Kentucky oversize permit requirements
Kentucky is the corridor state that stopped counting daylight. Permitted loads run continuously — twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, Saturday and Sunday included — which puts it in a very small group nationally and makes it the easiest link in a route between the Midwest and the south-east. The permit runs ten calendar days on top of that.
The exceptions are geographic rather than temporal. Peak-hour restrictions apply in the Cincinnati counties — Boone, Kenton and Campbell — in Jefferson County for Louisville, in Fayette County for Lexington, and at the KY 2155 bridge at Owensboro on the Indiana line. Outside those, the clock is not the constraint.
Height is, and this is the figure to check first. Kentucky caps routine permits at fifteen feet six inches, and above that the load is not permitted — not surveyed, not escorted, not routed around. Refused. Several states treat fifteen six as the point where a survey begins; Kentucky treats it as the end of the road, and a tall load needs to know that before it reaches the state line rather than after. Length limits also split by road type: a hundred and ten feet on four-lane highways, seventy-five on two-lane.
Legal dimensions
At or under these figures, no oversize permit is required in Kentucky.
- Width
- 8′6″
- Height
- 13′6″
- Gross weight
- 80,000 lb
- Overhang
- 5′ rear on a 48′ trailer
- Single axle
- 20,000 lb
- Tandem
- 34,000 lb
- Tridem
- 48,000 lb
Routine permit limits
Above legal dimensions and up to these figures, Kentucky issues a permit as routine business. Beyond them the load becomes a superload, reviewed case by case.
- Length
- 110′ on four-lane highways, 75′ on two-lane
- Width
- 16′
- Height
- 15′6″ — above this a load is not permitted at all
- 5 axles
- 96,000 lb
- 6 axles
- 120,000 lb
- 7 axles
- 134,000–140,000 lb
- Tandem
- 45,000 lb on a 5-axle, 48,000 lb on 6 or more
- Tridem
- 60,000 lb
- Quad
- 80,000 lb
Escort requirements
A load reaching any of these figures needs an escort in Kentucky — the figure is the first size that requires one, so a load measuring exactly this much already needs it.
- Width
- 12′1″
- Height
- 15′0″
- Length
- 110′1″
When the load may move
Permit validity. Permits are valid for ten calendar days.
Operating time. Continuous — twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, Saturday and Sunday included. Restricted areas close 7–9 AM and 4–6 PM.
Restricted travel. Peak-hour restrictions apply in Boone, Kenton and Campbell counties around Cincinnati, in Jefferson County around Louisville, in Fayette County around Lexington, and at the KY 2155 bridge at Owensboro.
Worth knowing
- Kentucky allows continuous running, which very few states do — it is often the fastest link in a Midwest-to-south-east route.
- The 15′6″ height limit is a refusal point, not a survey trigger. Above it the load is not permitted.
- Legal length is 53′ on the Interstate and designated routes, 65′ elsewhere.
- Legal width drops to 8′ on non-designated routes.
- The superload threshold sits around 300,000 lb gross.
Kentucky permits, answered
Can an oversize load travel at night in Kentucky?
Yes. Kentucky allows continuous running, 24/7 including weekends, which is rare — most states in the region are daylight only.
What happens if my load is over 15 feet 6 inches high in Kentucky?
It is not permitted. Kentucky does not survey or escort above that height, it refuses — so a tall load has to know before reaching the state line, not after.
Where do peak-hour restrictions apply in Kentucky?
Boone, Kenton and Campbell counties around Cincinnati, Jefferson County around Louisville, Fayette County around Lexington, and the KY 2155 bridge at Owensboro — 7–9 AM and 4–6 PM.
How long can a load be on a Kentucky permit?
110′ on four-lane highways and 75′ on two-lane. The road type matters as much as the load here.
How long is a Kentucky oversize permit valid?
Ten calendar days.
Crossing more than Kentucky?
A permit is per state. If the route leaves Kentucky, these are the states it most likely enters.
Get a permit quote for Kentucky
Enter the load once and the estimator prices every state on the route, flags where an escort is required, and turns the quote into an order.
Price a permit for Kentucky →Compiled from published state DOT sources. Regulations change — confirm the current rules before dispatch. Last reviewed 2026-07-30.