Ontario permits
Ontario Oversize Permit Rules
Legal limits, MTO permits, escorts, route and bridge checks and superload rules for oversize and overweight loads in Ontario, with metric sizes and feet and inches added, plus the border basics for loads coming in from the USA.
Last checked: Oct 2, 2026
This page is general information only, not legal advice and not a permit. Rules change often and each state's or province's permit and official rules are the final word. Always confirm limits, escorts, routes and travel times with the provincial permit office before moving a load. Reliable Transport LLC is not responsible for decisions made using this information.
- Legal size
- 2.6 m (8'6"W), 4.15 m (13'7"H)
- Permits
- MTO, for King's highways
- Border
- eManifest 1 hour before arrival
Hauling through other states? Use our permit map and route planner
Open the route plannerMTO permits
How Ontario sizes up a heavy load
Ontario's Ministry of Transportation (MTO) issues oversize and overweight permits for the King's highways, and municipalities issue their own for their roads. Ontario sizes are metric, so every number here has feet and inches added. These are the rules we plan Ontario loads with, from the Highway Traffic Act and the MTO permit guide.
Check your load
Enter your width, height, length and weight in our permit tool to see the rules for every US state on your route, each with its official source. Our permit tool covers US states only; the Ontario rules are on this page.
Ontario limits
Ontario legal limits and permit thresholds
Over these limits, a load needs an MTO permit for the King's highways and a municipal permit for local roads.
Ontario legal size, weight and permits
Official sources linkedEscorts
Ontario escort requirements
MTO sets the escorts as a condition of each permit. Superloads need Certified Superload Escorts, who are appointed under O. Reg. 215/18.
Ontario escorts by load size
Official sources linked| Load | Escorts |
|---|---|
| Every permitted load | The escorts the load needs are listed on its MTO permit, and the carrier must follow the permit (MTO, Guide to oversize/overweight vehicles and loads, Highway Traffic Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. H.8 (sections 109, 110, 110.5 and 123)) |
| Superloads | Certified Superload Escorts go with every superload: over 120,000 kg (264,554 lbs), 5 m (16'5"W) or 45.75 m (150'1"L) (MTO, Guide to oversize/overweight vehicles and loads, MTO, Get an oversize/overweight permit, O. Reg. 215/18, Over Dimensional Vehicle Escorts) |
Certified Superload Escorts must have held a driver's licence for at least 4 years and have no more than 6 demerit points. (O. Reg. 215/18, Over Dimensional Vehicle Escorts, MTO, Guide to oversize/overweight vehicles and loads)
Height and routes
Routes, bridges and the border
How MTO checks an Ontario route, and what a load from the USA needs at the Canadian border.
Route check
MTO checks every single trip route against width, height and weight restrictions, structures and construction. If the route cannot clear, the carrier must give MTO another route that can. (MTO, Get an oversize/overweight permit, MTO, Instructions for completing the oversize/overweight single trip permit application (form SR L 105ST))
Height and clearances
Over 4.26 m (14'H), the load must ride on a low profile (float) trailer, and the clearances on the route set how high it can go. (MTO, Get an oversize/overweight permit, MTO, Guide to oversize/overweight vehicles and loads)
Bridges
Every load follows the posted bridge limits, and over 45,000 kg (99,208 lbs) it crosses bridges at the lowest practical speed. Over 120,000 kg (264,554 lbs), a qualified engineer must evaluate the bridges on the route, and MTO approves the report. (MTO, Get an oversize/overweight permit, MTO, Guide to oversize/overweight vehicles and loads, Highway Traffic Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. H.8 (sections 109, 110, 110.5 and 123))
eManifest
The highway carrier's cargo and conveyance data must be received and validated by the Canada Border Services Agency no later than 1 hour before arrival at the first port of arrival. (CBSA Memorandum D3 4 2, highway carrier and cargo reporting, Reporting of Imported Goods Regulations, SOR 86 873 (section 19))
Customs broker
Importers and customs brokers can file release documents through the Pre Arrival Review System (PARS), before or after arrival. (CBSA Memorandum D3 4 2, highway carrier and cargo reporting, CBSA Memorandum D17 1 4, release of commercial goods)
Bonded moves
Goods moving inland before release need a CBSA bonded carrier, or a single trip bond for a non bonded carrier. (CBSA Memorandum D3 4 2, highway carrier and cargo reporting, CBSA Memorandum D3 1 1, policy on the importation and transportation of goods)
Travel times
Travel hours, nights, weekends and holidays
When a permitted load may move in Ontario.
