2023 Maine Revised Statutes › TITLE 29-A: MOTOR VEHICLES AND TRAFFIC › Chapter 21: WEIGHT, DIMENSION AND PROTECTION OF WAYS › Subchapter 2: DIMENSION › 29-A §2382. Overlimit movement permits

§2382. Overlimit movement permits
1.  Overlimit movement permits issued by State.
The Secretary of State, acting under guidelines and advice of the Commissioner of Transportation, may grant permits to move nondivisible objects having a length, width, height or weight greater than specified in this Title over a way or bridge maintained by the Department of Transportation.
[PL 1993, c. 683, Pt. A, §2 (NEW); PL 1993, c. 683, Pt. B, §5 (AFF).]
2.  Permit fee.
The Secretary of State, with the advice of the Commissioner of Transportation, may set the fee for single trip permits, at not less than $6, nor more than $30, based on weight, height, length and width. The Secretary of State may, by rule, implement fees that have been set by the Commissioner of Transportation for multiple trip, long-term overweight movement permits. Rules established pursuant to this section are routine technical rules pursuant to Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter II‑A.
[PL 2001, c. 671, §30 (AMD).]
3.  County and municipal permits.
A county commissioner or municipal officer may grant a permit, for a reasonable fee, for travel over a way or bridge maintained by that county or municipality.
[PL 2003, c. 452, Pt. Q, §73 (AMD); PL 2003, c. 452, Pt. X, §2 (AFF).]
4.  Permits for weight.
A vehicle granted a permit for excess weight must first be registered for the maximum gross vehicle weight allowed for that vehicle.
[PL 1993, c. 683, Pt. A, §2 (NEW); PL 1993, c. 683, Pt. B, §5 (AFF).]
5.  Long-term permits.
The Secretary of State may grant permits for up to one year for trucks, truck tractors, semitrailers, heavy duty recovery vehicles and Class A special mobile equipment. Notwithstanding Title 5, section 8071, subsection 2, paragraph A, the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Commissioner of Transportation, shall establish the fee schedule by rule. Rules adopted pursuant to this subsection are routine technical rules as defined in Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2‑A.
[PL 2019, c. 335, §9 (AMD).]
6.  Scope of permit.
A permit is limited to the particular vehicle or object to be moved, the trailer or semitrailer hauling the overlimit object and particular ways and bridges.
[PL 2003, c. 166, §13 (AMD).]
7.  Construction permits.
A permit for a stated period of time may be issued for loads and equipment employed on public way construction projects, United States Government projects or construction of private ways, when within construction areas established by the Department of Transportation. The permit:
A. Must be procured from the municipal officers for a construction area within that municipality;   [PL 1993, c. 683, Pt. A, §2 (NEW); PL 1993, c. 683, Pt. B, §5 (AFF).]
B. May require the contractor to be responsible for damage to ways used in the construction areas and may provide for:
(1) Withholding by the agency contracting the work of final payment under contract; or
(2) The furnishing of a bond by the contractor to guarantee suitable repair or payment of damages.
The suitability of repairs or the amount of damage is to be determined by the Department of Transportation on state-maintained ways and bridges, otherwise by the municipal officers;   [PL 1993, c. 683, Pt. A, §2 (NEW); PL 1993, c. 683, Pt. B, §5 (AFF).]
C. May be granted by the Department of Transportation or by the state engineer in charge of the construction contract; and   [PL 1993, c. 683, Pt. A, §2 (NEW); PL 1993, c. 683, Pt. B, §5 (AFF).]
D. For construction areas, carries no fee and does not come within the scope of this section.   [PL 1993, c. 683, Pt. A, §2 (NEW); PL 1993, c. 683, Pt. B, §5 (AFF).]
[PL 1993, c. 683, Pt. A, §2 (NEW); PL 1993, c. 683, Pt. B, §5 (AFF).]
