Double towing is legal in roughly 30 states and prohibited in about 20, with the split running heavily along geographic lines. The states where double towing is legal sit mostly in the West and Midwest, while nearly every state along the East Coast bans the practice. Even in states that allow it, the rules on length, weight, hitch type, brakes, and licensing vary enough that a trip crossing two or three borders can take you from fully legal into a traffic stop and a forced unhitch.
States Where Double Towing Is Prohibited
About 20 states ban recreational double towing outright or restrict it so tightly that it amounts to a ban for most travelers. The entire East Coast from Maine to Florida prohibits it, with Maryland the lone exception. The full list: Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and West Virginia.
A few of these states occupy a gray area. Virginia allows double towing only by special permit and lets individual cities impose their own restrictions. North Carolina permits it only on federally designated National Network highways, which puts most local and secondary roads off-limits. Wisconsin prohibits recreational double towing but carves out narrow exceptions for agricultural equipment that don’t help most RV owners.
Getting caught in a prohibited state usually means a fine and an order to disconnect one of the trailers on the spot. The ticket is rarely the worst part. You then have to find somewhere to leave a trailer, or make two trips to get everything to your destination.
States Where Double Towing Is Legal
The remaining roughly 30 states permit double towing for personal and recreational use, but every one of them attaches conditions. The patterns to watch for:
- Overall length limits. Most states cap the bumper-to-bumper length of the tow vehicle plus both trailers somewhere between 60 and 75 feet. Illinois caps the total at 60 feet and also prohibits pulling two full-size campers at once.
- Weight relationships. Many states require the second trailer to weigh less than either the tow vehicle or the first trailer when empty. Michigan uses this rule explicitly. Your tow vehicle also needs a manufacturer towing rating that equals or exceeds the combined loaded weight of both trailers.
- Tow vehicle minimums. California requires the tow vehicle to have an unladen weight of at least 4,000 pounds.
- Second trailer type. Several states limit the rear trailer to a boat, jet skis, ATVs, or a similarly compact load rather than another full-size camper.
These rules are specific enough that a setup legal in Montana can violate length limits in Illinois or hitch rules in Kansas. Check the statute for every state on your route before you leave.
Hitch and Connection Rules
How your trailers connect is one of the most regulated parts of double towing. Most states that allow it require the first trailer to attach to the tow vehicle with a fifth-wheel or gooseneck hitch rather than a standard bumper-pull. Fifth-wheel hitches mount in the bed of a pickup and put the trailer’s weight over the rear axle, which is much more stable than a ball hitch hanging off the bumper. Kansas also requires an anti-sway device on the first trailer.
The connection between the first and second trailers matters just as much. The hitch receiver on the first trailer has to be bolted or welded to the frame, not attached to a bumper or other lightweight member. Pulling a bumper-pull behind another bumper-pull is the configuration most likely to cause dangerous swaying, and most states that allow double towing either prohibit it outright or impose conditions that effectively rule it out.
Federal rules require safety devices on every full trailer to prevent separation if the primary hitch fails. Safety chains or cables must connect the towed vehicle to both the towing vehicle and the tow bar, arranged so the tow bar can’t drop to the ground if it disconnects.1Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Section 393.70(d) Requires That Every Full Trailer Must Be Coupled to the Frame When two safety chains are used, their combined breaking strength must equal or exceed the gross weight of the towed vehicle.2Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. When Two Safety Chains Are Used, Must the Ultimate Combined Breaking Strength of Each Chain Be Equal to the Gross Weight of the Towed Vehicle(s)
Brake and Breakaway Requirements
Every state that allows double towing has a braking rule for the trailers. The weight threshold that triggers a brake requirement generally falls between 1,500 and 3,000 pounds of gross trailer weight. Illinois is stricter than most and requires brakes on every vehicle in a double towing combination regardless of weight.
Federal rules require that any trailer equipped with brakes also have a breakaway system that automatically applies the brakes if the trailer separates from the tow vehicle. Those brakes have to stay engaged for at least 15 minutes after a breakaway event, giving the trailer enough stopping force to come to rest rather than rolling freely.3eCFR. 49 CFR 393.43 – Breakaway and Emergency Braking Each trailer in a double tow setup needs its own independent breakaway switch and battery, since a separation can happen at either coupling point.
A dead breakaway battery is one of the most common inspection failures and can turn a legal setup into a citable violation. Check both before you leave.
Both trailers also need fully functioning lighting that meets federal requirements for tail lights, brake lights, turn signals, side markers, and reflectors.4eCFR. 49 CFR 393.11 – Lamps and Reflective Devices Wiring that worked fine on a single trailer can fail when it has to run through to a second one, so test every light on both trailers each trip.
License Endorsements and the CDL Threshold
Whether you need a special license depends on your combined weight and the state you’re driving in. At the federal level, a combination vehicle with a gross combined weight rating of 26,001 pounds or more, where the towed units together exceed 10,000 pounds GVWR, is a commercial motor vehicle requiring a Class A CDL with a doubles/triples endorsement. The GVWRs of both towed units get added together when you calculate whether you’ve crossed that 10,000-pound threshold.5Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. A Driver Operates a Combination Vehicle With a GCWR of 26,001 Pounds or More
Many recreational setups stay under 26,001 pounds combined, especially when the second trailer is a small boat or utility trailer. A heavy-duty pickup pulling a large fifth-wheel and a car hauler can easily exceed it. If you’re near the line, add up the GVWRs printed on the door stickers of your truck and both trailers before assuming your standard license covers you.
Some states layer their own endorsements on top. Michigan requires a recreational double (RR) endorsement to tow two units. New York requires an R endorsement for combination vehicles over 26,000 pounds. These endorsements usually involve a written knowledge test and a fee somewhere between $10 and $60, and they cover topics like safe following distance, turning radius, and coupling procedures.
Crossing State Lines
You follow the towing laws of whatever state you’re currently in, not your home state. Reciprocity agreements between states do not waive size and weight restrictions. If you live in Colorado and you’re headed to a campground in Oregon, you need to drop a trailer before crossing the Oregon line or take an alternate route through states that allow the practice.
This geography makes East Coast travel with a double tow effectively impossible. With every coastal state from Maine to Florida except Maryland prohibiting it, there’s no continuous legal corridor along the eastern seaboard. Western routes are far more forgiving, and most states from Texas up through Montana and across to California allow double towing in some form.
For any trip, check three things in each state on your route: whether double towing is permitted at all, what the maximum length limit is, and whether a special endorsement is required. A 70-foot combination may be legal in one state and over the limit in the next.
Passengers Riding in a Towed Trailer
Whether anyone can ride inside a towed fifth-wheel or travel trailer varies widely by state. A handful of states permit it when the trailer meets specific safety requirements, typically safety glass in all windows, an unobstructed exit that opens from both inside and outside, and a working communication system with the driver. Other states prohibit riding in any towed vehicle, and some have no law on the question at all.
With a double tow, the added stopping distance and instability make it a riskier proposition even where it’s technically allowed. Most experienced double towers keep everyone in the tow vehicle regardless of what the state law permits.