Height limitPoland
41. Height limit
A height limit prohibits vehicles whose total height exceeds the value shown from entering or passing a road section, bridge, tunnel, gateway or other structure. The vehicle’s height includes its load and any equipment attached above it.
Drivers of high vehicles must know their exact height, observe advance warnings and use an alternative route when necessary. They should never rely only on visual judgement or attempt to pass beneath a structure when safe clearance is uncertain.
Wikimedia.org • Piotrus • CC BY-SA
How should you read a low-bridge height restriction in Poland?
Look for the locally prescribed height restriction or clearance warning near older town streets and bridges. The displayed clearance is normally in metres. A warning may describe a hazard ahead; a prohibitory sign indicates a route you cannot enter if your vehicle exceeds the limit.
🔗 eli.gov.pl • Poland, Road Traffic Law — articles 5, 19; Signs 18, 20; 2021/433 axle-load amendment
Vehicles higher than indicated prohibited.
English • Traffic sign B-16 • Maximum height in metres. Sign B-16 prohibits vehicles whose height, including their load, exceeds the value shown.
Polski • B-16 • zakaz wjazdu pojazdów o wysokości ponad ... m. Znak B-16 „zakaz wjazdu pojazdów o wysokości ponad......m” oznacza zakaz ruchu pojazdów, których wysokość (również z ładunkiem) jest większa od wartości podanej na znaku.
Sources
🔗 Commons.wikimedia.org
🔗 Eli.gov.pl • § 20 ust. 2
SVG source: Commons.wikimedia.org • Original SVG
Szczepan dyskusja Mail 18:29, 31 December 2006 (UTC) • Public domain • Original revision 2025-10-01. Wikimedia original unmodified.
Artwork reviewed against the Polish official sign catalogue, Dz.U. 2019 poz. 2310: Eli.gov.pl • B-16, PDF page 42, with amendments 2021/433, 2021/2065, 2022/2372 and 2026/133 checked. Catalogue-equivalent illustration; intentional update from the previous PNG. This is an educational illustration, not a manufacturing specification.
Does a roof load count when checking vehicle height in Poland?
Yes for practical clearance: measure the vehicle at its highest point with its load and fitted accessories, such as a roof box, bicycle or roof rack. Check the local legal measurement rules as well; an empty vehicle’s registered height is not enough when equipment has been added.
🔗 eli.gov.pl • Poland, Road Traffic Law — articles 5, 19; Signs 18, 20; 2021/433 axle-load amendment
What should you do if your vehicle is too high for a bridge or tunnel in Poland?
Do not try to squeeze under the structure. Use the signed alternative route and, if you are already close to the obstruction, stop where safe and seek traffic-control assistance rather than reversing unpredictably into moving traffic.
🔗 eli.gov.pl • Poland, Road Traffic Law — articles 5, 19; Signs 18, 20; 2021/433 axle-load amendment

Traffic rules
Poland