CHAPTER 15. SPECIAL RESTRICTIONS CONCERNING SPECIAL TRACTOR-MOBILE HOME RIGS AND REQUIRED PERMITS
IC 9-20-15
Chapter 15. Special Restrictions Concerning Special
Tractor-Mobile Home Rigs and Required Permits
IC 9-20-15-1
Permit requirement
Sec. 1. A person may not operate a special tractor-mobile home
rig on an Indiana highway unless the person first secures a permit to
operate the rig from:
(1) the Indiana department of transportation; or
(2) an agency or a political subdivision of the state designated
by the department to issue the permits.
As added by P.L.2-1991, SEC.8.
IC 9-20-15-2
Conditions for granting permit; local authorities; jurisdiction
Sec. 2. (a) The Indiana department of transportation may grant a
permit to operate a special tractor-mobile home rig on an Indiana
highway to a person upon the following conditions and in accordance
with the rules that the department prescribes:
(1) The special tractor-mobile home rig must be operated in a
manner that will not unduly impede traffic or increase the
hazard to traffic.
(2) The special tractor-mobile home rig may be operated only
over the highways in the state highway system, including,
except as provided in section 5 of this chapter, the routes
designated as federal highways and the state maintained routes
through cities and towns. However, the special tractor-mobile
home rig may not extend over the lines delineating highway
lanes into another lane except when passing.
(3) The special tractor-mobile home rig may be operated on the
roads and highways only after sunrise and before sunset.
However, the Indiana Department of Transportation may
restrict hours of operation in first and second class cities if the
department determines that rush hour traffic would cause an
undue hazard to the motoring public.
(4) The special tractor-mobile home rig may be operated only
on days other than Sunday and the legal holidays that the
Indiana Department of Transportation designates. The special
tractor-mobile home rig may be operated between one-half (1/2)
hour before sunrise and one-half (1/2) hour after sunset on any
weekday and between one-half (1/2) hour before sunrise and
noon on Saturday.
(5) The special tractor-mobile home rig may be accompanied by
a distinctively marked escort vehicle.
(6) The operator of the special tractor-mobile home rig must be
at least eighteen (18) years of age.
(7) The low beam headlights of the towing vehicle for which
the permit is granted must be on while the vehicle is in use as
a towing vehicle component of a special tractor-mobile home
rig.
(8) The special tractor-mobile home rig may not be operated
closer than one thousand (1,000) feet to any other special
tractor-mobile home rig traveling in the same direction.
(9) Whenever there may be a clear roadway ahead of the special
tractor-mobile home rig and more than three (3) vehicles
immediately behind the tractor-mobile home rig, the operator of
a special tractor-mobile home rig shall pull over to the right of
the traveled portion of the road or highway at the first
opportunity to do so safely, so as to allow following vehicles to
pass.
(10) The special tractor-mobile home rig may not be operated
at a speed in excess of fifty-five (55) miles per hour on roads
and highways, other than divided highways of at least four (4)
lanes, except as otherwise provided by law.
(11) The special tractor-mobile home rig may not be operated
as follows:
(A) During the existence of hazardous weather conditions
causing visibility to be less than five hundred (500) feet.
(B) During times when the steady wind velocity exceeds
twenty-five (25) miles per hour.
(C) At other times and under other conditions that the
Indiana Department of Transportation by rule or emergency
notice prescribes.
(12) The person to whom the permit is granted shall present
satisfactory evidence of the person's financial responsibility as
provided in IC 9-25 to the granting authority.
(13) When in use as a towing vehicle component of a special
tractor-mobile home rig, the towing vehicle for which the
permit is granted must have an overall length of not less than
twelve (12) feet.
(14) A permit granted for the towing vehicle component of a
special tractor-mobile home rig may be suspended or revoked
by the Indiana Department of Transportation for violation of
any of the conditions of the permit set forth in this section or for
violation of a rule or notice as provided for in this chapter.
(15) The special tractor-mobile home rig may be operated only
over roads or highways approved by the authority granting the
permits.
(16) The rules pertaining to special tractor-mobile home rigs do
not apply to other vehicles.
(b) This section may not be construed to prevent a local authority
with respect to highways and roads under the authority's jurisdiction
from granting permission to operate a special tractor-mobile home rig
on roads and highways under the authority's jurisdiction that are not
highways in the state highway system or state maintained routes
through cities and towns.
As added by P.L.2-1991, SEC.8. Amended by P.L.125-1993, SEC.2;
P.L.119-1995, SEC.5; P.L.217-2003, SEC.4.
