2026 law changes

LB1126, approved April 14, 2026 and effective July 18, wrote Nebraska's first statutory superload definition and raised the fee caps; LB972 raised the bus and motor home length limit to 46 ft from Oct 1, 2026.

Superload definition

A non-divisible load over 16 ft wide, over 191 in (15 ft 11 in) high, over 150 ft long or over 160,000 lb gross (Neb. Rev. Stat. 60-667.02). The Lincoln Permit Office reviews and approves it, with the Bridge Division or the District Engineer as needed; 408 NAC 3-001.28A allows up to 10 business days for review while 004.02 says up to five working days, and since Oct 1, 2026 only NDOT's updated route survey form is accepted.

Five-axle tandem allowance

A special permit may allow 46,000 lb on each tandem of a 5-axle tractor-semitrailer and 106,000 lb gross if every tire is rated for it. Through loads use I-80, I-76, the western route (N-71, I-80, N-26, US-385) or the central route (US-183, I-80, US-281, N-2, US-83).

Self-propelled equipment

Single trips for self-propelled specialized mobile equipment allow 25,000 lb single, 47,000 lb tandem, 60,000 lb triple and 80,000 lb quad axles and 94,000, 107,000 or 120,000 lb gross on 4, 5 or 6 axles; 7 or more axles need Permit Office and Bridge Division route review (408 NAC 3-004.01C).

Missouri River crossings

An NDOT permit ends at the river, so a crossing into Iowa or Missouri needs that state's permit beyond the line, and the Omaha-area Interstate bridges sit inside the weekday peak-hour restriction. The Decatur Bridge (N-51/IA-175) stopped charging tolls when NDOT took ownership in 2013, and NDOT and Iowa DOT are studying its replacement.

Omaha bridges

City of Omaha permits exclude every load-posted bridge, the 72nd & D bridge has been posted at 20, 36 and 40 tons (single, tandem, gross) since Dec 6, 2023, and loads over 110,000 lb on state highways and bridges inside the city also need the State permit.

Extra-long empty trailers

The $250 annual extra-long vehicle permit covers empty trailers delivered for a manufacturer or retailer, up to 105 ft, only on the Interstate west of NE-50 plus staging areas within 6 miles, on daylight weekdays with wind under 25 mph.

Crossing into a neighboring state

  • East into Iowa: Iowa DOT's single trip is $35, its first escort comes at 12 ft wide, and permit moves stop only around Memorial Day, Independence Day and Labor Day; our Iowa oversize permits page has the rest.
  • Southeast into Missouri: I-229 in St. Joseph is closed to all permits, US 59 toward Atchison allows at most 25 ft wide and 150,000 lb, and MoDOT's annual longer combination permits accept 95,000 lb combinations entering from Nebraska; see Missouri oversize permits and regulations.
  • West into Colorado: legal height matches Nebraska's 14 ft 6 in on CDOT highways and the legal semitrailer runs to 57 ft 4 in, and Nebraska's I-76 is one of the named through routes for 5-axle loads at 46,000 lb per tandem; CDOT's rules are on our Colorado oversize permits page.

Nebraska oversize permit questions

Where do carriers sign in for Nebraska oversize permits?

NDOT's Automated Truck Permit System is at ne.gotpermits.com; the dottruckpermits.nebraska.gov address printed in the NSP Truck Guide no longer resolves. Every permit is applied for online, and the Permits Office (402-471-0034, [email protected]) will not enter applications for carriers. Staff work 7:30 AM to 4:30 PM Central on weekdays, with nobody on weekends.

Can over-dimensional loads move at night in Nebraska?

Only if the permit says so; otherwise they move from 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset, and the State Patrol notes that sunrise shifts about a minute for every 9 miles. Overweight-only permits at legal dimensions run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, holidays included.

Which Nebraska loads need escorts or a pole car?

From 12 ft wide, one escort within 300 ft, in front on undivided highways and behind on divided ones; from 125 to 150 ft long, one escort; over 16 ft wide or 150 ft long, two. NDOT may require escorts on any load over 8 ft 6 in wide, 90 ft long or 14 ft 6 in high, and at 16 ft high a pole car and a route survey are mandatory.

How does Nebraska define a superload?

