Connecticut oversize & overweight permit fee increases

Effective July 1, 2016, Connecticut will increase the costs to obtain oversize and overweight permits. Legislation sponsored by Democratic leadership will raise the costs for individual permits from $23 to $30. It will also raise the cost of an “electronic transmittal fee” to electronically pay for the permits from $3 to $5.

Additionally, the bill increased the rates to obtain an annual permit from an annual fee of $7 to $9 per thousand pounds or fraction thereof for each such vehicle. The cost to obtain a permit for “any increment up to one year” was increased from 1/10 of the cost of an annual fee to $100 for each month or fraction thereof. Finally, the annual permit fee for any vehicle transporting an oversize indivisible load was increased from a minimum of $500 to $650.

MTAC opposed the bill because it is an increase in transportation fees, which was not supposed to happen until a Constitutional “lockbox” was adopted. Additionally, these fee increases do not come with any improved service to Connecticut businesses, such as automated permitting, or easing of restrictions regarding when and where oversize and overweight loads can be transported.

The bill was rejected by the Finance and Revenue Committee, which is co-chaired by Representative John Fonfara (D-Wethersfield) and Jeff Berger (D-Waterbury). However, in a special session after the regular session had adjourned, the bill was slipped into the budget bill, which legislative leaders said did not increase taxes or business fees.