IC 9-20-15-2.1
Transport from manufacturing facility to storage lot
Sec. 2.1. Notwithstanding IC 9-20-14 or this chapter, a
manufacturer of mobile homes or an agent of a manufacturer of
mobile homes may transport a tractor-mobile home rig of any size
permitted under IC 9-20-14 or this chapter from the manufacturing
facility to a storage lot if:
(1) before transporting a tractor-mobile home rig the
manufacturer or agent:
(A) receives a permit from the motor carrier service division
of the department of state revenue; and
(B) complies with the requirements of IC 9-20-14-2; and
(2) the distance between the manufacturing facility and the
storage lot is less than fifteen (15) miles.
As added by P.L.82-1999, SEC.1.
IC 9-20-15-3
Special tractor-mobile home rigs subject to permit provisions;
escort vehicles
Sec. 3. A special tractor-mobile home rig that is:
(1) more than thirteen (13) feet, six (6) inches, in height, but
less than fourteen (14) feet, six (6) inches, in height; and
(2) not wider than one hundred forty-eight (148) inches at the
base;
is subject to section 2 of this chapter. However, the rig is not subject
to the requirement of an escort vehicle as specified in section 2(a)5
of this chapter.
As added by P.L.2-1991, SEC.8.
IC 9-20-15-4
"Individual owner" defined; general permits; special permits
Sec. 4. (a) As used in this section, "individual owner" means the
owner of a mobile home or sectionalized building who bought the
mobile home or sectionalized building for the owner's personal or
business use and not for immediate resale.
(b) The Indiana department of transportation shall grant permits
to operate special tractor-mobile home rigs of two (2) general classes
as follows:
(1) General permits, for the operation of a special
tractor-mobile home rig by a person, except an individual
owner, in the ordinary course of the person's business.
(2) Special permits, for the operation of a special tractor-mobile
home rig for an individual owner for the express purpose of
moving mobile homes or sectionalized buildings by a qualified
mover.
(c) General permits shall be issued annually. One (1) permit shall
be issued for each towing vehicle to be used as a component of a
special tractor-mobile home rig. The holder of a general permit may
make, during the period of the permit, any number of mobile home
or sectionalized building movements with the towing vehicle
component of the special tractor-mobile home rig for which the
permit was granted. However, the Indiana department of
transportation may adopt rules requiring the obtaining of a movement
authorization for each movement.
(d) A special permit is limited to the particular movement of the
mobile home or sectionalized building for which the special permit
is issued. A person purchasing a mobile home or sectionalized
building, but who does not have a legal title to the mobile home or
sectionalized building, is considered the owner of the mobile home
or sectionalized building for the purposes of this chapter if the person
has a contract with the seller or the seller's assignee. However, the
person shall present to the granting authority a statement by the
holder of the legal title to the mobile home or sectionalized building
granting permission for the movement of the mobile home or
sectionalized building.
As added by P.L.2-1991, SEC.8.
IC 9-20-15-5
Interstate highways; federal funds
Sec. 5. This chapter does not apply to interstate highways to the
extent that the application of this chapter to those highways would
cause the state to be deprived of any federal funds for highway
purposes.
As added by P.L.2-1991, SEC.8.
IC 9-20-15-6
"Extra wide manufactured home rig" defined
Sec. 6. (a) As used in this section, "extra wide manufactured home
rig" means any combination of a manufactured home or sectionalized
building and a towing vehicle having all of the following dimensions:
(1) Some part of the combination with a width greater than one
hundred seventy-two (172) inches but not greater than one
hundred ninety-two (192) inches.
(2) The:
(A) manufactured home part of the combination, including
the hitch; or
(B) sectionalized building part of the combination, including
the hitch;
with a length that does not exceed eighty-five (85) feet.
(3) The tractor part of the combination with a length not less
than twelve (12) feet.
(4) None of the combination with a height greater than fourteen
(14) feet six (6) inches.
(b) The Indiana department of transportation may adopt rules
under IC 4-22-2 to implement a permit system regulating the
transportation of extra wide manufactured home rigs.
(c) Rules adopted by the Indiana department of transportation
under this section must address the following:
(1) The competitive nature of Indiana's manufactured housing
industry.
(2) The safety of persons who use the highways.
As added by P.L.95-1991, SEC.4. Amended by P.L.93-1997, SEC.11;
P.L.217-2003, SEC.5.
IC 9-20-15-7
Quarterly or annual permit
Sec. 7. (a) This section applies to a person who purchases a
quarterly or an annual permit under IC 9-29-6-9 to move a special
tractor-mobile home rig.
(b) A person described in subsection (a) shall use only the
permissible routes for moving a special tractor-mobile home rig. The
person must check the daily detour and restriction bulletin before
choosing a route to travel. If the person moves a special
tractor-mobile home rig on a route that is restricted or prohibited, the
person's quarterly or annual permit may be revoked.
(c) If a person's quarterly or annual permit is revoked under
subsection (b), the person may not obtain a new quarterly or annual
permit for a period of ninety (90) days. The person may move a
special tractor-mobile home rig under a single trip permit until the
person is eligible to obtain a new quarterly or annual permit.
As added by P.L.217-2003, SEC.6.