8.  Gross vehicle weight permits.
The following may grant permits to operate a vehicle having a gross vehicle weight exceeding the prescribed limit:
A. The Secretary of State, with the consent of the Department of Transportation, for state and state aid highways and bridges within city or compact village limits;   [PL 1993, c. 683, Pt. A, §2 (NEW); PL 1993, c. 683, Pt. B, §5 (AFF).]
B. Municipal officers, for all other ways and bridges within that city and compact village limits; and   [PL 1993, c. 683, Pt. A, §2 (NEW); PL 1993, c. 683, Pt. B, §5 (AFF).]
C. The county commissioners, for county roads and bridges located in unorganized territory.   [PL 1993, c. 683, Pt. A, §2 (NEW); PL 1993, c. 683, Pt. B, §5 (AFF).]
[PL 1993, c. 683, Pt. A, §2 (NEW); PL 1993, c. 683, Pt. B, §5 (AFF).]
9.  Pilot vehicles.
The following restrictions apply to pilot vehicles.
A. Pilot vehicles required by a permit must be equipped with warning lights and signs as required by the Secretary of State with the advice of the Department of Transportation.   [PL 2003, c. 452, Pt. Q, §74 (NEW); PL 2003, c. 452, Pt. X, §2 (AFF).]
B. Warning lights may be operated and lettering on the signs may be visible on a pilot vehicle only while it is escorting a vehicle with a permit on a public way.   [PL 2003, c. 452, Pt. Q, §74 (NEW); PL 2003, c. 452, Pt. X, §2 (AFF).]
With the advice of the Commissioner of Transportation and the Chief of the State Police, the Secretary of State shall establish rules for the operation of pilot vehicles.
[PL 2003, c. 452, Pt. Q, §74 (RPR); PL 2003, c. 452, Pt. X, §2 (AFF).]
9-A.  Police escort.
A person may not operate a single vehicle or a combination of vehicles of 125 feet or more in length or 16 feet or more in width on a public way unless the vehicle or combination of vehicles is accompanied by a police escort. The Secretary of State, with the advice of the Commissioner of Transportation, may require a police escort for vehicles of lesser dimensions.
A. The Bureau of State Police shall establish a fee for state police escorts to defray the costs of providing a police escort. A county sheriff or municipal police department may establish a fee to defray the costs of providing police escorts.   [PL 1997, c. 144, §2 (NEW).]
B. The Bureau of State Police shall provide a police escort if a request is made by a permittee. A county sheriff or municipal police department may refuse a permittee's request for a police escort.   [PL 1997, c. 144, §2 (NEW).]
C. A vehicle or combination of vehicles for which a police escort is required must be accompanied by a state police escort when operating on the interstate highway system.   [PL 1997, c. 144, §2 (NEW).]
[PL 1997, c. 144, §2 (NEW).]
10.  Taxes paid.
A permit for a mobile home may not be granted unless the applicant provides reasonable assurance that all property taxes, sewage disposal charges and drain and sewer assessments applicable to the mobile home, including those for the current tax year, have been paid or that the mobile home is exempt from those taxes. A municipality may waive the requirement that those taxes be paid before the issuance of a permit if the mobile home is to be moved from one location in the municipality to another location in the same municipality for purposes not related to the sale of the mobile home.
[PL 1999, c. 125, §1 (AMD).]
11.  Violation.
A person who moves an object over the public way in violation of this section commits a traffic infraction.
[PL 1999, c. 117, §2 (NEW).]
SECTION HISTORY
PL 1993, c. 683, §A2 (NEW). PL 1993, c. 683, §B5 (AFF). PL 1997, c. 144, §§1,2 (AMD). PL 1999, c. 117, §2 (AMD). PL 1999, c. 125, §1 (AMD). PL 1999, c. 580, §13 (AMD). PL 2001, c. 671, §30 (AMD). PL 2003, c. 166, §13 (AMD). PL 2003, c. 452, §§Q73,74 (AMD). PL 2003, c. 452, §X2 (AFF). PL 2007, c. 703, §25 (AMD). PL 2011, c. 356, §23 (AMD). PL 2011, c. 556, §22 (AMD). PL 2019, c. 335, §9 (AMD).