Route assessment and approvals in Ontario
Route selection, clearance surveys, engineering assessments and coordination with infrastructure owners required for a proposed move. Covers municipal permissions, utility arrangements, bridge approvals and traffic-management planning.
8 facts, each with the passage it comes from, quoted from 2 official sources.
Where to apply
Where an application for Route assessment and approvals 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.
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 · 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.
What municipal permissions and road or bridge operator notifications are required, and when must they be submitted?Nothing on file for Ontario answers this yet.
When must utilities be contacted, wire-relocation agreements obtained or a signal contractor arranged?Nothing on file for Ontario answers this yet.
Facts
5 topics
Special approval required for overweight travel during spring thaw (In words)
The special approval required for overweight travel during the spring thaw period.
Weight and Load Engineer approval for single trip movements on highways subject to reduced loading restrictions.
Single trip permits
Traffic management plan required (Yes or no)
Whether a traffic management plan must be submitted or developed for a superload move.
Yesin 2 cases
- Superload move
- Superload permits; current dated; with the required information; Contact the Oversize/Overweight Permit Office for the template to follow.
Bridge consultant engineer evaluation required (Yes or no)
Whether a designated consultant engineer must evaluate bridges on the route and submit the evaluation for approval when the gross vehicle weight exceeds the superload weight threshold.
Yesin 2 cases
- For gross vehicle weights in excess of 120,000 kg
- Gross vehicle weights exceeding 120,000 kg; report must be submitted to the Ministry of Transportation Oversize/Overweight Permit Issuing Office for approval
Proposed route requirements (In words)
The requirements for selecting and submitting the proposed travel route, including route completeness, clearance of structures and construction restrictions, and provision of alternate routes.
Provide the most feasible, complete and continuous direct route. Provincial highways and municipal roads are verified for construction restrictions affecting width, height, length or weight; provide a feasible alternate route if structures or construction restrictions cannot be cleared.
Single trip permits
Superload engineering review required (Yes or no)
Whether the permitting authority requires engineering review of a superload application.
Yesin 2 cases
- Superload permit
- Superloads; Weight and Load Engineer as well as various senior Ministry management personnel as circumstances may warrant
Where these facts come from
- Get an oversize/overweight permit(opens in a new tab)
www.ontario.ca, web page, 4 facts
- Guide to oversize/overweight vehicles and loads(opens in a new tab)
www.ontario.ca, web page, 4 facts