Permits for vehicles of excessive size and weight.
Richmond, Va., City Code § 27-356
in effectSec. 27-356. - Permits for vehicles of excessive size and weight.
(a) The Chief of Police may, upon application in writing and good cause being shown therefor, issue a special permit, in writing, authorizing the applicant to operate or move a vehicle upon the highways of a size or weight exceeding the maximum specified in this chapter. Each such permit may designate the route to be traversed and contain any other restrictions or conditions deemed necessary by the Chief respecting liability for damage to the highways and other public or private property on or near the highways. The duration of each permit shall be for such length of time as is necessary to accomplish the purposes and objectives of the applicant, whether one or more vehicles are operated or moved upon the highways in furtherance thereof, but shall expire in any event one year after the date of issuance thereof.
(b) Special permits to operate or move a vehicle upon the highways of a weight exceeding the maximum specified in this chapter shall be granted without costs where the vehicle is hauling or carrying containerized cargo in a sealed, seagoing container bound to or from a State seaport and has been or will be transported by marine shipment, provided the single axle weight does not exceed 20,000 pounds, the tandem axle weight does not exceed 34,000 pounds and the gross weight does not exceed 78,000 pounds and provided the contents of such seagoing container are not changed from the time it is loaded by the consignor or agents to the time it is delivered to the consignee or agents. Cargo moving in vehicles conforming to specifications shown in this subsection but exceeding axle and gross weight limitations shown in this subsection shall be considered irreducible and eligible for permits under regulations of the Commonwealth Transportation Board. The requirement of this subsection that the container be bound to or from a seaport in the State need not be met if the cargo in the container is destined for a seaport outside the State and consists wholly of farm products grown in that part of the State separated from the larger part of the State by the Chesapeake Bay.
(c) The Chief, upon application in writing made by the owner or operator of three-axle vehicles used exclusively for the mixing of concrete in transit or at a project site or for transporting necessary components in a compartmentalized vehicle to produce concrete immediately upon arrival at the project site and having a gross weight not exceeding 60,000 pounds, a single-axle weight not exceeding 20,000 pounds and a tandem-axle weight not exceeding 40,000 pounds, shall issue to such owner or operator, without cost, a permit in writing authorizing the operation of such vehicles upon the highways. No such permit shall be issued authorizing the operation of the vehicles enumerated in this subsection for a distance of more than 25 miles from a batching plant; however, the permit shall not designate the route to be traversed nor contain restrictions or conditions not applicable to other vehicles in their general use of the highways. Each vehicle, when loaded according to the provisions of a permit issued under this section, shall be operated at a reduced speed. The reduced speed limit is to be ten miles per hour slower than the legal speed limit in 55, 45 and 35 mile-per-hour speed limit zones. No permit issued under this section providing for a single-axle weight in excess of 20,000 pounds or for a tandem-axle weight in excess of 34,000 pounds shall be issued to include travel on the Federal interstate system of highways.
(d) The Chief, upon application in writing made by the owner or operator of vehicles used exclusively for the hauling of coal from a mine or other place of production to a preparation plant, loading dock or railroad, shall issue to such owner or operator, without cost, a permit in writing authorizing those vehicles to operate with gross weights in excess of that established in Code of Virginia, § 46.2-1122 et seq., on the conditions set forth in this subsection. Vehicles with three axles may have a maximum gross weight, when loaded, of no more than 60,000 pounds, a single-axle weight not exceeding 24,000 pounds and a tandem-axle weight not exceeding 45,000 pounds. Vehicles with four axles may have a maximum gross weight, when loaded, of no more than 70,000 pounds, a single-axle weight not exceeding 24,000 pounds, and a tri-axle weight not exceeding 50,000 pounds. Vehicles with five axles having no less than 35 feet of axle space between extreme axles may have a maximum gross weight, when loaded, of no more than 90,000 pounds, a single-axle weight not exceeding 20,000 pounds, and a tandem-axle weight not exceeding 40,000 pounds. In addition, as of July 1, 1979, any vehicle permitted by this subsection the load of which rises above the top of the bed of such vehicle, not including extensions of the bed, shall be in violation of this section. As of April 1, 1980, all vehicles to qualify for a valid permit under this subsection must be identified by their bed size in cubic feet and modified, where required, to permit visual inspection in the manner provided in this subsection, and as of that date any existing permit not issued in such manner shall be invalid. However, as of July 1, 1979, any vehicle owner or operator who so desires may obtain a permit in accordance with the conditions established for permits as of April 1, 1980, and shall thereby be subject to the provisions of this section applicable to vehicles with such permits. As of April 1, 1980, three-axle vehicles shall not carry loads in excess of the maximum bed size in cubic feet for such vehicle which shall be computed by a formula of 60,000 pounds less the weight of the truck empty divided by the average weight of coal which is established to be 52 pounds per cubic foot. Four-axle vehicles shall not carry loads in excess of the maximum bed size in cubic feet for such vehicle which shall be computed by a formula of 70,000 pounds less the weight of the truck empty divided by the average weight of coal which is established to be 52 pounds per cubic foot. For