Length limitSwitzerland
43. Length limit
A length limit is a restriction that prohibits vehicles or vehicle combinations longer than a specified maximum length from entering a road or area. The stated length normally includes the complete vehicle combination and any load where national rules specify this.
Length restrictions are commonly used where long vehicles cannot safely negotiate narrow streets, tight bends, bridges, tunnels or other constrained road layouts. Drivers whose vehicle exceeds the indicated limit must use another permitted route.
Wikimedia.org • Marc Mongenet • CC BY-SA
Why might a road have a vehicle-length restriction in Switzerland?
A length restriction can protect a passage or layout where a long vehicle cannot pass or turn safely. The Swiss maximum-length sign applies to vehicles and vehicle combinations, including their load, whose length exceeds the stated figure.
🔗 fedlex.admin.ch • Switzerland: OSR article 21(3); LCR article 27
🔗 fedlex.admin.ch • Switzerland: Traffic Rules Ordinance, state 1 October 2026
🔗 fedlex.admin.ch • Switzerland: Road Traffic Act, state 1 July 2026
Vehicles longer than indicated prohibited.
English • Traffic sign 2.20 • Maximum length.
Deutsch • Verkehrssignal 2.20 • Höchstlänge.
Français • Signal 2.20 • Longueur maximale.
Italiano • Segnale 2.20 • Lunghezza massima.
Sources
🔗 Commons.wikimedia.org
🔗 Fedlex.admin.ch • SSV, Anhang 2 (DE)
🔗 Fedlex.admin.ch • OSR, annexe 2 (FR)
🔗 Fedlex.admin.ch • OSStr, allegato 2 (IT)
SVG source: Commons.wikimedia.org • Original SVG
Bundesamt für Strassen (ASTRA) • Public domain • Original revision 2017-07-04. Wikimedia original unmodified.
Artwork reviewed against the Swiss signalling ordinance, version 1 October 2026, annex 2: Fedlex.admin.ch • Signal 2.20, PDF page 105. Catalogue-equivalent illustration; intentional update from the previous PNG. This is an educational illustration, not a manufacturing specification.
Is a trailer included in the signed length restriction in Switzerland?
Yes. The maximum-length sign applies to vehicles and complete vehicle combinations including their load. Check the towing vehicle and trailer together, including any projecting load, against the stated figure.
🔗 fedlex.admin.ch • Switzerland: OSR article 21(3); LCR article 27
🔗 fedlex.admin.ch • Switzerland: Traffic Rules Ordinance, state 1 October 2026
🔗 fedlex.admin.ch • Switzerland: Road Traffic Act, state 1 July 2026
What if your vehicle combination exceeds a signed length limit in Switzerland?
Choose another permitted route before entering the restricted section. Do not assume a wide carriageway is suitable: long vehicles need room for their swept path, particularly at sharp bends, junctions and roundabouts.
🔗 fedlex.admin.ch • Switzerland: OSR article 21(3); LCR article 27
🔗 fedlex.admin.ch • Switzerland: Traffic Rules Ordinance, state 1 October 2026
🔗 fedlex.admin.ch • Switzerland: Road Traffic Act, state 1 July 2026

Traffic rules
Switzerland