Oversize Load Sign Requirements By State

Whitney S. Johnson · CEO of RouteAll · 4 years running height pole, mostly east coast, escorting data center equipment. · 16 Min Read · Updated October 23, 2026

Material corrections reviewed October 23, 2026 against Florida’s adopted rule, Georgia DPS, Rhode Island’s active rule, TxDMV and Utah’s current rule effective March 16, 2026. Other state examples retain their earlier source review; confirm current permit conditions.

Check signs, flags and lights against each state’s rules and the issued permit. Several states use a 7-foot by 18-inch banner, but lettering and display triggers vary. Florida requires 12-inch lettering on its load signs. A familiar banner size alone does not establish compliance across a multi-state route.

This guide compares 17 state rules and links each one. The oversize load equipment checklist turns them into a shopping list.

Before buying, compare the banner dimensions, letter height, stroke, color, mounting and display trigger for every state on the trip. Check flags and lights separately; a shopping list cannot establish that the equipment meets the permit.

What does an oversize load need?

An oversize load needs three things: a banner on the front and rear, flags on the load's extremities, and warning lights where the state or permit requires them. A pilot car carries its own smaller sign and amber lights. The table shows the common standard for each item and where it goes.

Check the complete specification, including flag placement and the required visibility of signs and lights. A size match alone is insufficient.

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How big must an oversize load sign be?

Several examples below use a 7-foot by 18-inch sign, but lettering is a separate requirement. Florida’s adopted rule specifies 12-inch black letters with at least a 1.5-inch stroke. Other examples use different dimensions or lettering. Check the applicable state specification before assuming the larger banner satisfies every detail.

The table below shows how far the rules spread, from a 5-foot minimum to an exact 7-foot size.

When do you have to display the sign?

Display triggers vary by state, load and permit category. Florida’s rule lists width, length and height as separate alternatives. Georgia DPS says signs are required on escorts and vehicles transporting permit loads. Do not wait for a load to exceed every listed dimension before checking the sign requirement.

The table shows each trigger and whether the sign comes down after the move.

A list joined by “and” is not a safe basis for deciding that no sign is needed unless all dimensions are exceeded. Use the current agency instructions and issued conditions; resolve an unclear trigger with the permit office before movement.

Your permit states which condition applies, so follow the permit. On a Texas permit the conditions sit in the pages after page one; how to read a TxDMV oversize permit shows where.

Width is the trigger that matters most. The oversize load width limits by state guide lists where legal width ends.

Where do the signs go?

One sign goes on the front of the truck, on the bumper or the cab roof. The other goes on the rear of the load or the towed unit. Signs must stay clean and level, and must not cover lights or license plates. Several states add height and visibility rules.

• New York: 2 to 5 feet above the road, readable from 400 feet behind. Night moves need high-intensity reflective sheeting.
• Utah: current R909-2-17 places the sign’s bottom edge no more than 5 feet above the road if possible, with the rear sign as far back as feasible and unobstructed.
• California: at least 18 inches above the road, visible from straight ahead and 45 degrees to each side.
• Florida: if one sign is on the roof, the other goes at the rear of the load or towed unit.
• Arizona: parallel to the road and readable left to right, from the front and the rear.
• Oregon: mounted level, and kept clear of the registration plates.

When can the sign say WIDE LOAD instead?

OVERSIZE LOAD is the standard wording, and it is the only wording Pennsylvania allows. Oregon allows WIDE LOAD on an overwidth load under 80 feet long. Colorado allows Wide Load, Long Load or Oversize Load, whichever fits. California requires LONG LOAD over 100 feet.

• Oregon: LONG LOAD when the load is not overwidth but the vehicle and overhang pass 80 feet.
• California: the sign reads OVERSIZE. WIDE LOAD, OVERSIZE LOAD or EXCESSIVE REAR OVERHANG may replace it.
• Texas escorts: OVERSIZE LOAD or WIDE LOAD.
• Georgia: DPS’s current equipment page specifies OVERSIZE LOAD, with black letters on yellow or orange; confirm the wording required for the actual permit.

OVERSIZE LOAD is the safe choice for most moves.

What size are oversize load flags?

Flags must be at least 18 inches square and red or fluorescent orange, under federal rule 49 CFR 393.87. They mark the widest and rearmost points of the load. The federal trigger is a load that sticks out more than 4 inches past either side, or more than 4 feet past the rear.

• One flag goes on a projection 2 feet wide or less. Two flags go on a wider one.
• Four corners of every overwidth load are flagged in Florida and Ohio. Georgia flags the corners front and rear.
• Utah flags: current R909-2-17 requires red or orange extremity flags for a non-divisible load over 10 feet wide, or front overhang over 3 feet, or rear overhang over 4 feet; LCVs are excepted.
• Oregon flags must be red in daylight, with the holder no more than 3 inches past the load.
• Texas lists 12-inch red flags. An 18-inch flag meets both the Texas and the federal size.
• Clean flags are required in Florida, Ohio, Oregon and Utah. Utah bans torn or faded flags.

