Moving Company Regulations and Permits | Moving Company License
The moving business is regarded as a highly regulated industry. There are many good reasons for this and they can be summed up as regulations intended primarily to protect the general public. For example you are allowing movers to come into your home and touch, arrange, pack and transport your personal belongings. Then of course, once your possessions are on the truck and being transported by the moving company there is a risk of damage or even of holding your items hostage for additional monies. One other reason is to keep out scam or fraudulent movers and moving companies as these damage the reputation of the entire moving industry. Thus in many states a moving company is required to have a moving company license. In the case of crossing a state line while transporting household goods, a company is required to carry a US DOT number which is the federal moving company license number.
If the move has its origin and destination within the same state the moving company will be regulated by that particular state. If the move crosses state lines then the move is regulated by the Federal Government. It may seem odd, but a move of 500 miles from San Diego to San Francisco is still an intrastate move (within the same state), whereas a move of 10 miles from Bethesda, MD to McLean VA requires a Federal License. Thus the type of license or regulatory agency first depends on if a state line is crossed or not.
Is A Moving Company License Required?
Well if you can imagine, it depends. It depends on the state where the move is taking place. On top of that, some states may require a federal license, others may require bonding on top of the state license and others might just look to certain types of vehicle registrations. There is no way to list all of the requirements to obtain or hold a license and all the possible state laws and regulations for the transportation of used household goods. However, we have put together this handy list of State regulatory agencies.
Who Regulates Interstate Moving Companies?
Like mentioned above, the minute a moving truck crosses a state line transporting household goods, it now requires a US DOT number. If a company is making an intrastate or in-state move, it is not required to have a federal license, regardless of the distance involved.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration provides ways to search your mover by Name or U.S. DOT#. You can research any interstate moving company here https://ai.fmcsa.dot.gov/hhg/search.asp
| State | Agency | Address | Phone | Website |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Public Service Commission, Transportation Division | 100 N Union St, RSA Union, Montgomery, AL 36104 | (334) 242-5980 | http://www.psc.alabama.gov/Transportation/transportation.htm |
| Alaska | None - local license is not required in Alaska | 701 West Eighth Avenue, Suite 300, Anchorage, AK 99501 | (907) 276-6222 | http://rca.alaska.gov/RCAWeb/home.aspx |
| Arizona | Arizona Department of Weights and Measures, Arizona Department of Public Safety | 4425 W Olive Ave, Glendale, AZ 85302 | (800) 277-6675 | https://www.azdps.gov/services/public/hhg |
| Arkansas | Arkansas State Highway & Transportation Department | 10324 Interstate 30, Little Rock, Arkansas 72209 | (501) 569-2000 | https://www.arkansashighways.com |
| California | California Public Utilities Commission | SSRS Unit 505, Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94102-3298 | (800) 848-5580 | http://www.cpuc.ca.gov/puc/ |
| Colorado | Public Utilities Commission | 1560 Broadway, Suite 250, Denver, CO 80202 | (303) 894-2000 | https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/dora/movers |
| Connecticut | Department of Transportation, Bureau of Public Transportation | 2800 Berlin Turnpike, Newington, CT 06111 | (860)-594-2000 | https://portal.ct.gov/DCP/Common-Elements/Consumer-Facts-and-Contacts/Movers-and-Moving |
| Delaware | None - local license is not required in Delaware | PO Box 778, Dover, DE 19903 | (800) 652-5600 | |
