Move Checklist

Pennsylvania mobile home move permit

PennDOT issues single trip permits to move a mobile home: $53 for a home under 14 feet wide and $103 for one wider, up to a 16 foot maximum. Homes wider than 14 feet need two pilot cars, one in front and one behind.

Sources read October 7, 2026. Each section links the pages it came from.

Who issues the permit

PennDOT issues special hauling permits to move a mobile home on state highways, and local authorities issue them for highways they control.

Permits are requested in PennDOT's Automated Permit Routing/Analysis System (APRAS). Account holders can get permits there 24/7, and haulers without an account go through a permit service.

Pennsylvania's legal width for a vehicle and its load is 8 feet 6 inches.

Local roads and streets on the route need permission from the local authority; they are listed in brackets or parentheses on the PennDOT permit.

The move may not start until the permit is issued, and the driver must carry the permit and a copy of PennDOT Form M-938 in the vehicle.

Sources: Pennsylvania General Assembly, 75 Pa.C.S. Chapter 49 (Size, Weight and Load), including sections 4921, 4961, 4962 and 4973; Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Apply for a PennDOT Hauling Permit; PennDOT Form M-938, Pennsylvania Urbanized Area Map and permit conditions (67 Pa. Code 179.10 and 179.11)

Permit fees

PennDOT's single trip permit for a mobile home or modular housing unit costs $53 for a home under 14 feet wide and $103 for one over 14 feet wide, under the fee schedule effective July 1, 2025.

The Vehicle Code sets the base mobile home permit fee at $39 up to 14 feet in body width and $76 for a wider home.

PennDOT raises Vehicle Code fees by the change in the Consumer Price Index every 24 months, so the permit fees charged today are higher than the base amounts written in the law.

A single trip permit covers one trip in one direction between the two points named on it, and it expires after 5 authorized weekdays.

Sources: PennDOT, Permit Fees (effective July 1, 2025); Pennsylvania General Assembly, 75 Pa.C.S. Chapter 19 (Fees), including sections 1904 and 1944; PennDOT Form M-938, Pennsylvania Urbanized Area Map and permit conditions (67 Pa. Code 179.10 and 179.11)

Escorts and pilot cars

A home over 13 feet and up to 14 feet in body width needs one pilot car. A mobile home wider than 14 feet in body width must travel with two pilot cars on every highway, one in front and one behind.

Once a load is wider than 13 feet, a pilot car must follow it on highways with two or more lanes in its direction of travel; on highways with one lane in its direction, the pilot car goes in front.

A load over 13 feet but not over 14 feet in body width needs only one pilot car, even when the whole rig is between 90 and 120 feet long.

If the truck and home together are longer than 90 feet, or the load hangs more than 15 feet past the rear, a pilot car must follow on all highways.

Pilot cars must stay in sight and in two-way radio contact with the home and must carry one or two flashing or revolving amber lights.

Each required pilot car carries a yellow OVERSIZE LOAD sign at least 5 feet wide and 1 foot high on both its front and rear.

Sources: Pennsylvania General Assembly, 75 Pa.C.S. Chapter 49 (Size, Weight and Load), including sections 4921, 4961, 4962 and 4973; PennDOT Form M-938, Pennsylvania Urbanized Area Map and permit conditions (67 Pa. Code 179.10 and 179.11)

Size limits and equipment

The widest mobile home PennDOT can permit is 16 feet; homes over 14 feet in body width move under the Vehicle Code's special mobile home rules in section 4973.

A home over 14 feet in body width may be no longer than 80 feet including the hitch and no taller than 14 feet 6 inches.

A mobile home over 14 feet in body width must ride on at least four axles with working brakes on every wheel, and no tire may carry more than its sidewall rating.

Under PennDOT's rule for homes up to 14 feet wide, roof eaves may add no more than 6 inches in total, so the width at the eaves may not exceed 14 feet 6 inches.

One permit can cover several home sections and the parts needed to assemble them, such as shingles, dormers, trusses and gable end walls, as long as the overall weight stays at or under 80,000 pounds and within the permit's size limits.

Sources: Pennsylvania General Assembly, 75 Pa.C.S. Chapter 49 (Size, Weight and Load), including sections 4921, 4961, 4962 and 4973; PennDOT Form M-938, Pennsylvania Urbanized Area Map and permit conditions (67 Pa. Code 179.10 and 179.11)

Travel hours and holidays

A permitted oversize load may move from sunrise to sunset any day of the week, except during holiday periods, in bad weather, in urbanized areas where the rules or permit limit it, or as the permit itself restricts.

Oversize moves stop over holidays. For late 2026, PennDOT's blackout runs from noon November 25 to sunrise November 30 for Thanksgiving and from noon December 24 to sunrise December 28 for Christmas.

Moves are restricted in bad weather or road conditions, including snow or ice, visibility under 1,000 feet, and wind strong enough to push the trailer wheels more than 6 inches off the truck's path.

Two permitted oversize loads going the same direction must stay at least 1,000 feet apart, except in construction zones, within 2,500 feet of a stop sign or traffic signal, or for military vehicles.

Sources: Pennsylvania General Assembly, 75 Pa.C.S. Chapter 49 (Size, Weight and Load), including sections 4921, 4961, 4962 and 4973; PennDOT, Holiday Travel Restrictions for oversize/overweight movement (2026); PennDOT Form M-938, Pennsylvania Urbanized Area Map and permit conditions (67 Pa. Code 179.10 and 179.11)

Signs, flags and lights

The truck and the home carry yellow OVERSIZE LOAD signs at least 7 feet wide and 18 inches high, with black letters at least 10 inches tall, on the front and on the rear.

The corners and edges that stick out past legal width or length are marked with red or fluorescent orange flags at least 18 inches square.

If the home blocks the truck's rear running lights, stop lights or turn signals, matching lights must be mounted on the rear of the home.

Source: PennDOT Form M-938, Pennsylvania Urbanized Area Map and permit conditions (67 Pa. Code 179.10 and 179.11)

Insurance and bond

The hauler needs public liability and property damage insurance of at least $250,000 per person and $1,000,000 per occurrence, naming the Commonwealth as an additional insured.

Haulers who file a surety bond with PennDOT to guarantee payment of permit fees post at least $5,000, or more if PennDOT's Central Permit Office requires it.

The company holding the permit is liable for any damage the move causes to a highway structure.

Sources: PennDOT Form M-936A, General Application for Special Hauling Permit; PennDOT Form M-936B, Surety Bond; Pennsylvania General Assembly, 75 Pa.C.S. Chapter 49 (Size, Weight and Load), including sections 4921, 4961, 4962 and 4973

Before you book

PennDOT permits cover state highways; local roads on the route need the local authority's permission. Ask PennDOT's Central Permit Office which travel hours your permit allows for a home over 14 feet wide, and ask the local tax collector for the removal permit before the move.

Sources and dates

Common questions

How much is a mobile home moving permit in Pennsylvania?

PennDOT charges $53 for a single trip permit to move a mobile home under 14 feet wide and $103 for one over 14 feet wide, under its fee schedule effective July 1, 2025.

When does a mobile home move in Pennsylvania need an escort?

A mobile home over 13 feet and up to 14 feet in body width needs one pilot car. A home wider than 14 feet in body width needs two pilot cars on all highways, one leading and one following (75 Pa.C.S. 4962 and 4973).

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