Where 49 CFR 393.87 applies, its warning flags must be at least 18 inches square. State requirements also determine placement, condition and display triggers; meeting the federal size does not settle those questions.

When do you need amber warning lights?

Amber warning lights are set by each state and the permit. Florida requires class 2 amber rotating, strobe or flashing lights over 10 feet wide or 80 feet long. Oregon requires them over 10 feet wide on two-lane highways, and over 12 feet on four-lane highways. Both states require 500 feet of visibility.

Montana is the one state here that ties the lights to the sign.

Night travel adds its own rules.

• Overhang lights have separate triggers; check the actual projection and the applicable vehicle and permit rules.
• Utah lighting: current R909-2-14 includes additional non-daylight marker and overhang lighting, low beams, and any added issued safety conditions.
• Reflective signs are required at night in Oregon and New York.
• Two pilot cars exempt an Oregon load from the warning-light rule.
• Florida night moves need warning lights that show the shape and size of the load.

Many states limit oversize moves to daylight.

The travel time and curfew restrictions by state guide lists the hours.

Flags and lights by state

Flag size is close to uniform at 18 inches, but light rules differ in almost every state. The table shows the flag and light rule in each state RouteAll covers.

Each state guide has the full permit rules. In the West: Arizona oversize rules, California oversize rules, New Mexico oversize rules, Oregon oversize rules, Texas oversize rules and Utah oversize rules. In the East: Florida oversize rules, Georgia oversize rules, Ohio oversize rules and Pennsylvania oversize rules.

What signs and lights does a pilot car need?

Pilot car signs are smaller than load signs, usually 5 feet long and 10 to 12 inches high. They read OVERSIZE LOAD in black on yellow, on the roof or the bumpers. Pilot cars also run amber warning lights. Florida and Oregon require those lights to be visible from 500 feet.

• Pennsylvania, New York and Ohio: 5 feet by 12 inches with 8-inch letters. Pennsylvania adds one or two amber lights.
• Oregon: 5 feet by 10 inches above the roofline, amber lights above the cab, and two 18-inch red flags.
• Texas: 5 to 7 feet long and 12 to 18 inches high. Lights are two flashing amber, one 8-inch amber beacon, or blue and amber.
• California: an OVERSIZE sign of at least 440 square inches, 6-inch letters, at least 48 inches up.
• New Mexico: 5 feet by 12 inches, two amber lights on the roof, and two red or orange flags.
• Florida: 10-inch letters, two 18-inch flags on the roof rack, and two spare 7-foot load signs.

Texas and Oregon escorts must not show the sign at other times.

The pilot car requirements by state guide covers when an escort is required.

Before you roll

Prepare a state-by-state equipment check before buying or departing. Match every required specification, not just the banner’s overall dimensions. In particular, check Florida’s 12-inch load-sign letters and keep load-vehicle and escort-vehicle equipment separate.

Lights change most at state lines, so read the permit for each state before you cross.

Common questions

Further reading

Sources

• Federal flags, 49 CFR 393.87, warning flags on projecting loads.
• Arizona, R17-6-302 flags, R17-6-303 signs, R17-6-304 lighting, and the official rule text.
• California, Caltrans Transportation Permits Manual 502.9, Caltrans overhang rules (Vehicle Code 24604), and Vehicle Code 27904.5 for pilot cars.
• Colorado, 2 CCR 601-4, section 405.7, warning signs.
• Florida, Fla. Admin. Code R. 14-26.012, safety requirements.
• Georgia, R. 672-2-.06 and R. 672-2-.07.
• Illinois, 92 Ill. Admin. Code 554.419.
• Montana, ARM 18.8.510B, signs and lights.
• New Mexico, 18.19.8 NMAC, sections 25, 33, 34 and 88.
• New York, 17 NYCRR 154-1.8 and 154-1.13.
• Ohio, Ohio Admin. Code 5501:2-1-04 and ODOT Form OS-1A.
• Oklahoma, OAC 730:50-5-15.
• Oregon, OAR 734-082-0035 pilot vehicles, 0036 warning lights, and 0037 signs and flags.
• Pennsylvania, 67 Pa. Code 179.10.
• Rhode Island, 290-RICR-40-00-1.5.
• Texas, 43 TAC 219.11 and TxDMV escort and equipment requirements.
• Utah, Utah Admin. Code Current R909-2-17.
• Washington, WAC 468-38-155.

RouteAll reads the permit you provide. It does not issue permits or guarantee compliance, and it does not check your signs, flags or lights. The permit and the issuing state's rules govern every move, and both change, so check them before you roll.