Texas Oversize Sign & Flag Requirements
Enter your load’s dimensions and get the exact warning signs, flags and lights Texas requires — per TxDMV and 43 TAC §219.11.
At a glance — official Texas specs (TxDMV / 43 TAC §219.11)
| Sign wording | “OVERSIZE LOAD” or “WIDE LOAD” |
|---|---|
| Sign size | 5 to 7 feet long, 12 to 18 inches high |
| Sign colours | Yellow background with black lettering |
| Lettering | 8 to 10 inches high, brush stroke at least 1.41 inches wide |
| Sign placement | On the roof, or the front and rear, of each escort flag vehicle; front & rear banners on the load as your permit requires. Signs must not be displayed at any other time. |
| Warning flags (Texas) | Red or orange fluorescent, at least 12 inches square, mounted on a staff or fastened by at least one corner |
| Flag placement | At the widest extremities of an overwidth load (in practice, all four corners); at the rear of an overlength load or a load with rear overhang over 4 feet |
| Interstate note | Federal rules (49 CFR 393.87) set projecting-load flags at 18 inches square — an 18-inch flag also satisfies the Texas 12-inch minimum |
| Rear-overhang lights (>4 ft) | Two red lamps on the extreme end of the load (visible 500 ft from the rear), two red reflectors marking the maximum width (visible 100–600 ft at night), and one red lamp on each side marking the overhang (visible 500 ft from the side) |
Summary only — not legal advice. Specs summarised from the TxDMV “Escort and Equipment Requirements” page and 43 Texas Administrative Code §219.11 (oversize/overweight permits), checked November 2026. Your permit conditions and the Texas Administrative Code govern; TxDMV may add signs, lights, escorts and curfew conditions to any permit.
When a load counts as oversize in Texas
A load is legal in Texas at up to 8 feet 6 inches wide and 14 feet high, and the load may extend up to 3 feet beyond the front of the vehicle and 4 feet beyond the rear (Texas Transportation Code, Chapter 621). Past any one of those limits, the vehicle moves under an oversize permit, and the marking, lighting and escort rules in Title 43, Texas Administrative Code, section 219.11 apply. The checker above applies those rules to your actual dimensions — width, height and overhangs — because each one triggers its own requirements.
The oversize sign: the exact Texas specification
Under 43 TAC 219.11(k)(7)(C), the warning sign reading OVERSIZE LOAD or WIDE LOAD must be at least 5 feet but not more than 7 feet long, and at least 12 inches but not more than 18 inches high, with a yellow background and black lettering. The letters must be at least 8 inches but not more than 10 inches high, with a brush stroke at least 1.41 inches wide. On an escort flag vehicle the sign is displayed on the roof, or on the front and rear, so it is visible from the front and the rear while escorting. On the load vehicle itself, display the sign front and rear as your permit requires — permits carry the banner condition — and never display the sign when the vehicle is not moving an oversize load.
Warning flags: 12 inches in Texas, 18 inches federally
Texas requires warning flags of red or orange fluorescent material, at least 12 inches square, securely mounted on a staff or fastened by at least one corner to the widest extremities of an overwidth permitted vehicle, and at the rear of an overlength vehicle or a vehicle with a rear overhang beyond four feet. Federal rules are stricter: 49 CFR 393.87 requires flags at least 18 inches square for loads projecting more than 4 inches beyond the sides or more than 4 feet beyond the rear in interstate commerce. An 18-inch flag satisfies both rules, so it is the simplest compliant choice for a truck that crosses state lines.
Rear overhang over four feet: flags plus lamps
A load extending more than four feet beyond the bed or body needs more than flags. TxDMV’s equipment requirements call for, on the extreme end of the load: two red lamps visible at a distance of at least 500 feet from the rear; two red reflectors that indicate the maximum width and are visible at night at all distances from 100 to 600 feet in lawful lower headlamp beams; and two red lamps, one on each side, indicating the maximum overhang and visible at least 500 feet from the side. The flags are placed where a lamp is required, so the widest and longest points of the load are marked day and night.
Night movement and escort vehicles
Under 43 TAC 219.11(l)(1), a permitted vehicle may move only during the daytime unless it fits an exception: it is overweight only; it is travelling on an interstate highway and does not exceed 10 feet wide and 100 feet long with front and rear overhang inside legal standards; or a route and traffic study by TxDOT grants a night-movement exception. Escort thresholds are set by 219.11(k): over 14 feet wide up to 16 feet takes one escort vehicle (front on two-lane roads, rear on roads with four or more lanes); over 16 feet wide takes front and rear escorts on all roads; over 17 feet high takes a front escort with a height pole; over 18 feet high takes front and rear escorts. For when the load may legally move, pair this checker with the Texas Oversize Curfew & Holiday Checker, and for the permit itself, the Texas Permit Wizard. Weight questions belong to the Bridge Formula Axle Weight Checker.
Frequently asked questions
What size does an oversize load sign have to be in Texas?
At least 5 feet and not more than 7 feet long, at least 12 inches and not more than 18 inches high, yellow with black lettering, and letters 8 to 10 inches high with a brush stroke of at least 1.41 inches (43 TAC 219.11(k)(7)(C)).
How big do warning flags have to be on an oversize load?
Texas requires red or orange fluorescent flags at least 12 inches square at the widest extremities of the load and at the rear when the load is overlength or overhangs the rear by more than four feet. In interstate commerce, federal rule 49 CFR 393.87 requires at least 18 inches square — an 18-inch flag complies with both.
My load sticks out more than four feet at the back. What do I need?
Flags at the extremities, plus lamps: two red lamps visible 500 feet from the rear, two red reflectors marking the maximum width (visible 100 to 600 feet at night in lower headlamp beams), and a red lamp on each side marking the overhang, visible 500 feet from the side.
Can I move an oversize load at night in Texas?
Generally no. Permitted vehicles move in the daytime unless an exception applies — overweight-only loads, interstate moves not over 10 feet wide and 100 feet long with legal overhangs, or a TxDOT route and traffic study exception. Escort flag vehicles may also be required (43 TAC 219.11(l)(1)).