§ 4-15 Limitations Upon Dimensions and Weights of Vehicles.
RCNY § 4-15
(a)Definitions.
(1)Highway. When used in this section, a highway shall mean the entire width between the boundary lines of every public way publicly maintained when any part thereof is open to the use of the public for purposes of vehicular travel and includes any street, avenue, road, square, place, alley, lane, highway, boulevard, concourse, parkway, driveway, culvert, sidewalk, crosswalk, boardwalk, viaduct, underpass and any private street open to public motor vehicle traffic.
(2)Exception. The provisions of this section shall not apply to any vehicle authorized by the Federal Surface Transportation Assistance Act of 1982, as amended, when such vehicle is operating pursuant to the provisions of such act.
(b)Dimensions and weights of vehicles. No person shall operate or move, or cause or knowingly permit to be operated or moved on any highway or bridge any vehicle or combination of vehicles of a size or weight exceeding the limitations provided for in this subdivision (b).
(3)Length of single vehicles. The length of a single vehicle, inclusive of load and bumpers shall not be more than 35 feet. The provisions of this paragraph (3) shall not apply to semitrailers, fire vehicles, single unit buses having a capacity of more than fifteen passengers, provided the length of such buses does not exceed 45 feet; or articulated buses provided the length of such bus does not exceed 65 feet. Operators of buses longer than 45 feet in length may be required to demonstrate that on-street stops and terminal areas used by such buses are of sufficient length to accommodate them. In no case shall any bus that has a turning radius greater than 50 feet operate without a permit for such operation issued by the Commissioner; (4) Length of combinations of vehicles. The total length of a combination of vehicles, inclusive of load and bumpers, shall not be more than 55 feet, except that the combination of vehicle, load and bumper of vehicles hauling poles, girders, columns or other similar objects of great length which are indivisible, shall not be more than 60 feet. The provisions of this paragraph (4) shall not apply to any fire vehicle or to a vehicle or combination of vehicles that is disabled and unable to proceed under its own power and is being towed for a distance of not more than ten miles for the purpose of repair or removal from the highway. The provisions of this paragraph (4) shall not apply to a combination of vehicles that are operating pursuant to subdivision (j) of this section.
(5)Number of wheels and axles. In determining the number of wheels and axles on any vehicle or combination of vehicles within the meaning of this subdivision (b), only 2 wheels shall be counted for each axle, and axles that are fewer than 46 inches apart from center to center shall be counted as 1 axle. However, in the case of multiple tires or multiple wheels, the sum of the widths of all tires on a wheel or combination of wheels shall be taken in determining tire width.
(6)Weight per inch of tire. The weight per inch width of tire of any one wheel of a single vehicle or a combination of vehicles, equipped with pneumatic tires, when loaded, shall not be more than 800 pounds.
(7)Weight on one wheel. The weight on any one wheel of a single vehicle or a combination of vehicles, equipped with pneumatic tires, when loaded, shall not be more than 11,200 pounds.
(8)Weight on one axle. The weight on any one axle of a single vehicle or combination of vehicles, equipped with pneumatic tires, when loaded, shall not be more than 22,400 pounds.
(9)Weight on two axles. The weight on any two consecutive axles of a single vehicle or a combination of vehicles, equipped with pneumatic tires, when loaded, and when such axles are spaced fewer than 10 feet from center to center, shall not be more than 36,000 pounds. Axles shall be counted as provided in paragraph (5) of this subdivision (b).
(10)Weight on three axles. A single vehicle or a combination of vehicles having 3 axles or more and equipped with pneumatic tires, when loaded, may have a total weight on all axles not to exceed 34,000 pounds, plus 1,000 pounds for each foot and major fraction of a foot of the distance from the center of the foremost axle to the center of the rearmost axle. Axles shall be counted as provided in paragraph (5) of this subdivision (b). In no case, however, shall the total weight exceed 80,000 pounds, except for a combination of vehicles that are operating, pursuant to Subdivision (j)(3) of this section where the total weight shall not exceed 90,000 pounds, without any tolerance for enforcement purposes.
(11)Weight on solid rubber tires. A vehicle or combination of vehicles equipped with any solid rubber tires shall not have a load weighing more than 80% of the total weight permitted in this subdivision (b) for pneumatic tires.
