RouteAllOversize Load Width Limits by State (2026)
Last verified September 8, 2026 against the federal and state rules linked in each table row.
Your load is oversize once it passes 8 feet 6 inches (8'6"), which is 102 inches. Federal law fixes that number on the National Network. Off that network the number is the state's to set, and three states in this guide drop it to 96 inches on the wrong road.
Every row in the table below links to the rule it was read from.
In one minute: 102 inches is the line almost everywhere, and crossing it means a permit. The federal rule locks that number on the National Network only. Two things move it.
- A state may set a narrower limit on its own secondary roads.
- A permit class may cap how wide that permit will ever cover.
Read the figure, then the table, then the two exception sections.
What is the federal width limit?
The federal width limit is 102 inches, which is 8 feet 6 inches. It applies on the National Network of interstate and designated highways. The rule is unusual because it fixes the number in both directions. A state cannot allow more than 102 inches there, and it cannot require less.
"No State shall impose a width limitation of more or less than 102 inches" — 23 CFR 658.15(a). The same subsection lets Hawaii keep its 108-inch maximum under section 416(a) of the STAA. Verified September 8, 2026.
Hawaii is the single exception, and it is written into the federal rule itself.
The federal number is a floor and a ceiling on one network. It is silent about the county road your consignee sits on. That silence is where the state numbers below come from.
Which states allow less than 102 inches?
Three states in this guide put a narrower number on some roads, and each one is a different mechanism. Arizona sets 8 feet generally and grants 102 inches only on listed highways. Florida drops to 96 inches on narrow-lane roads. California lets a city or county post a 96-inch limit on its own streets.
| State | Width limit | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Arizona | 8 feet general; 102 inches on interstate, federal aid and designated highways | A.R.S. 28-1093(A), (C) |
| California | 102 inches; a city or county may post 96 inches on its own roads | Cal. Veh. Code 35100 |
| Florida | 102 inches; 96 inches where no 12-foot through lane each way | Fla. Stat. 316.515(1) |
| Kansas | 8 feet 6 inches, with farm exceptions off the interstate | K.S.A. 8-1902(a) |
| Minnesota | 102 inches, excluding mirrors and load securement devices | Minn. Stat. 169.80, subd. 2(a) |
| Texas | 102 inches; 8 feet for a passenger vehicle and its load | Tex. Transp. Code 621.201 |
Arizona is the one to read twice:
- General limit is 8 feet, not 8 feet 6 inches.
- The 102-inch allowance attaches to named classes of highway, not to the whole state.
Virginia sets 102 inches and lets the Commissioner of Highways and local authorities reduce it on specific roads under Va. Code 46.2-1105.
Those reduced roads are posted rather than listed in the statute, so this guide does not name them.
A legal-width trailer can become an illegal one at a city line. You must not assume the interstate number follows you onto a county road.
Do mirrors count toward the width?
No. Federal rule 658.16 lists what you leave out of the measurement. Rear view mirrors, turn signal lamps, handholds for cab entry, splash and spray suppressants, and load induced tire bulge are all excluded. Other devices that do not carry property may extend 3 inches beyond each side.
Two limits on that generosity are easy to miss:
- Exclusions do not stack. Rule 658.16(c) states each allowance is specific and may not be combined with other excluded devices.
- Cargo is never excluded. The list covers equipment on the vehicle. A pallet overhanging the deck is width, not an appurtenance.
Minnesota writes the same idea into state law, excluding mirrors and load securement devices from its 102 inches.
Measure the load, not the trailer.
How wide can a permit take you?
A permit does not grant unlimited width. Each permit class carries its own ceiling, and the ceiling belongs to the class rather than to the state. New York is the clearest published example, because it prints a separate width cap for each kind of permit it issues.
| Permit class | Width allowed |
|---|---|
| Blanket permit | 10 feet |
| 100 air mile radius | 11 feet |
| 25 or 50 air mile radius | 12 feet |
| Annual crane permit | 12 feet |
| Emergency blanket permit | 13 feet |
Read that table as a warning about annual permits. A 12-foot load is legal under a 25 air mile permit and too wide for a blanket permit, in the same state on the same day.
The permit class caps the width, not just the state. You must not assume an annual or blanket permit covers the widest load that state allows.
Texas draws its line differently. Under 43 TAC 219.12, a house over 20 feet wide gets no routine permit; the department weighs traffic volume and highway geometry case by case. Drill pipe under the same rule stops at 10 feet.
If your load sits near a class ceiling, check which permit you actually hold before you plan the trip. Our guide to do you need an oversize permit? The 4 numbers that decide covers the other three dimensions.
When does width require an escort?
Width triggers an escort well before it triggers a refusal. In most states the first escort arrives between 12 and 14 feet wide, which is 144 to 168 inches. Georgia adds a second tier of conditions above 14 feet 8 inches. The escort number and the permit number are different numbers.
- Georgia restricts movement over 12 feet wide when visibility falls below 600 feet, under Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 672-2-.03(c).
- Utah splits by road class: one pilot above 12 feet on secondary highways, above 14 feet on a freeway.
- Texas requires a front escort over 14 feet and both front and rear over 16 feet.
The full state-by-state escort picture is in pilot car requirements by state.
Before you roll
102 inches is the line that decides whether this trip needs a permit at all. Once you cross it, the permit governs, and the permit names roads rather than a corridor. Measure the load at its widest point, including anything strapped to the deck, and read the state rule for the narrowest road on your route. The RouteAll permit navigation app does not issue permits or guarantee compliance; the other RouteAll driver guides cover the rest of the permit.
Common questions
Is 8 feet 6 inches the width limit in every state?
On the National Network, yes. Federal law sets 102 inches and bars a state from going higher or lower there. Off that network a state may set its own number, and Arizona holds a general 8-foot limit. Hawaii keeps a 108-inch maximum.
Do my mirrors count toward the 102 inches?
No. Federal rule 658.16 excludes rear view mirrors, turn signal lamps, handholds, splash and spray suppressants, and load induced tire bulge. Other non-cargo devices may extend 3 inches per side. The exclusions cannot be combined, and none of them cover cargo.
What is the widest load a routine permit covers?
It depends on the permit class, not the state alone. New York blanket permits stop at 10 feet, and its 100 air mile permit stops at 11 feet. Texas reviews any house over 20 feet wide case by case. Above the class ceiling you apply for a separate permit.
Does RouteAll decide if my load is legal width?
No. RouteAll reads the permit you already hold and turns the roads on it into navigation. It does not issue permits, measure loads, or guarantee compliance. The permit and the state rule decide; the driver remains responsible for the load.
Further reading
Sources
- United States, 23 CFR 658.15, vehicle width, and 23 CFR 658.16, exclusions from width.
- Arizona, A.R.S. 28-1093.
- California, Cal. Veh. Code 35100.
- Florida, Fla. Stat. 316.515.
- Georgia, Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. R. 672-2-.03.
- Kansas, K.S.A. 8-1902.
- Minnesota, Minn. Stat. 169.80.
- New York, 17 NYCRR 154-1.2.
- Texas, Tex. Transp. Code 621.201 and 43 Tex. Admin. Code 219.12.
- Utah, Utah Admin. Code R909-2-18.
- Virginia, Va. Code 46.2-1105.
RouteAll reads the permit you provide. It does not issue permits or guarantee compliance. The driver remains responsible for the load. Rules change; verify against the permit and the issuing state before every move.