Guides
What a moving company needs to operate legally
A moving company answers to FMCSA, a state regulator, labor and premises agencies. Build one compliance file naming each authority and its renewal date.
What to take away
- Interstate household goods carriage needs four federal itemsa USDOT number, an MC number, a BOC-3 process agent filing and annual Unified Carrier Registration.
- Intrastate moving is licensed by the state, and the body varies: California's Public Utilities Commission, the Texas DMV, the New York State DOT, the Washington UTC.
- Public liability coverage starts at $300,000 and reaches $750,000 at 10,001 pounds GVWR or more. A household goods broker must hold a $75,000 surety bond or trust fund.
- The output is one compliance file with five sections, each row naming the body asked, the answer, the proof and a renewal date.
- Run the five lists in the week before the first paid move, then again whenever you add a truck, a driver or a state.
- A lapsed authority is usually found by an inspector or by a customer's procurement department, not by you.
The two layers, in order
A mover answers to two sets of authorities. The federal layer applies when a truck crosses a state line with household goods. The state layer covers moves inside one state.
No national body licenses movers. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration writes the interstate rules, and each state decides whether to license, bond and tariff its own movers.
Settle one question early: will you cross a state line with a customer's furniture? That choice decides which filings you build. The startup and market guide frames it commercially.
The state layer: who to call
Search the state government site for household goods movers. The regulator is rarely guessable from its name.
- [California
- Public Utilities Commission](/california-texas-intrastate-moving-rules-compared), household goods carrier permit.
- Texas
- Department of Motor Vehicles, household goods mover registration.
- New York
- Department of Transportation, household goods carrier license.
- Washington
- Utilities and Transportation Commission, permit and filed tariff.
- Florida
- Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, intrastate mover registration.
- Illinois
- Commerce Commission, household goods carrier authority.
- Pennsylvania
- Public Utility Commission, household goods mover permit.
- Oregon
- Department of Transportation, household goods carrier permit.
Colorado is commonly listed as having no intrastate household goods licensing; complaints go to the attorney general's consumer protection office. Confirm that for your own state.
State regulator questions to answer
- License or registration required for intrastate movers?
- Tariff filed or approved, constraining estimates?
- Bond or insurance minimums required?
- Prescribed estimate and contract forms?
- Which valuation options must be offered?
- State adopts federal safety rules above weight?
- Penalties for operating without authority?
Put these questions to whichever body owns your state:
- Who enforces, and what happens to a truck running without authority?
- Do we need a permit to move household goods inside the state?
- Is a tariff required, and must it be filed or published?
- What bond or trust amount applies, and who holds it?
- Are estimate and contract forms prescribed?
- Which vehicle weight triggers which safety rules?
- What insurance minimums apply, and what proof is filed?
Ask the enforcement question first. The answer runs from a warning letter to a truck held at the yard.
Vehicles, drivers and the weight line
Gross vehicle weight rating, alone and with a trailer, decides which safety rules follow the truck and the driver. Marking, inspection, license class, medical certification and hours of service hang off that number.
Ask FMCSA and the state per vehicle. The equipment and setup guide treats the rating as a buying decision. It is also a regulatory trigger.
A low bridge or a weight-limited street is an enforcement event.
The federal items, by name
An interstate household goods carrier holds four things at minimum.
- A USDOT number, issued through the FMCSA registration system.
- An MC number, the operating authority for for-hire interstate carriage.
- A BOC-3 filing naming a process agent in every state where you operate.
- Unified Carrier Registration, renewed each calendar year through a base state and priced by fleet size bracket.
Authority has no expiry date, but it lapses when insurance or the process agent filing lapses.
Public liability minimums begin at $300,000 and reach $750,000 at 10,001 pounds GVWR or more. A broker, as distinct from a carrier, must hold a $75,000 surety bond or trust fund.
The FMCSA registration fee for operating authority is $300. UCR is priced by fleet-size bracket and set each year, typically under $50 for one or two trucks and into the thousands above 100.
A process agent service typically charges under $100 to file the BOC-3. State permits typically carry a fee of a few hundred dollars a year, and state surety or trust amounts typically run from $10,000 to $50,000.
The customer-facing rules sit on FMCSA's regulations and enforcement page: estimate type, order for service, bill of lading, valuation and the claims clock.
