Oregon Revised Statutes

Chapter 818 — Vehicle Limits

41 sections

818.010 Maximum allowable weight

This section establishes maximum weight limitations for purposes of ORS 818.020. Except as provided in subsections (4) and (5) of this section or where an exemption under ORS 818.030 specifically provides otherwise, a loaded weight that exceeds the maximum allowable weight as determined by any of the following tables exceeds the maximum weight limitations fo…

818.012 Wheel load on certain vehicles; rules

The Department of Transportation may adopt rules approving tires for the use described in ORS 818.010 (5). In adopting the rules, the department shall consider the potential damage to highways caused by use of the tires and may reject a tire that otherwise meets the criteria of ORS 818.010 (5) if the department finds that the use of the tire would cause exce…

818.030 Exemptions from weight limitations

This section establishes exemptions from the maximum weight limitations under ORS 818.010 and 818.020. The exemptions under this section are in addition to any exemptions under ORS 801.026. Operation in accordance with one of the exemptions described is not subject to the penalties in ORS 818.020. Exemptions are partial or complete as described in the follow…

818.040 Violation of posted weight limits; civil liability; penalty

A person commits the offense of violation of posted weight limits if the person does any of the following: Drives or moves on a highway any vehicle or combination of vehicles that exceed any weight limits imposed on the highway or portion of highway and indicated by appropriate signs giving notice of the limits. Owns a vehicle or combination of vehicles an…

818.050 Exemptions from posted weight limits

This section establishes exemptions from the posted weight limits under ORS 818.040. The exemptions under this section are in addition to any exemptions under ORS 801.026. Operation in accordance with one of the exemptions described is not subject to ORS 818.040. Exemptions are partial or complete as described in the following: Posted weight limits do not a…

818.060 Violation of administratively imposed weight or size limits; civil liability; penalties

A person commits the offense of violation of administratively imposed weight or size limits if the person does any of the following: Drives or moves on a highway any vehicle or combination of vehicles that exceeds weight or size limits imposed under ORS 810.050 or 810.060. Owns a vehicle or combination of vehicles and causes or permits the vehicle or combi…

818.070 Exemptions from administratively imposed weight or size limitations

This section establishes exemptions from ORS 818.060. The exemptions under this section are in addition to any exemptions under ORS 801.026. Exempt, partially or completely as described, are the following: Any vehicle on any way, thoroughfare or place owned by a district formed under ORS chapters 545, 547 and 551 or a corporation formed under ORS chapter 55…

818.080 Maximum size limits

This section establishes maximum size limits for purposes of ORS 818.090. Except where an exemption under ORS 818.100 specifically provides otherwise, any vehicle or load thereon that exceeds a maximum allowable size as determined by any of the following tables exceeds the maximum size limits for purposes of ORS 818.090: A vehicle or combination of vehicles…

818.090 Violation of maximum size limits; civil liability;

penalties. (1) A person commits the offense of violation of maximum size limits if the person does any of the following: Drives or moves on a highway any vehicle or combination of vehicles that exceeds the size limits established under ORS 818.080. Owns a vehicle or combination of vehicles and causes or permits the vehicle or combination of vehicles to …

818.100 Exemptions from size limitations

This section establishes exemptions from the maximum size limitations under ORS 818.080 and 818.090. The exemptions under this section are in addition to any exemptions under ORS 801.026. Operation in accordance with one of the exemptions described is not subject to ORS 818.090. Exemptions are partial or complete as described in the following: The maximum s…

818.105 Request for unrestricted access to specified highway for overlength combination; mandated responses to request

Any person who transports property, or causes property to be transported, by motor vehicle may request that a road authority, other than a city, authorize unrestricted access by truck tractor and semitrailer combinations in lengths in excess of that authorized under ORS 818.080 on a specific highway within the jurisdiction of the road authority. Within 60 d…

818.110 Exceeding maximum number of vehicles in combination; civil liability; penalty

A person commits the offense of exceeding the maximum number of vehicles in combination if the person does any of the following: Drives or moves on a highway any combination of vehicles that consists of more than two vehicles. Owns any vehicle and causes or permits the vehicle to be driven or moved on a highway when the vehicle is in a combination of vehic…

818.120 Exemptions from limits on number of vehicles in combinations

This section establishes exemptions from ORS 818.110. The exemptions under this section are in addition to any exemptions under ORS 801.026. Operation in accordance with one of the exemptions described is not subject to ORS 818.110. Exemptions are partial or complete as described in the following: The limit on the number of vehicles that may be operated in …

