Filing the Ohio OS-32 Insurance Endorsement: Form, Submission, and Renewal

The Ohio OS-32 insurance endorsement is a one-page document your insurance company signs to confirm that your commercial liability policy has been amended to meet the Ohio Department of Transportation’s requirements for special hauling permits. You cannot buy a single oversize or overweight permit until a valid OS-32 is on file and linked to your account in the Ohio Hauling Permit System (OHPS). Your insurer fills in most of the form; your job is to make sure the information matches your OHPS registration and to get the signed endorsement to ODOT’s Special Hauling Permits Section.¹

What You Need Before the Form

The OS-32 is not standalone insurance. It amends an existing commercial liability policy, so two things have to exist before the form is useful.

First, a qualifying liability policy. The underlying policy must be issued by an insurer licensed in Ohio, and the endorsement must confirm at least $500,000 in property damage liability coverage. Financial-responsibility requirements for permit applicants are set by Ohio Administrative Code Rule 5501:2-1-05.²

Second, a registered OHPS account. ODOT handles special hauling permits electronically, and the endorsement is linked to your account once approved.³

Download the blank OS-32 from ODOT’s endorsement page and give it to your insurance agent or broker. Carriers don’t complete most of the fields themselves.

How to Fill Out the OS-32

The form is short, but each field has to line up with your OHPS account and your policy declarations. A mismatch is the most common reason endorsements get kicked back.

Issued to (Insured/Applicant). Your full legal business name, exactly as it appears on your OHPS account and federal operating authority. Abbreviations and DBAs that don’t match your registration will stall the filing.
Mailing address and telephone number. The insured carrier’s business address and phone.
Name of insurance company. The legal name of the insurer issuing the policy, not the agency or brokerage that sold it.
Amending policy number. The exact policy number being endorsed. Verify it against your declarations page.
Effective from / until 12:01 A.M. The start and end dates of the endorsement period.
Primary or excess insurance. A checkbox indicating whether the endorsed policy is primary or excess (umbrella) coverage.
Liability amounts. The property damage and bodily injury figures, which must meet or exceed ODOT’s minimums.¹
Signatures. Both the insured (you or an authorized representative) and an authorized representative of the insurance company must sign. The insurer’s representative should also print their title and the date.

What the insurer is certifying is that your underlying policy has actually been amended to include the Ohio endorsement language. A signature without a corresponding amendment to the policy leaves you with no valid coverage for permit purposes.

Where to Send It

Once the signed OS-32 comes back from your insurer, send it to ODOT’s Special Hauling Permits Section through any of the following:

OHPS upload. Log in at haulingpermits.transportation.ohio.gov and upload a scan of the signed endorsement. This is the fastest route.³
Email. Hauling.Permits@dot.ohio.gov.
Fax. 614-728-4098.
Mail. Ohio Department of Transportation, Special Hauling Permit Section, 1980 West Broad Street, Mail Stop 5140, Columbus, OH 43223.⁴

Questions during the process go to the permits section at 614-351-2300.³

What Happens After You Submit

ODOT staff check that the endorsement meets the minimum coverage requirements and that the carrier name, policy number, and dates match your OHPS account. Once approved, the OS-32 is linked to the account and you can start buying individual permits. Processing usually takes one to three business days, with heavier volumes pushing that out somewhat.³

Most rejections come from a short list of avoidable errors: the carrier name on the form doesn’t match the OHPS account, the policy number is wrong, coverage falls below the state minimums, the insurer’s signature is missing, or the endorsement dates have already lapsed by the time ODOT reviews it. Comparing the form against your OHPS registration and your policy declarations page before you send it catches almost all of these.

Cancellation and Renewal

The endorsement has cancellation terms built in. Either the carrier or the insurance company can cancel by giving the other party 35 days’ written notice. The party initiating cancellation must also give ODOT 30 days’ notice, and that 30-day clock starts when the notice is received at the Permit Office in Columbus, not when it is mailed.⁴

When your underlying policy renews, you need a new OS-32 showing the updated effective and expiration dates. Submit the renewal endorsement at least a week before the current one lapses. Even a one-day coverage gap suspends your ability to purchase permits through OHPS.

The OS-32 itself has no filing fee. It’s an insurance document, not a permit application; permit fees are charged separately when you buy each permit through OHPS.

1
Ohio Department of Transportation. Endorsement of Liability Insurance Policy
2
Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Ohio Administrative Code 5501:2-1-05 – Insurance and Financial Responsibility
3
Ohio Department of Transportation. Special Hauling Permits
4
RiverBrook Permits. OS-32 Endorsement to Liability Insurance Policy