New Hampshire oversize permit requirements
New Hampshire allows oversize movement on weekdays and not otherwise. No Saturdays, no Sundays, no holidays — an over-dimensional load moves Monday to Friday in daylight or it does not move. Few states are that categorical, and it means a five-day permit really is five working days rather than a week with slack in it.
Manchester is the only city with a peak-hour rule, seven to nine in the morning and three to six in the evening. Outside it the state is uncomplicated.
The permit allowances are worth the trip. A hundred and ten feet of length, sixteen feet of width and height, and axle figures that sit near the top of the national range: twenty-five thousand pounds on a single, fifty thousand on a tandem, seventy thousand on a tridem and eighty-five thousand on a quad. Legal axle limits are also higher off the designated highways than on them — twenty-two thousand four hundred on a single and thirty-six thousand on a tandem — which is the reverse of the usual pattern. The one thing to watch is the spring thaw, when weights can be cut to a maximum of twenty thousand pounds gross on any axle.
Legal dimensions
At or under these figures, no oversize permit is required in New Hampshire.
- Width
- 8′6″
- Height
- 13′6″
- Gross weight
- 80,000 lb
- Single axle
- 20,000 lb on designated highways, 22,400 lb elsewhere
- Tandem
- 34,000 lb on designated highways, 36,000 lb elsewhere
Routine permit limits
Above legal dimensions and up to these figures, New Hampshire issues a permit as routine business. Beyond them the load becomes a superload, reviewed case by case.
- Length
- 110′
- Width
- 16′
- Height
- 16′
- Single axle
- 25,000 lb
- Tandem
- 50,000 lb
- Tridem
- 70,000 lb
- Quad
- 85,000 lb
Escort requirements
A load reaching any of these figures needs an escort in New Hampshire — the figure is the first size that requires one, so a load measuring exactly this much already needs it.
- Width
- 12′0″
- Height
- 13′6″
- Length
- 90′0″
When the load may move
Permit validity. Permits are valid for five travel days.
Operating time. Daylight — half an hour before sunrise to half an hour after sunset — Monday to Friday only.
Restricted travel. No weekend or holiday travel for over-dimensional loads. In Manchester, no movement 7–9 AM or 3–6 PM.
Worth knowing
- Over-dimensional loads may not travel at weekends or on holidays at all — movement is Monday to Friday or not at all.
- Legal axle limits are higher off the designated highways than on them, which reverses the usual pattern.
- Spring thaw restrictions can cut allowable weight to 20,000 lb gross on any axle.
- Legal length is 53′ on the Interstate and designated highways, 48′ elsewhere.
- The routine axle allowances are near the top of the national range.
New Hampshire permits, answered
Can an oversize load travel at the weekend in New Hampshire?
No. Over-dimensional movement runs Monday to Friday in daylight, with no weekend or holiday travel at all — one of the most categorical rules in the country.
How heavy can a load be on a New Hampshire permit?
25,000 lb on a single, 50,000 lb on a tandem, 70,000 lb on a tridem and 85,000 lb on a quad — figures near the top of the national range.
Are New Hampshire legal axle weights higher off the Interstate?
Yes — 22,400 lb on a single and 36,000 lb on a tandem off the designated highways, against 20,000 lb and 34,000 lb on them. It reverses the usual pattern, so check before assuming.
What happens during the New Hampshire spring thaw?
Weights can be cut to a maximum of 20,000 lb gross on any axle, which is a substantial reduction on the normal figures.
Where do curfew hours apply in New Hampshire?
In Manchester only — 7–9 AM and 3–6 PM. The rest of the state has no city curfew.
Crossing more than New Hampshire?
A permit is per state. If the route leaves New Hampshire, these are the states it most likely enters.
Get a permit quote for New Hampshire
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 New Hampshire →Compiled from published state DOT sources. Regulations change — confirm the current rules before dispatch. Last reviewed 2026-07-30.