818.130 Violation of posted limits on use; civil liability; penalty

A person commits the offense of violation of posted limits on use of a road if the person does any of the following: Drives or moves on a highway any vehicle or combination of vehicles that exceeds any use limits, other than weight limits, imposed on the highway or portion of highway and indicated by appropriate signs giving notice of the limits. Owns a ve…

818.140 Exemptions from posted use limits

This section establishes exemptions from ORS 818.130. The exemptions under this section are in addition to any under ORS 801.026. Operation in accordance with one of the exemptions described is not subject to ORS 818.130. Exemptions are partial or complete as described in the following: Posted use limits do not apply on any way, thoroughfare or place owned …

818.150 Safety requirements for towing

This section establishes safety requirements for towing for purposes of ORS 818.160. Except where an exemption under ORS 818.170 specifically provides otherwise, the safety requirements for towing are violated for purposes of ORS 818.160 if any of the following are violated: If one vehicle is towing another, the tow bar, coupling device and other connection…

818.160 Violating towing safety requirements; civil liability; penalty

A person commits the offense of violating towing safety requirements if the person does any of the following: Drives or moves on a highway any vehicle or combination of vehicles that are in violation of the safety requirements for towing vehicles established under ORS 818.150. Owns a vehicle or combination of vehicles and causes or permits the vehicle or c…

818.170 Exemptions from towing safety requirements

This section establishes exemptions from the towing safety requirements under ORS 818.150 and 818.160. Exemptions under this section are in addition to any under ORS 801.026. Operation in accordance with one of the exemptions described is not subject to ORS 818.160. Exemptions are partial or complete as described in the following: The requirements for mount…

818.200 Authority to issue variance permits; effect of permit; violation of permit

A road authority, or a private contractor authorized by a road authority to do so, may issue a variance permit if it determines the public interests will be served. A variance permit issued under this section may allow any vehicle, combination of vehicles, load article, property, machine or thing to move over any highway or street under the jurisdiction of t…

818.205 Continuous operation variance permit; standards; relationship to permit issued under ORS 818.200; fee

The Department of Transportation, in consultation with other road authorities, shall develop and implement a system of issuing continuous operation variance permits. The system shall allow a person to obtain one permit that is valid for every road authority in whose jurisdiction the person will travel. The department, in consultation with other road authori…

818.210 Limits on authority to issue variance permit

Except as provided under ORS 818.220, a road authority shall not issue a variance permit under ORS 818.200 for any vehicle or load that can readily or reasonably be dismantled or disassembled. The limit under this section does not apply to the following: Combinations of vehicles consisting of not more than a motor truck with a registration weight of more th…

818.220 Requirements, conditions and procedures for issuance of variance permit; duration; cancellation; rules

This section establishes requirements, conditions and procedures for issuance of variance permits under ORS 818.200 as follows: In issuing a permit, the road authority may: Grant a permit that is valid for a single trip, a number of trips or continuous operation. Establish seasonal or other time limitations on a permit. Establish any additional terms, li…

818.225 Road use assessment fee for single-trip nondivisible load permittee; rules

As used in this section, “equivalent single-axle load” means the relationship between actual or requested weight and an 18,000 pound single-axle load as determined by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials Road Tests reported at the Proceedings Conference of 1962. In addition to any fee for a single-trip nondivisible load per…

818.230 Sifting or leaking load permit; duration; fee

A sifting or leaking load permit is a vehicle permit that is issued as evidence of a grant of authority to operate a vehicle loaded or constructed in a manner that, without the permit, would violate ORS 818.300. Each road authority shall grant permits for its own highways. Permits issued under this section shall comply with all of the following: Permits sha…

818.235 Permit for wide load of hay bales

Notwithstanding ORS 818.210, a granting authority may issue a permit under ORS 818.200 for any vehicle or combination of vehicles engaged in the transportation of hay bales with a manufactured width of more than three feet, if the total width of load does not exceed 10 feet and the load is not wider than the part of the vehicle that carries the load. Vehicle…

818.240 Dragging permit; fee

A dragging permit is a vehicle permit that is issued as evidence of a grant of authority to drag something upon or over the surface of the highway without violation of ORS 818.320. Except as otherwise provided in this section, each road authority shall grant permits for its own highways. Permits issued under this section shall comply with all of the followin…