the purposes of this subsection, the term "bed" shall mean that part of the vehicle utilized to contain coal while hauling, and bed size shall be measured by its interior dimensions with volume expressed in cubic feet. In order to ensure compliance with this subsection by visual inspection, if the actual bed size of the vehicle exceeds the maximum as provided above, the owner or operator shall be required to paint a horizontal line two inches wide on the sides of the outside of the bed of the vehicle which is clearly visible to indicate the uppermost limit of the maximum bed size applicable to the vehicle as provided in this subsection. In addition, one slotted hole two inches high and six inches long on each side of the bed shall be cut in the center of the bed and at the top of the painted line. As of July 1, 1979, any vehicle not in compliance with this subsection shall be in violation of this subsection, and the owner or operator, or both, shall be subject to a penalty of $250.00 for the first offense, $500.00 for a second offense within a 12-month period, and $1,000.00 and revocation of the permit for a third offense within a 12-month period from the first offense. If the bed of any vehicle which has received a permit under this subsection is enlarged beyond the maximum bed size for which its permit was granted or if the line or holes required are altered so that the vehicle exceeds the bed size for which its permit was granted, the owner or operator, or both, shall be subject to a penalty of $1,000.00 for each offense and revocation of the permit. Upon revocation, a permit shall not be reissued for six months. Any vehicle with a valid permit issued pursuant to the conditions required for a permit as of April 1, 1980, when such vehicles are carrying loads which do not rise above the top of the bed or the line indicating the bed's maximum size in cubic feet, if applicable, it shall be, in the absence of proof to the contrary, prima facie evidence that the load is within the applicable weight limits. If any vehicle is stopped by enforcement officials for carrying a load rising above the top of the bed or the line indicating the bed's maximum size in cubic feet, if applicable, the operator of the vehicle shall be permitted to shift the load within the bed to determine if the load can be contained in the bed without rising above its top or above the line. No such permit shall be valid for the operation of any such vehicle for a distance of more than 35 miles from such preparation plant, loading dock or railroad. However, no permit issued under this section providing for a single-axle weight in excess of 20,000 pounds or a tandem-axle weight in excess of 34,000 pounds shall be issued to include travel on the Federal interstate system of highways.
(e) Upon the application in writing of any county which has withdrawn its roads from the secondary system of State highways and which owns or operates three-axle refuse collection trucks, a single-axle weight not exceeding 20,000 pounds, and a tandem-axle weight not exceeding 36,000 pounds, the Chief shall issue to such county, without cost, a permit in writing authorizing the operation of such vehicles upon the highways. Permits may be issued only for the operation of the four refuse collection trucks which the county owned or had ordered prior to March 1, 1968. No such permit shall designate the route to be traversed nor contain restrictions or conditions not applicable to other vehicles in their general use of the highways. No permit issued under this section providing for a single-axle weight in excess of 20,000 pounds or a tandem-axle weight in excess of 34,000 pounds shall be issued to include travel on the Federal interstate system of highways.
(f) The Chief, upon application in writing made by the owners or operators of motor vehicles not exceeding the axle and gross weight limitations as set forth in Code of Virginia, § 46.2-1122 et seq., shall issue, without cost, a permit authorizing the operation of such motor vehicles on the highways of this City to transport items arriving at a State port by ship from overseas points of origin and consigned to an assembly plant in this State. The Chief may designate the routes such permittees must use from the port to the assembly plant.
(g) Every such permit shall be carried in the vehicle to which it refers and shall be open to inspection by any officer, and it shall be a misdemeanor for any person to violate any of the terms or conditions of such special permit.
(h) However, the City, upon application in writing made by the owner or operator of a three-axle passenger bus, consisting of two sections joined together by an articulated joint with the trailer being equipped with a mechanically steered rear axle and having a gross weight not exceeding 60,000 pounds, a single-axle weight not exceeding 25,000 pounds and a width not to exceed 102 inches, shall issue to such owner or operator, without cost, a permit in writing authorizing the operation of such vehicle upon the highway. No permit issued under this section providing for a single axle weight in excess of 20,000 pounds or for a tandem axle weight in excess of 34,000 pounds shall be issued to include travel on the Federal interstate system of highways.
(i) Except as otherwise provided in this section, for each such permit so issued, a fee of $25.00 shall be paid to the City to defray the cost incident to the issuance of such permit, provided that no fee shall be charged for the issuance of a permit to operate or move a motor vehicle by continuous passage through the City, between points of origin and destination beyond the corporate limits thereof, upon a highway designated as a Federal or State highway route when the movement of the vehicle is confined exclusively to such route and there is no deviation therefrom.
(Code 1993, § 28-332; Code 2004, § 102-402; Code 2015, § 27-356; Code 2020, § 27-356; Ord. No. 2013-85-61, § 1, 4-22-2013)
Source: City of Richmond, Virginia, Code (2026 recodification) and Charter (Municode Library, library.municode.com)URL: https://library.municode.com/va/richmond/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=CH27TRVE_ARTVIIISIWEVE_S27-356PEVEEXSIWEFetched: 11/8/2026