Iowa

Width

8'6"

Height

13'6"

Length — single vehicle

41'

Length — trailer

53'

Length — lowboy trailer

57'

Legal overhang — front

4'

Single axle

20,000 lb.

Tandem axle

34,000 lb.

Tridem axle

42,500 lb.

Max gross weight

80,000 lb.

Phone

515-237-3264

Fax

515-237-3257

Hours

8:00 AM – 4:30 PM Central

Website

iowadot.gov/mvd/omcs

A rear escort is required when width exceeds 16'6" on four-lane roadways. A front escort is required when width is up to 14'6" and exceeds half the roadway on two-lane roads under 12' wide (or 12'+ without sufficient shoulders), or when width exceeds 14'6" on any two-lane roadway. A front escort — or an amber/strobe light on the power unit and rear of the load — is required when width is up to 14'6" and exceeds half the roadway on a two-lane road 12'+ wide with sufficient shoulders. A rear escort (or amber/strobe light) is required when width exceeds half the roadway up to 16'6" on four-lane roads. A rear escort is required when vehicle length exceeds 120'. A front escort with mounted height pole is required for height over 14'4" up to 20'; an escort without a pole is required beyond 20'.

For annual OS/OW and multitrip permits, axle weight may not exceed 20,000 lbs, with a maximum total gross weight of 156,000 lbs. For single-trip permits, axle weight is capped at 20,000 lbs, and if combined gross weight exceeds 100,000 lbs, a permit may only be issued if it would not cause undue road damage and is in the public interest.

A Registration Trip Permit is valid for 72 hours and must be obtained and placed in the vehicle before entering Iowa if plated outside the state (it cannot substitute for oversize/overweight permit registration requirements). A Temporary Fuel Permit is valid for one trip or 72 hours, whichever comes first — a new permit is required upon re-entry after departing the state. Contact Iowa Truck Services at 515-244-5193 for more information.

Iowa uses a sliding scale that increases every 1,000 lbs over the maximum permitted weight: $6.00 for the first 1 to 1,000 lbs over, rising to $1,100 plus $0.05 per pound for weight over 20,000 lbs over the limit.

Travel is permitted from 1/2 hour before sunrise to 1/2 hour after sunset, 7 days a week, except on designated holidays and during special events with abnormally high traffic. The designated holidays are Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Labor Day — no movement is allowed on these days or after noon on the preceding day (or the preceding weekend, per Iowa Code 321.457, when the holiday falls on a Monday). Continuous 24-hour movement is permitted for loads not exceeding 11' wide, 14'6" high, 100' long, and within legal weight.

A flashing or strobe amber light must be mounted on the towing unit, with lighted amber lights at the forward corners and lighted red lights at the rear; vehicles 12'–16'6" wide may use an amber or strobe light on the cab and rear extremity instead of an escort. An "OVERSIZE LOAD" banner is required — 7' long, 18" high, black letters at least 10" high with a 1.5-inch stroke, on a yellow background. Red or orange fluorescent flags at least 18" square must be mounted at each front corner of the towing unit and each rear corner of the load.

No metal tire or track may contact a paved highway. A pneumatic tire is unsafe if it has any exposed ply/cord, a bump, bulge, or separation, tread design depth under 1/16 inch in two or more adjacent grooves (or worn to tread-wear indicators), a "not for highway use"/"for racing purposes only"/"unsafe for highway use" marking, tread or sidewall cracks/cuts/snags deep enough to expose the body cord, or has been regrooved below the original design depth (except approved regroovable tires). Maximum weight per inch of tire width is 575 lbs (600 lbs on a steering axle). Tire chains of reasonable proportions are permitted for safety. Studded tires (protrusion up to 1/16 inch) are permitted November 1 through April 1.

A map-based lookup is available — current Iowa pavement restriction data is published on an interactive map maintained by the Iowa DOT.

Length

75'

Width

8'6"

Height

14'4"

Weight

156,000 lbs gross maximum, 20,000 lbs per axle maximum

Coverage

Not valid for interstate travel — state roads only

Cost — Annual OS/OW

$400

Cost — OS

$50

Turnaround

1 business day

Route required

Yes

Iowa can have up to 500 work zones in operation from March through November (rising to as many as 1,000 near cities and counties during peak periods) for bridge demolition, highway construction, pavement repairs, and similar work. Reduce speed, respect signals, and stay calm — extra caution is required to watch for the movements of traffic and the location of road workers.

There are no specific laws governing mobile home transportation in Iowa.