Load eligibility in Ontario
Rules for determining whether a load and its registered vehicle qualify for an oversize or overweight permit.
4 facts, each with the passage it comes from, quoted from 2 official sources.
Where to apply
Where an application for Load eligibility is submitted in Ontario.
Online · Ministry of Transportation
PRIO online permitting system
prio.mto.gov.on.ca (opens in a new tab)
Before you apply online for the first time, you must register to use the online services by completing a user account form and emailing it to the Ministry of Transportation’s Oversize/Overweight Permit Office at oo.permits@ontario.ca. Once your online services account has been set up, you can use it to apply for as many permits as you need.
Phone · Ministère des Transports
Bureau de délivrance de permis, par téléphone
Contact the permit issuing office during business hours if the route indicated on your permit needs to be changed.
Phone · Ministère des Transports
Bureau de délivrance de permis, par téléphone (sans frais)
Contact the permit issuing office during business hours if the route indicated on your permit needs to be changed.
Fax · Ministère des Transports de l'Ontario (MTO)
Bureau de délivrance des permis du MTO, par télécopieur
416 235-3924
Mail · Ministère des Transports
Bureau de délivrance de permis, par la poste
301, rue St. Paul, 3e Étage, St Catharines, (Ontario) L2R 7R4
Mail · Ministry of Transportation
Highway Operations Permits Office
Ministry of Transportation Highway Operations Permits Office 301 St. Paul Street, 2nd Floor St Catharines, Ontario L2R 7R4
Download and complete an application form. Include payment (Canadian funds only) by visa or Mastercard using an authorization form, cheque made out to the Ministry of Finance, bank draft, money order or certified cheque made out to the Ministry of Finance.
Mail · Ontario Ministry of Transportation (MTO) Permit Issuing Office
Permit Issuing Office, by mail
301 St. Paul Street, 3rd Floor, St Catharines, Ontario, L2R 7R4
Application forms must be completed in full. Incomplete applications will be returned.
In person · Ontario Ministry of Transportation (MTO) Permit Issuing Office
Permit Issuing Office
301 St. Paul Street, 3rd Floor, St Catharines, Ontario, L2R 7R4
Email · Ministère des Transports de l'Ontario (MTO)
Bureau de délivrance des permis du MTO, par courriel
Use it when: Only with a prepaid payment account with the Ministry
Email · Ministry of Transportation
Oversize/Overweight Permit Office, by email
Use it when: For Permitting and Registration for International Registration Plan and Oversize/Overweight (PRIO) online permitting system account set up, tow truck certificate applications, special vehicle configuration permits or project permits
Fax · Ministry of Transportation
Highway Operations Permits Office, by fax
905-704-2545
Use it when: Until January 1, 2026
Download and complete an application form. Include payment (Canadian funds only) by visa or Mastercard using an authorization form, cheque made out to the Ministry of Finance, bank draft, money order or certified cheque made out to the Ministry of Finance.
Start with a question
Open a question to read the facts on file that bear on it.
Must the vehicle's registered weight be at least its permitted weight?Nothing on file for Ontario answers this yet.
Facts
3 topics
Non-divisible load definition (In words)
The criteria used to determine whether a load is non-divisible for permit eligibility.
You are eligible to apply for a permit if your vehicle or load cannot be reduced because it: could not be used for its intended purpose or function; would require more than eight work hours to dismantle using appropriate resources and equipment
Overweight load of multiple items ineligible (Yes or no)
Whether a permit is unavailable when the vehicle, load or combination would be overweight and the load is made up of more than one item.
Yes
Maximum work hours to dismantle non-divisible load (Measures)
The maximum number of work hours, using appropriate resources and equipment, that it would take to dismantle the load; a load requiring more than this number of hours to dismantle is considered non-divisible for permit eligibility.
8 hours
In general
- 8 hoursIn general
Where these facts come from
- Get an oversize/overweight permit(opens in a new tab)
www.ontario.ca, web page, 3 facts
- Guide to oversize/overweight vehicles and loads(opens in a new tab)
www.ontario.ca, web page, 1 fact