Since July 18, 2026, Neb. Rev. Stat. 60-667.02 defines it as a non-divisible load over 16 ft wide, 191 in high, 150 ft long or 160,000 lb. The Lincoln Permit Office must approve it, review takes up to 10 business days, and LB1126 lets NDOT charge up to $250, $400 or $800 by weight plus direct costs, although the rule's fees had not changed by October 2026.

Are oversize loads restricted on Nebraska football Saturdays?

Yes. On Husker home game days, no permitted load may move on any Nebraska highway in the area from the Iowa border west to NE-14 and from the Kansas line north to NE-91. Overweight-only permits are exempt, and I-80 loads must clear Exit 395 westbound or Exit 409 eastbound by sundown Friday. The embargo dates print on each permit.

How long do Nebraska's Thanksgiving restrictions last?

In 2026 NDOT's window runs from noon Wednesday, Nov. 25 to sunrise Monday, Nov. 30, because both Thursday and Friday are observed; no over-dimensional permit may move in that time. Christmas runs from noon Dec. 24 to sunrise Dec. 26 and New Year's from noon Dec. 31 to sunrise Jan. 2, 2027. Overweight-only permits keep moving through all three.

Is an NDOT permit valid on Omaha and Lincoln streets?

No. NDOT permits cover State and US routes and Interstates only, so city streets need city permits. Omaha Public Works issues them by emailed form for vehicles over 8 ft 6 in wide, 13 ft 6 in high, 40 ft single or 65 ft combination, with 3 business days to process; Lincoln Transportation and Utilities issues special trip permits from $15, processed in up to 24 hours.

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. NDOT Oversize/Overweight Truck Permits (office hours, phone, resources)
  3. NDOT Automated Truck Permit System public bulletin (email, scope, amendments, route surveys, embargoes)
  4. 408 NAC 3, Permits for Overweight and/or Overdimensional Vehicles and Loads (NDOT PDF)
  5. Nebraska Secretary of State rules record for 408 NAC 3 (effective April 30, 2023)
  6. Nebraska Secretary of State proposed-rules docket (checked October 2026)
  7. NDOT Legal Sizes and Weights for Vehicles in Nebraska
  8. NDOT Observed Holidays 2026 (holiday travel restrictions)
  9. NDOT County Road Permit Info (rev. 1-17-2018)
  10. NDOT Form 85 route survey (May 2026)
  11. NDOT Decatur Bridge fact sheet (Aug 2024)
  12. Nebraska State Patrol 2025-2026 Nebraska Truck Information Guide
  13. Neb. Rev. Stat. 60-6,288 (width)
  14. Neb. Rev. Stat. 60-6,288.01 (building/object move notice)
  15. Neb. Rev. Stat. 60-6,289 (height)
  16. Neb. Rev. Stat. 60-6,290 (length)
  17. Neb. Rev. Stat. 60-6,292 (extra-long vehicle combinations)
  18. Neb. Rev. Stat. 60-6,294 (weight)
  19. Neb. Rev. Stat. 60-6,298 (special permits, fees)
  20. Neb. Rev. Stat. 60-6,299 (building-moving permits)
  21. Neb. Rev. Stat. 60-6,300 (registered weight plus 1,000 lb)
  22. Neb. Rev. Stat. 60-6,301 (tolerances, harvest exception)
  23. Neb. Rev. Stat. 60-6,243 (projecting loads)
  24. Neb. Rev. Stat. 60-667.02 (superload defined)
  25. Neb. Rev. Stat. 60-681 (local seasonal restrictions)
  26. Neb. Rev. Stat. 39-102 (NDOT permit rulemaking)
  27. LB1126 (2026) slip law
  28. LB972 (2026) slip law
  29. Transportation and Telecommunications Committee transcript, Feb 3, 2026 (LB1126 testimony)
  30. City of Omaha Public Works Oversize/Overweight Permit
  31. City of Omaha Oversize and Overweight Permit form
  32. City of Omaha Public Works Standards and Policies (truck routes, 72nd & D bridge limits)
  33. City of Lincoln Transportation and Utilities special trip permit application

Taking an oversize load across Nebraska on I-80?

Omaha's peak hours, game-day embargoes and the new superload caps all land on an I-80 schedule. Send the dimensions, weight and route, and we will file the NDOT permit and match a carrier to the dates.

  • 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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