(12)Width of tires. For the purpose of this subdivision (b), the width of pneumatic tires shall be ascertained by measuring the greatest width of the tire casing when the tire is inflated. The width of solid rubber tires shall be ascertained by measuring the width of the tire base channel or between the flanges of the metal rim. No vehicle equipped with solid rubber tires, which has at any point less than 1 inch of rubber above the top or beyond the flange or rim, shall be operated upon a public highway. The width of metal tires shall be ascertained by measuring the width of contact of the tire with the road surface.
(13)Weight and height restrictions on bridges, viaducts and other structures. No person shall operate or move a vehicle or combination of vehicles over, on or through any bridge, viaduct or other structures on any highway if the weight of such vehicle or combination of vehicles and load is greater than the posted capacity of the structure or exceeds the height of the posted clearance as shown by an official sign or other marking or device.
(14)Other limits also in effect. Nothing m this subdivision (b) shall be construed as preventing the enforcement of rules now in effect or hereafter promulgated by the Department of Transportation further limiting the size and weight of vehicles in designated areas.
(15)Permits. Upon application in writing showing good cause, the Commissioner may issue a permit to operate or move a vehicle or a combination of vehicles, the weights and dimensions of which exceed the limitations provided for in this subdivision (b), upon any highway under his/her jurisdiction. Every such permit may designate the route to be traversed and may contain any other restrictions or conditions deemed necessary by the Commissioner. Every such permit shall be carried on the vehicle to which it refers and shall be open to the inspection of any law enforcement officer or any inspector of the Bureau of Weights and Measures of the Department of Consumer Affairs of the City of New York. All permits issued shall be revocable by the Commissioner at his/her discretion without a hearing or the necessity of showing cause.
(i)If an operator of a vehicle with a gross weight of 300,000 pounds or more seeks to cross a bridge under the jurisdiction of the Department of Transportation of the City of New York, the operator must comply with the following: (A) A load rating determined by a New York State licensed Professional Engineer with at least three years experience in the design, inspection and load rating of bridges must be submitted with the permit application. The information contained within such load rating shall include, but is not limited to: (1) the ratings for the inventory and operating level for all structural elements of the bridge so that the critical element of the bridge is identified; (2) the actual weight of the vehicle per axle and the actual axle spacing; and (3) the method used for establishing the capacity of the bridge(s). Load ratings shall be submitted for each bridge on the travel route. Load ratings should conform to "Level 1" load ratings pursuant to New York State Department of Transportation Engineering Instructions for Load Ratings and the latest edition of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Condition Evaluation of Bridges. Each load rating must be stamped and certified by the licensed Professional Engineer who prepared it. (B) Within one week from the vehicle's crossover of the bridge(s), the permittee must file a post inspection report of the bridge(s) with the Department. The post inspection report should analyze the structural integrity of the bridge(s), to the Department's satisfaction, as a result of the vehicle's crossover. If the post inspection report indicates any type of distress to the bridge(s), the permittee must rectify the distress and/or damage to the Department's satisfaction. The permittee may submit a pre-inspection report of the bridge's structural integrity for comparison purposes; otherwise the Department will use its latest biennial inspection reports for such purposes. Any pre or post inspection report must comply with the requirements set forth in the latest edition of the New York State Department of Transportation Bridge Inspection Manual. Any distress that is not identified in the pre-inspection report or the biennial inspection reports will be deemed to have been caused by the move. (C) Should the permittee fail to comply with any of the requirements contained in this subparagraph, the Commissioner may refuse to issue future overweight and/or overdimensional vehicle permits to the permittee.
(ii)[Reserved.] (16) Permits for vehicles operating pursuant to governmental regulation.
(17)Fees. An administrative fee of $35.00 shall be charged for each and every permit issued under this subdivision (b) unless otherwise provided by law. This fee shall not be refundable and is payable in addition to any other fees or charges provided for under the rules of the Department of Transportation.
(18)Exemptions.
(iii)Vehicles working on highways. The provisions of this subdivision (b) with respect to the width of a vehicle shall not apply to vehicles engaged in work on a highway.
(c)Enforcement; measurement and weight of vehicles. Any law enforcement officer or any inspector of the Department of Consumer Affairs of the City of New York having reason to believe that any vehicle or load is in violation of the restrictions in subdivision (b), above, is authorized to stop the vehicle on any public highway or private street open to public motor vehicle traffic and measure and weigh it by means of portable or stationary measures and scales. Any law enforcement officer or such inspector may require that the vehicle be driven to the nearest scales, if they are within 3 miles.
