Permits

You’ve completed your No Fee Permit Application. Now what? The completed application is submitted to maintaining authorities for approval. Once the maintaining authority has received the No Fee Permit application an approval timeline starts.

Upon receipt of application for a No Fee Permit:

• The maintaining authority provides a decision of approval an issues the permit or notifies you that the application has been denied within 21 calendar days. If your permit application is denied, see Denials.
• If the maintaining authority fails to approve or deny the application within 21 calendar days, the application is considered approved until you receive a permit or denial notification for another 21 days. This means 42 calendar days or 6 weeks from receipt of application for that calendar year.
• If the maintaining authorities fails to approve or deny within 42 calendar days or 6 weeks of receipt, application is approved for that calendar year. You will use your completed permit application as your permit. If you have a receipt from the maintaining authority, it would be best to keep the receipt with your completed application.

Maintaining Authorities may issue consecutive month or annual permits. Or they may issue for a longer time period.

WisDOT Permit Department will send a renewal state permit on an annual basis if there are no changes to state roads or bridge conditions on a route.

Reminder that a No Fee Permit needs to be in the vehicle for which it was issued when operating on the highway. Permit may be carried in an electronic or print format.

If you need to amend a permit, see Amendments.

An amendment to a No Fee Permit (NFP) may be applied for at any time due to an applicant’s change in circumstances, information, or routes.

• An amendment to an NFP is not required for a replacement IoH or AgCMV of equal or lesser GVW and/or axle weight or length. The permittee can operate or transport the replacement vehicle under the original permit for the remainder of the valid period of the permit.
• If the replacement IoH or Ag CMV is of greater weight or length, a new NFP must be submitted for current operating year.

Upon receipt of application for an amendment to a NFP, the maintaining authority:

• Must provide a decision within 5 business days.
• If MA fails to approve or deny within 5 business days, No Fee Permit Application is considered approved until applicant receives a denial or 10 business days from receipt of application.
• If within 10 business days, MA fails to approve or deny – amended application is approved for that calendar year.

• Denials must be provided in writing and give a reasonable structurally based explanation as to why the road or section of road cannot be used.
• IoH Category B and Ag CMV Category 1 being operated or transported must be provided an approved routed by MA. Approved route may be different from the route requested by the applicant. Any alternate route traveling into another jurisdiction needs approval of MA for those roads. However, prior approval from other jurisdictions is not required if those vehicles can be legally operated or transported without a permit or as authorized by those other jurisdictions.
• The applicant may appeal a denial through an administrative review process to that MA’s governmental unit. For example, a town’s road authority denies an application; the applicant would appeal to the town board. When an applicant appeals an adverse determination, the appeals process (except in court proceedings for judicial review) is not subject to open records law and shall be convened in a closed session.

Applicants may bypass the administrative review process and directly file an action in circuit court challenging the adverse decision.