818.250 Permit for fire company warning lights

The governing body of a rural fire protection district or of a municipal fire department may issue written authorization for the use of fire company warning lights on vehicles that are used while driving to a fire station or fire location in response to a fire alarm. Written authorization issued under this section shall comply with all of the following: Wri…

818.260 Permit for use of bus safety lights on certain buses; rules; fee

Upon receipt of a qualifying application and payment of any fee required, the Department of Transportation shall issue a permit that will allow the use of bus safety lights described in ORS 816.260 on any bus that is operated by a religious organization while the bus is being used to transport children to and from religious services or an activity or functio…

818.270 Fees for permits

The fee for issuance of a variance permit under ORS 818.200 may be any amount determined by a road authority, not to exceed $8. If the variance permit is issued by a private contractor, the contractor may charge an additional fee not to exceed $5. The fee for issuance of a sifting or leaking load permit under ORS 818.230 is $8. The fee for issuance of a dr…

818.300 Operating with sifting or leaking load; civil liability; penalty

A person commits the offense of operating with a sifting or leaking load if the person does any of the following: Drives or moves on a highway any vehicle or combination of vehicles that is so constructed or loaded so as to allow its contents to drop, sift, leak or otherwise escape therefrom. Owns a vehicle or combination of vehicles and causes or permits …

818.310 Exemptions from prohibition on sifting and leaking load

This section establishes exemptions from ORS 818.300. The exemptions under this section are in addition to any exemptions under ORS 801.026. Exemptions are partial or complete as described in the following: ORS 818.300 does not apply on any way, thoroughfare or place owned by a district formed under ORS chapters 545, 547, 551 or a corporation formed under O…

818.320 Dragging objects on highway; civil liability; penalty

A person commits the offense of dragging objects on a highway if the person does any of the following: Drives or moves on a highway any vehicle or combination of vehicles that is dragging upon or over the surface of the highway any logs, poles, piling or other thing. Owns a vehicle or combination of vehicles and causes or permits the vehicle or combination…

818.330 Exemptions from prohibition on dragging objects on highway

This section establishes exemptions from ORS 818.320. The exemptions in this section are in addition to any under ORS 801.026. Exemptions are partial or complete as described in the following: Operations authorized under terms of a permit issued under ORS 818.240 are subject to the terms of the permit. It shall be a defense to any charge of violation of ORS…

818.340 Operating in violation of variance permit; exception; civil liability; penalties

A person commits the offense of operating in violation of a variance permit if the person has been issued a variance permit under ORS 818.200 that authorized the movement of anything and the person does any of the following: Drives, moves or operates anything in violation of the terms of the permit. Owns anything and causes or permits it to be driven, move…

818.350 Failure to carry and display variance permit; penalty

The driver of any vehicle or combination of vehicles for which a variance permit or a permit identification card has been issued under ORS 818.200 commits the offense of failure to carry and display a variance permit if the driver does not: Have the variance permit or permit identification card in the driver’s immediate possession at all times when driving …

818.400 Failure to comply with commercial vehicle enforcement requirements; penalty

A person commits the offense of failure to comply with commercial vehicle enforcement requirements if the person is driving a vehicle or combination of vehicles and the person does not comply with any of the following or if the person is the owner of a vehicle or combination of vehicles and the person causes or permits the vehicle or combination not to compl…

818.410 Civil liability for certain violations

The owner and driver of anything using a state, county or city highway, street or bridge in violation of the sections described in this section are jointly and severally liable to the state, county or city for all damage done as a result of the violation. Liability to the state, county or city depends upon whether it is a state, county or city highway, stree…

818.420 Penalties for certain violations

This subsection establishes a schedule of penalties for certain offenses in ORS 818.060 and 818.090. Commission of any of the described offenses relating to height or width limits is punishable according to the following schedule: Except as otherwise provided in this section, upon a first conviction, an offense is punishable as a Class D traffic violation. …

818.430 Penalties for violation of weight requirements

This section establishes schedules of presumptive fines for violations of maximum weight requirements under the vehicle code. The particular schedule applicable is the schedule designated in the section establishing the offense. Upon conviction, a person is punishable by a fine and other penalty established in the schedule. Fines are based upon the excess we…

818.440 Penalty for procuring, aiding or abetting violation of this chapter

Any person who knowingly and willfully procures, aids or abets in the violation of a provision of this chapter is subject to the penalty provided for a person who violates the provision.

818.450 Civil penalty for violations of chapter

In addition to any penalty provided in a specific statute in this chapter, any person who violates a provision of this chapter is subject to civil penalty as provided in ORS 825.950. _______________