(d)Responsibility for damages. The owner and operator of any vehicle used in the business of a motor carrier, and the carrier, if the vehicle is actually engaged in the conduct of the business, shall be jointly and severally responsible for all damages, to any highway, bridge or culvert resulting from the movement over or under them of any such vehicle that violates any of the weight or size provisions of subdivision (b) above.
(e)Special concrete plant. Upon application in writing and for cause shown, the Commissioner may issue permits to exceed the maximum weight limits provided for in these rules for two- or three-axle vehicles operated in connection with the manufacture or supply of concrete for construction projects located in New York City, provided that such vehicles are registered to or leased by the owner of a manufacturing facility constructed subsequent to January 1, 1986 on land provided by the City for such purposes.
(f)Annual overweight load permit.
(iv)A permit may be issued for a vehicle having two axles and a wheelbase not less than ten feet, with the maximum gross weight not in excess of one hundred twenty-five percent of the total weight limitation as set forth in subdivision ten of section three hundred eighty-five of the New York State Vehicle and Traffic Law. Furthermore, any axle weight shall not exceed twenty-seven thousand pounds.
(4)Leasing.
(v)Reapplication fee. When a reapplication is made for a permit for the same vehicle or combination of vehicles that have been denied a permit, the initial annual vehicle fee shall be increased by $25.00.
(vi)No refund after granting of permit. No refund shall be made once an application for a permit has been filed and a permit granted by the Commissioner.
(vii)False information voids permit. Permits which have been issued on the basis of falsely stated information shall be null and void.
(viii)New owners must obtain new permits. If the registrant of the vehicle has been changed after a permit has been issued, the new owner(s) must obtain a modified permit.
(ix)Permit application information. (A) Registrants of vehicles eligible for permits pursuant to this section must furnish to the Commissioner a certified copy of the vehicle's current New York State registration or registration pursuant to the international registration plan with New York State designated as the base state. The registrant also must provide a certified copy of the vehicle's registration, or other verifiable proof acceptable to the Commissioner, demonstrating that the vehicle was registered in New York State immediately prior to January first, nineteen hundred eighty-six; once such fact has been established with the Commissioner, subsequent permit applications do not require such proof, provided the most recent permit number for the vehicle is provided in the new permit application. (B) The registrant must furnish to the Commissioner, vehicle measurements consisting of: (a) Trailer length; and (b) Number of axles; and (c) Axle spacing; and (d) Manufacturer's recommended gross vehicle weight; and (e) Total wheelbase measurement (including tractor/steering axle); and (f) Tire size and number of tires of each axle; and (g) Manufacturer's maximum axle weight rating.
(g)Crane Permits.
(h)Vehicular weights on F.D.R. Drive. No person shall operate or cause to be operated any vehicle in excess of 8,000 lbs. (4 tons), including the weight of passengers and cargo, on the F.D.R. Drive northbound from 23rd Street to 63rd Street and the F.D.R. Drive southbound from 63rd Street to 23rd Street. These vehicles include, but shall not be limited to trucks, vans, government-owned vehicles, stretch limousines and buses. For the purposes of enforcement, signs need not be posted for this rule to be in effect.
(x)The permit fees provided in subparagraphs (i) through (v) of this paragraph shall apply to permits for one specific power unit and one specific trailer. Applicants may apply for a quarterly permit under this subdivision to attach up to four additional specific trailers to one specific power unit, provided that only one trailer may be used with such power unit at any given time. The fee for a multiple trailer-single power unit combination permit shall be $100 per quarter more than the permits fees provided in subparagraphs (i) through (v) of this paragraph.
(xi)If a check delivered to the Commissioner or his/her agent as payment of any fee for the permitting of any combination of vehicles is dishonored for insufficient funds, all permits issued in the name of that applicant shall be suspended and no other permit shall be issued to such person until full satisfaction of the fee is made and an additional fee of $25 is paid to the Commissioner. No such suspension shall be issued until thirty days after notification is mailed to the applicant at the address given on the application for the permit. If satisfaction is made within thirty days of mailing such notification, no suspension shall be issued and no additional fee shall be charged.
(j)Routes for Trailers in Excess of Forty-eight Feet.
