Ohio Rev. Code » Chapter 4513
Ohio Revised Code

Ohio Rev. Code § 4513.33 (2026)

Unlawful vehicle weight

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Effective:
November 26, 1975
Latest Legislation:
House Bill 624 - 111th General Assembly
PDF:
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Any police officer having reason to believe that the weight of a vehicle and its load is unlawful may require the driver of said vehicle to stop and submit to a weighing of it by means of a compact, self-contained, portable, sealed scale specially adapted to determining the wheel loads of vehicles on highways; a sealed scale permanently installed in a fixed location, having a load-receiving element specially adapted to determining the wheel loads of highway vehicles; a sealed scale, permanently installed in a fixed location, having a load-receiving element specially adapted to determining the combined load of all wheels on a single axle or on successive axles of a highway vehicle, or a sealed scale adapted to weighing highway vehicles, loaded or unloaded. The driver of such vehicle shall, if necessary, be directed to proceed to the nearest available of such sealed scales to accomplish the weighing, provided such scales are within three miles of the point where such vehicle is stopped. Any vehicle stopped in accordance with this section may be held by the police officer for a reasonable time only to accomplish the weighing as prescribed by this section. All scales used in determining the lawful weight of a vehicle and its load shall be annually compared by a municipal, county, or state sealer with the state standards or standards approved by the state and such scales shall not be sealed if they do not conform to the state standards or standards approved by the state.

At each end of a permanently installed scale, there shall be a straight approach in the same plane as the platform, of sufficient length and width to insure the level positioning of vehicles during weight determinations.

During determination of weight by compact, self-contained, portable, sealed scales, specially adapted to determining the wheel loads of vehicles on highways, they shall always be used on terrain of sufficient length and width to accommodate the entire vehicle being weighed. Such terrain shall be level, or if not level, it shall be of such elevation that the difference in elevation between the wheels on any one axle does not exceed two inches and the difference in elevation between axles being weighed does not exceed one-fourth inch per foot of the distance between said axles.

In all determination of all weights, except gross weight, by compact, self-contained, portable, sealed scales, specially adapted to determining the wheel loads of vehicles on highways, all successive axles, twelve feet or less apart, shall be weighed simultaneously by placing one such scale under the outside wheel of each such axle. In determinations of gross weight by the use of compact, self-contained, portable, sealed scales, specially adapted to determining the wheel loads of vehicles on highways, all axles shall be weighed simultaneously by placing one such scale under the outside wheel of each axle.

Whenever such officer upon weighing a vehicle and load determines that the weight is unlawful, he may require the driver to stop the vehicle in a suitable place and remain standing until such portion of the load is removed as is necessary to reduce the weight of such vehicle to the limit permitted under sections 5577.01 to 5577.14 of the Revised Code.

Whenever local authorities determine upon the basis of an engineering and traffic investigation that the weight limits permitted under sections 5577.01 to 5577.14 of the Revised Code, or the weight limits permitted when compact, self-contained, portable, sealed scales, specially adapted to determining the wheel loads of vehicles on highways, are used on any part of a state route under their jurisdiction is greater than is reasonable under the conditions found to exist at such location, the local authorities may, by resolution, request the director of transportation to determine and declare reasonable weight limits. Upon receipt of such request the director may determine and declare reasonable weight limits at such location, and if the director alters the weight limits set by sections 5577.01 to 5577.14 and this section of the Revised Code, then such altered weight limits shall become effective only when appropriate signs giving notice thereof are erected at such location by local authorities.

The director may withdraw his approval of any altered weight limit whenever, in his opinion, any altered weight limit becomes unreasonable, and upon such withdrawal the altered weight limit shall become ineffective, and the signs relating thereto shall be immediately removed by local authorities. Alteration of weight limits on state routes by local authorities is not effective until alteration has been approved by the director.

