How to read a Hawaii oversize permit
Hawaii has no online permit system: you email form DOT 4-005 to the Highways Division district office for the island you'll drive on, and the approved form becomes your Special Permit. The route is a short written entry under 'ROUTE OF TRAVEL' ('Origin', 'Destination', 'Over Routes'), and the district checks off the hours you may move.
Issued by the Hawaii Department of Transportation, Highways Division (district offices for Oahu, Kauai, Maui and Hawaii). Written from HDOT's published rules; we haven't read a real Hawaii permit yet.
How to read the route
Look for 'ROUTE OF TRAVEL' on the front of the permit. It has three lines: 'Origin', 'Destination' and 'Over Routes'. 'Over Routes' is where the roads are written in, so expect highway names or route numbers as the applicant wrote them. The form says the permit is valid on state highways only, and other roads fall under city and county rules. Right below are the hour boxes the district checks for your move.
What's on each page
- Page 1: Application and Special Permit. Shows the permittee, the type of movement (oversize, overweight, flag, projections, lights, wide load sign), single trip, continuous trip or annual, 'ROUTE OF TRAVEL' (Origin, Destination, Over Routes), the hour boxes and date of movement, the load, the vehicle and escort type, dimensions, and the Director's approval with permit number and fee.
- Page 2: Reverse side. The front says the permit is 'subject to the General Conditions and any Special Provisions stated on the reverse side.' The published blank form's page 2 has no readable text.
Road names on Hawaii permits
| On the permit | Means |
|---|---|
| H-1 | Interstate Route H-1 on Oahu (Lunalilo Freeway and Queen Liliuokalani Freeway) |
| H-2 | Interstate Route H-2 on Oahu (Veterans Memorial Freeway) |
| Route 93 | Farrington Highway on Oahu, from the H-1 Palailai Interchange to the Kaena Point State Park boundary |
| Route 92 | Ala Moana Boulevard in Honolulu |
Where the route starts and ends
The front of the permit has an 'Origin' line and a 'Destination' line under 'ROUTE OF TRAVEL'. HDOT doesn't say how exact these must be.
Conditions to watch for
Hours on the permit
The permit has hour boxes the district checks: 0830 to 1500, 1800 to 0500, or 0030 to 0500. A separate box says no movement on Saturday, Sunday and holidays. Move only in the hours checked on your permit. Source
“NO MOVEMENT SATURDAY, SUNDAY, & HOLIDAYS”
Weekends, holidays and heavy traffic
Weekend and state-holiday moves are up to the district engineer. No moves are allowed on days and hours when the district engineer expects extremely heavy traffic. Source
“Movements on Saturdays, Sundays and state holidays may be permitted at the discretion of the district engineer.”
Escorts
Loads over 12 feet wide need an escort vehicle, and an escort may be required over 10 feet wide on two-lane mountain or winding coastal roads. Loads 14 feet or wider need an escort, flagman or police, at 25 mph top speed. Projections over 4 feet also need an escort. Source
“All vehicles or loads exceeding 12 feet in width shall require an escort vehicle.”
WIDE LOAD sign and flags
Loads over 12 feet wide need a 6-foot by 1-foot 'WIDE LOAD' sign with 10-inch black letters on yellow, on the front or rear of the truck or the escort, as the permit says. Mark the ends of an oversize load with flags or lights. Source
“Reflective sign shall be required for movements at night.”
Weather
Don't move in rain, fog or smog that cuts visibility, or any time HDOT or police consider conditions unsafe, even if it's your permitted date and time. Source
“moves shall not be made when visibility is unduly impaired by rain, fog, smog”
Stay on the listed highways
The permit covers only the state highways and bridges written on it. Using any other highway is not allowed by the permit. Source
“The permit shall entitle the permittee to move only on the specified state highways and bridges.”
Easy to miss
- Each island's district issues its own permit; the form lists Oahu, Kauai, Maui and Hawaii offices. City and county roads need the county's OK, because the HDOT permit covers state highways only.
- The form says the pink copy is the one to carry on the move.
- You may need an escort over just 10 feet wide on two-lane mountain or winding coastal roads, even though the general escort line is 12 feet.
Questions
How do I get an oversize permit in Hawaii?
Email the Application to Operate or Transport Oversize-Overweight Vehicles (DOT 4-005) to the Highways Division district office where you'll drive. HDOT says most are processed within a day, but extraordinarily large or heavy loads need headquarters review that takes at least three weeks.
Can I move an oversize load on a weekend in Hawaii?
Only if the district engineer allows it. Weekend and state-holiday moves are at the district engineer's discretion, and the permit has a 'no movement Saturday, Sunday & holidays' box the district can check.
When does a wide load need an escort in Hawaii?
Over 12 feet wide, always. An escort may also be required over 10 feet wide on two-lane mountain or winding coastal roads, and the district engineer can require a police escort.
Sources
- HDOT: Oversized and Overweight Vehicles on State Highways
- HDOT Highways: Guide to Permits
- HDOT Application to Operate or Transport Oversize and/or Overweight Vehicles and Loads (DOT 4-005, HWY-C 05/20)
- HDOT Highways Division: Hawaii Administrative Rules list
- HAR Chapter 19-104 (HDOT PDF, scanned)
- Haw. Code R. 19-104-11 General conditions of permits
- Haw. Code R. 19-104-14 Movement of oversized vehicles
- Haw. Code R. 19-104-15 Overwidth
- Haw. Code R. 19-104-25 Movements during darkness or adverse weather
- HDOT Oahu State Roads and Highways
Your permit is the legal document; follow everything it says. Rules change; check HDOT's site before you move.Last checked October 2026.