Who answers which question
Interstate move
- Authority to operate
- FMCSA, via MC and DOT numbers
- Estimate and contract forms
- FMCSA household goods rules
- Valuation and claims
- FMCSA
- Vehicle safety and marking
- FMCSA, by weight
- Driver qualification and hours
- FMCSA
- Wage, hour and records
- U.S. Department of Labor
Intrastate move
- Authority to operate
- State regulator, where one exists
- Estimate and contract forms
- State rules, where they exist
- Valuation and claims
- State rules, where they exist
- Vehicle safety and marking
- State, often adopting federal thresholds
- Driver qualification and hours
- State licensing agency
- Wage, hour and records
- State labor department
Renewal cycles and typical timelines
- every two yearsthrough the MCS-150 filing.
- annual, per calendar year.
- no expiry, refiled when you add a state or change agents.
- annual, refiled at each renewal and on any change. Coverage tiers and typical premiums are compared in the insurance costs guide.
- up to 24 months. A commercial license runs on a state cycle, typically four to eight years.
The compliance file, five sections
The output is one file. Each row covers a single question and carries the body asked, the answer, the proof and the next renewal date. The renewal calendar is what keeps that file alive.
- AuthorityMC number, DOT number, UCR, BOC-3, insurance filings. Interstate items come from FMCSA, intrastate items from the state regulator, and local licenses from the city or county clerk.
- Truckregistration, weight rating, inspection, marking. Every truck and trailer goes on the insurance schedule, and the pre-trip form rides in the cab.
- Driverlicense, medical card, record checks, hours. Timekeeping follows the U.S. Department of Labor and the state labor department.
- Documents on the seatestimate with the type stated, order for service, bill of lading, valuation, inventory sheets with condition codes, the claims form, and the insurance certificate a building manager asks for.
- Premisesoffice, warehouse, public access. A visiting customer brings the business license, any home-occupation permit and accessibility duties.
Five sections of the compliance file
- Authority
- Truck
- Driver
- Documents on the seat
- Premises
Example: a filled-in compliance file
| Section | Question | Body asked | Answer | Proof | Renewal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Authority | Who accepts legal papers for our trucks in each state? | FMCSA and our process agent | A BOC-3 naming an agent in every state we run in | Signed BOC-3 on file | When we add a state or change agents |
| Authority | Do we hold interstate authority? | FMCSA | Yes, MC and DOT numbers for household goods | Authority letter and insurance filings | USDOT record updated every two years |
| Truck | Which safety rules follow our heaviest truck? | FMCSA and the state | GVWR recorded per truck and trailer | Weight rating sheet and inspection forms | Each vehicle change |
| Driver | Which license class and medical certificate apply? | State licensing agency and FMCSA | Class per vehicle; certificate valid up to 24 months | Driver qualification file | Medical card expiry |
| Documents on the seat | What paperwork must ride in the cab? | FMCSA and the state | Estimate, order for service, bill of lading, valuation | Copies in the cab and the office file | Each rule change |
| Premises | Do we need local licenses for the yard? | City or county clerk | Business license, home-occupation permit, parking permits | Permits posted and scanned | On the city renewal cycle |
Keep the dated correspondence. A letter to a regulator that was never answered is evidence of diligence, and a forum post is not. Packing and storage in transit need a line of their own on the paperwork, as the services and packages guide sets out.
Employees and the building
Wage, overtime and recordkeeping duties start with the first hire. The Labor Department's small business guidance covers the federal layer, and the state labor department adds another.
Customers who walk into an office or warehouse bring accessibility rules with them. The Justice Department's ADA guide for small businesses covers barrier removal, routes and service practices.
Common questions
Does a mover need a license, a permit, or both?
Interstate carriage needs federal operating authority rather than a state license. Inside one state the answer depends on the state, and some ask for nothing.
What if my state has no mover scheme at all?
The state row of the matrix goes thin. Vehicle, driver, employment and local rules still apply, and the federal layer covers any interstate job you take.
Is brokering easier than being a carrier?
Different, not easier. A broker registers separately, holds a $75,000 bond or trust fund, and must tell the customer which role it plays.
How do I know the file is complete?
When every row names an authority, an answer, a date and a renewal date, and when the estimate and contract trace back to a rule in the file.
