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Richland County lets county engineer or designee approve overweight, oversized vehicle permits to speed review
Summary
The Richland County Board of Commissioners voted to let the county engineer or the engineer's designee approve most overweight and oversized vehicle permits, aiming to speed approvals for companies while preserving oversight for exceptionally large loads.
The Richland County Board of Commissioners voted to let the county engineer or the engineer's designated staff approve overweight and oversized vehicle permits, removing a routine step that required the board to act on each permit.
County staff said the change is intended to shorten turnaround time for businesses that move large equipment through the county, particularly when permit applications arrive outside the board's meeting schedule.
Under the revised process, the county engineer (or the engineer's designee) will approve the routine permits. The board asked that it be kept “in the loop” for nonstandard moves: officials said staff should notify commissioners when a shipment is “extremely wide” or “extremely heavy,” and that the board would welcome an annual summary of permits.
County staff described existing permit categories: a special one-time “superload” permit for very large shipments that remains unchanged and is issued for five days so the county can track the route; 90-day permits; and annual permits for construction equipment. Staff said last year the county issued roughly 20 to 30 permits, though year-to-year totals vary with local pipeline and oil-and-gas activity.
Fees vary by permit type and are listed on the county’s permit fee schedule; staff provided $560 as an example of a permit fee. Commissioners discussed maintaining strict review for superloads and other nonstandard moves so the county can protect bridges and roads and assign responsibility if damage occurs.
The board voted to approve the new permitting process and to designate the county engineer (or the engineer’s designee) to act on routine overweight and oversized vehicle permits. Commissioners said they expect staff to notify them of unusually heavy or wide moves and to provide periodic summaries going forward.
The change takes effect immediately for county roads and township roads. The county clarified that state routes remain under state jurisdiction and municipal streets remain under municipal control.