Travel times
Each MTO permit sets the days and hours the load may travel, and the carrier must follow the permit. Our permitting team plans the schedule from the permit before the load moves. (MTO, Guide to oversize/overweight vehicles and loads, Highway Traffic Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. H.8 (sections 109, 110, 110.5 and 123))
Superloads
Ontario superloads
MTO treats a load over 120,000 kg (264,554 lbs), 5 m (16'5"W) or 45.75 m (150'1"L) as a superload. MTO's weight and load engineers review every superload application, and the move needs Certified Superload Escorts and a Traffic Management Plan. From 6 m (19'8"W) or over 120,000 kg (264,554 lbs), MTO also wants a project justification, and over 120,000 kg (264,554 lbs) a qualified engineer must evaluate the bridges on the route. (MTO, Get an oversize/overweight permit, MTO, Guide to oversize/overweight vehicles and loads)
See how we plan the biggest loads on our Superload Transport page.
Our moves
Heavy loads we have moved
150,000 lb transformer
A 150,000 lb transformer from Pocatello, ID to Akron, OH.
Read the move →207,000 lb dryer drum
A 207,000 lb dryer drum from Louisville, KY to Richmond, VA.
Read the move →Moving a load in Ontario?
Send the dimensions, weight and border crossing. We plan the MTO permit, escorts and customs paperwork.
Request a quote →See every move on our Moves page.
Sources
Official Ontario sources
Every rule on this page is taken from the MTO pages and permit application instructions, the Highway Traffic Act and its regulations, and the CBSA memoranda and regulations below and confirmed by a second source. Where we could not confirm a rule twice, we left it off this page. Rules change, and the permit itself always decides. Last checked: Oct 2, 2026.
- MTO, Guide to oversize/overweight vehicles and loads
- MTO, Get an oversize/overweight permit
- MTO, Instructions for completing the oversize/overweight single trip permit application (form SR L 105ST)
- Highway Traffic Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. H.8 (sections 109, 110, 110.5 and 123)
- O. Reg. 413/05, Vehicle Weights and Dimensions
- O. Reg. 215/18, Over Dimensional Vehicle Escorts
- CBSA Memorandum D3 4 2, highway carrier and cargo reporting
- Reporting of Imported Goods Regulations, SOR 86 873 (section 19)
- CBSA Memorandum D17 1 4, release of commercial goods
- CBSA Memorandum D3 1 1, policy on the importation and transportation of goods
Questions
Ontario permit questions
What are the legal size limits in Ontario?
2.6 m (8'6"W), 4.15 m (13'7"H) and 23 m (75'6"L) for a combination. Anything bigger needs an MTO permit.
Who issues oversize permits in Ontario?
MTO, for the King's highways. Municipalities issue their own permits for their roads.
When does Ontario require escorts?
Each MTO permit lists the escorts the load needs, and every superload needs Certified Superload Escorts.
When does MTO check the route?
On every single trip permit. MTO checks the route against width, height and weight restrictions, structures and construction, and over 4.26 m (14'H) the route clearances set the height.
How early should I apply for an Ontario single trip permit?
At least 3 business days before the move. MTO suggests 5.
What does a load need at the Canadian border?
The carrier's eManifest data must reach CBSA no later than 1 hour before arrival, and a customs broker can file release documents through PARS.
Keep planning
More for your Ontario move
Permit rules in border states
Hauling through other states? Use our permit map and route planner
Open the route plannerReliable Transport LLC | Reliable Heavy Haul
Ready to move it?
We haul oversize and overweight loads across the USA and Canada from our home base at 7660 W Third St, Dayton, OH 45417. Send your load details and we will plan the MTO permit, route, escorts and border crossing.
This page is general information only, not legal advice and not a permit. Rules change often and each state's or province's permit and official rules are the final word. Always confirm limits, escorts, routes and travel times with the provincial permit office before moving a load. Reliable Transport LLC is not responsible for decisions made using this information.