(a) State Regulations.
(1) The Municipality, with respect to highways under its jurisdiction, upon application in writing and for good cause shown, may issue a special permit in writing authorizing the applicant to operate or move a vehicle or combination of vehicles of a size or weight of vehicle or load exceeding the maximum specified in Ohio R.C. 5577.01 through 5577.09, or otherwise not in conformity with Ohio R.C. 4513.01 through 4513.37, upon any highway under its jurisdiction.
(2) Notwithstanding Ohio R.C. 715.22 and 723.01, the holder of a special permit issued by the Director of Transportation under Ohio R.C. 4513.34 may move the vehicle or combination of vehicles described in the special permit on any highway that is a part of the State highway system when the movement is partly within and partly without the corporate limits of the Municipality. No local authority shall require any other permit or license or charge any license fee or other charge against the holder of a permit for the movement of a vehicle or combination of vehicles on any highway which is a part of the State highway system. The Ohio Director of Transportation shall not require the holder of a permit issued by the Municipality to obtain a special permit for the movement of vehicles or combination of vehicles on highways within the jurisdiction of the Municipality. Permits may be issued for any period of time not to exceed one year, as the local authority in its discretion determines advisable or for the duration of any public construction project.
(3) The application for a permit shall be in the form that the Municipality prescribes. The Municipality may prescribe a permit fee to be imposed and collected when any permit described in this section is issued. The permit fee may be in an amount sufficient to reimburse the Municipality for the administrative costs incurred in issuing the permit, and also to cover the cost of normal and expected damage caused to the roadway or a street or highway structure as the result of the operation of the nonconforming vehicle or combination of vehicles. For the purposes of this section and of rules adopted by the Director under Ohio R.C. 4513.34, milk transported in bulk by vehicle is deemed a nondivisible load.
(4) The Municipality may issue or withhold a permit. If a permit is to be issued, the Municipality may limit or prescribe conditions of operation for the vehicle and may require the posting of a bond or other security conditioned upon the sufficiency of the permit fee to compensate for damage caused to the roadway or a street or highway structure. In addition, the Municipality, as a condition of issuance of an overweight permit, may require the applicant to develop and enter into a mutual agreement with the Municipality to compensate for or to repair excess damage caused to the roadway by travel under the permit.
(5) Every permit shall be carried in the vehicle or combination of vehicles to which it refers and shall be open to inspection by any police officer or authorized agent of any authority granting the permit. No person shall violate any of the terms of a permit.
(ORC 4513.34)
(b) Whoever violates this section is guilty of a misdemeanor of the fourth degree on a first offense; on a second offense within one year after the first offense, the person is guilty of a misdemeanor of the third degree; on each subsequent offense within one year after the first offense, the person is guilty of a misdemeanor of the second degree.
(c) Local Streets. No person shall operate a vehicle exceeding a size as specified Ohio R.C. 5577.01 through 5577.09, or otherwise not in conformity with Ohio R.C. 4513.01 through 4513.37, or exceeding a gross weight of five tons, upon any street in the Municipality other than state routes and County roads, except those local streets designated as a truck route and marked as such by appropriate traffic signs, and except when such operation is necessary to load or unload property, to go to or from the usual place of storage of such vehicle or to perform any other legitimate business or act other than passage through the Municipality. Operators of vehicles so deviating from either a state route or a designated truck route within the Municipality shall confine such deviation to that required in order to accomplish the purpose of the departure. On County roads, Council or other duly designated local authority shall establish reasonable weight limits commensurate with the construction and material specifications for such roads and the load resistance of such roads as determined by the County Engineer. County roads shall be posted with signs indicating such weight limits.
(d) Local Permit and Conditions. Upon application and for good cause, the Police Chief may issue a local permit authorizing an applicant to move an oversize or overweight vehicle or combination of vehicles upon local streets and highways.
(1) No permittee shall be required to obtain a special permit from the Ohio Director of Transportation for the movement of the vehicle or combination of vehicles on streets or highways under local jurisdiction. However, the approval of the Ohio Director of Transportation shall be required for movement upon state routes as provided in division (a) of this section.
(2) The Police Chief may grant a permit for a single or round trip, or for such period of time, not to exceed one year, as the Police Chief in his or her discretion deems advisable, or for the duration of any construction project. The Police Chief may limit or prescribe terms or conditions of operation for such vehicle or combination of vehicles by designating the route, hours, speed or such other restrictions as may be necessary for the preservation of the public peace, property, health and safety. The Police Chief may require the posting of bond or other security necessary to compensate for any damage to a roadway or road structure.
(3) For each such permit, the Police Chief shall charge twenty-five dollars ($25.00), and for each hour of time or any part thereof spent by the Police Department in supervising the movement of such vehicle, the applicant shall pay the sum of fifty dollars ($50.00).
(4) Except as provided in divisions (a) and (b) of this section, streets and highways shall be posted with signs indicating "no thru trucks - gross weight 5 tons" or words of similar import to inform drivers of the limitations imposed by this section. No driver shall disobey the instructions indicated on any such sign.
(5) Violation of any of the limitations, terms or conditions of the permit granted by the Police Chief shall be cause for immediate revocation or suspension of such permit and denial of request for any future permit. Such violation shall also subject the violator to the penalties prescribed by Sections 408.01 and 408.02.