This section does not derogate or limit the power and authority conferred upon the director or boards of county commissioners by section 5577.07 of the Revised Code.
Notes of Decisions
Cited in 23 cases (3 in the last 5 years), 1964–2025 · leading case: State v. Wells, 464 N.E.2d 596 (Ohio Ct. App. 6th Dist. 1983).
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State v. Wells, 464 N.E.2d 596 (Ohio Ct. App. 6th Dist. 1983). · cites it 22× “evidence of the weighing or weight of their trucks on the grounds that, first, the police officer who initially stopped them did so without having any “reason to believe” that the vehicles were overweight, and, second, that their detention for two hours and fourteen minutes…”
State v. Elder, 584 N.E.2d 779 (Ohio Ct. App. 11th Dist. 1989). · cites it 19× “If portions are omitted or unavailable which support appellee’s position, then it is up to appellee to provide the same to this court. Appellee did not do so.”
State v. Myers, 580 N.E.2d 61 (Ohio Ct. App. 2d Dist. 1990). · cites it 3× “The first statute, R.C. 4513.33, provides in pertinent part that: “Any police officer having reason to believe that the weight of a vehicle and its load is unlawful may require the driver of said vehicle to stop and submit *770 to a weighing of it by means of a compact,…”
State v. Parker, 626 N.E.2d 106 (Ohio 1994). · cites it 4× “In his cross-appeal, Parker contends that the weighing of his truck was not in conformity with R.C. 4513.33. Traffic law enforcement officers are given statutory authority to stop and investigate vehicles which they have reasonable ground to believe are being operated in…”
State v. Brown, 39 N.E.3d 496 (Ohio 2015). “75 of the Revised Code, shall exercise the power to make arrests for violations of those sections listed in division (A) of this section, other than sections 4513.33 and 4513.34 of the Revised Code, as follows: (1) If the population of the township that created the township or…”
State v. Landrum, 739 N.E.2d 1159 (Ohio Ct. App. 4th Dist. 2000). “He further argues that R.C. 4513.33 requires that a police officer have reason to believe that the weight of a vehicle and its load are unlawful before requiring the vehicle’s driver to stop and submit to a weighing; to stop a vehicle for a safety inspection, a police officer…”
M6 Motors, Inc. v. Nissan of N. Olmsted, L.L.C., 2014-Ohio-2537, 14 N.E.3d 1054. “In that case, R.C. 4513.33 permitted a police officer to require motor vehicles to proceed to the nearest available scales to be weighed, “provided such scales are within three miles of the point where such vehicle is stopped.”
Reid Mach., Inc. v. Lanzer, 614 F. Supp. 2d 849 (N.D. Ohio 2009). · cites it 9× “Mere observation of the physical characteristics and the nature of the operation of the vehicle is enough to create reasonable suspicion of a potential violation and justify a stop and weighing under Ohio R.C. § 4513.33. See e.g. City of Athens v.”
State v. Reiger, 409 N.E.2d 1037 (Ohio Ct. App. 6th Dist. 1978). · cites it 6× “It is a point of reversible error that because the arresting officer did not comply with the requirements of Section 4513.33, O.R.C. regarding determinations which must be made as to street elevation when a vehicle is being weighed on a terrain which is not level, the judgment…”
City of Toledo v. Harris, 651 N.E.2d 24 (Ohio Ct. App. 6th Dist. 1994). “08 is identical to R.C. 4513.33. Both, in pertinent part, provide that: “Any police officer having reason to believe that the weight of a vehicle and its load is unlawful may require the driver of said vehicle to stop and submit to a weighing * * *.”
State v. Gillen, 2025-Ohio-1095, 267 N.E.3d 1270. · cites it 7× “Therefore, appellants continued, the affidavit could not be used to show that the scales had valid seals at the time they were used to weigh their vehicles as required by R.C. 4513.33 in order to secure a conviction under R.”
State v. Dryer, 521 N.E.2d 842 (Ohio Ct. App. 11th Dist. 1987). · cites it 4× “He argues that the prosecution presented no evidence that Officer Vasileff took elevation and tolerance measurements of the sixty-foot area where his truck was weighed in the manner required by R.C. 4513.33. R.C. 4513.33, in pertinent part, provides: “During determination of…”
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