| District of Columbia | None - local license is not required in District of Columbia | 914 N. Capital St, NE 2nd Floor, Washington, DC 20002 | (202) 442-4670 | |
| Florida | The Division of Consumer Services, Bureau of Compliance | Terry Rhodes Building, 2005 Apalachee Parkway, Tallahassee, FL 32399-6500 | (800) 435-7352 | https://www.freshfromflorida.com/Consumer-Resources/Consumer-Rights-and-Responsibilities/Moving-Within-Florida |
| Georgia | Department of Public Safety | 59 East Confederate Avenue, Atlanta, GA 30316 | (404) 624-7243 | http://www.gamccd.net/HouseholdGoods.aspx |
| Hawaii | Public Utilities Commission | 465 South King Street, #103, Honolulu, Hawaii 96813 | (808) 586-2020 | http://puc.hawaii.gov/transportation/ |
| Idaho | Idaho Transportation Department | 3311 W. State Street P.O. Box 7129, Boise, Idaho 83707-1129 | (208) 334-8000 | https://itd.idaho.gov// |
| Illinois | Illinois Commerce Commission | 527 East Capitol Avenue, Springfield, IL 62701 | (800)524-0795 | https://www.icc.illinois.gov/householdgoodsmovers/ |
| Indiana | Indiana Department of Transportation | 5252 Decatur Blvd, Indianapolis, IN 46241 | (317) 615-7350 | www.in.gov/indot/index.htm |
| Iowa | Iowa Department of Transportation | PO Box 10382, Des Moines, IA 50306-0382 | (515) 237-3264 | https://iowadot.gov/mvd/motorcarriers |
| Kansas | Kansas Corporation Commission, Transportation Division | 1500 SW Arrowhead Road, Topeka, KS 66604-4027 | (785) 271-3145 | www.kcc.state.ks.us |
| Kentucky | Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, Division of Motor Carriers | 200 Mero Street, Frankfort, KY 40622 | (502) 564-1257 | www.transportation.ky.gov |
| Louisiana | Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development | 1201 Capitol Access Road, Baton Rouge, LA, 70802 | (225) 379-1232 | wwwsp.dotd.la.gov/Pages/default.aspx |
| Maine | None - local license is not required in Maine | State House Station 29, Augusta, ME 04330 | ||
| Maryland | None - local license is not required in Maryland | 6 Saint Paul Street 16th Floor, Baltimore, MC 21202 | ||
| Massachusetts | Massachusetts Department Of Public Utilities, Transportation Oversight Division | 1 South Station, Boston, MA 02110 | (617) 305-3559 | http://www.mass.gov/dpu/transportation |
| Michigan | Michigan Public Service Commission, Motor Carrier Division | 6545 Mercantile Way, Suite 1, Lansing, MI 48911 | (517) 241-9770 | www.michigan.gov/mpsc |
| Minnesota | Minnesota Department of Transportation, Office of Freight and Commercial Vehicle Operations | 395 John Ireland Blvd, St. Paul, MN 55155-1899 | (800) 657-3774 | www.dot.state.mn.us |
| Mississippi | Mississippi Department of Transportation | 401 North West Street, Jackson, Mississippi 39201 | (601) 359-7001 | http://mdot.ms.gov/portal/home.aspx |
| Missouri | Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) | 105 W. Capitol Avenue, Jefferson City, MO 65102 | (866) 275-6636 | www.modot.org |
| Montana | Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) | PO Box 201001, Helena, MT 59620-1001 | (406) 444-6200 | www.mdt.mt.gov |
| Nebraska | Nebraska Public Service Commission | 1200 N Street, Suite 300, Lincoln, NE 68508 | (800) 526-0017 | www.psc.nebraska.gov |
| Nevada | Nevada Transportation Authority | 2290 South Jones Blvd, Suite 110, Las Vegas, NV 89146 | (702) 486-3303 | www.nta.nv.gov |
| New Hampshire | None - local license is not required in New Hampshire | 7 Hazen Drive, Concord, NH | (603) 271-3734 | www.nh.gov/dot/ |
| New Jersey | Department of Law and Public Safety, New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs | 124 Halsey Street, Newark, New Jersey 07101 | (973) 504-6512 | https://www.njconsumeraffairs.gov/pmw/Pages/default.aspx |
| New Mexico | Public Regulation Commission | 1120 Paseo De Peralta, PERA Building, P.O. Box 1269, Santa Fe, NM 87504 | (888) 427-5772 | www.nmprc.state.nm.us |
| New York | New York State Department of Transportation | 50 Wolf Road, Albany, NY 12232 | (518) 457-6195 | https://www.dot.ny.gov |
| North Carolina | North Carolina Utilities Commission, Transportation Division | 430 N. Salisbury Street, Room 1130, Raleigh, NC 27603-5919 | (919) 733-7766 | https://www.ncuc.net/Industries/transportation/transportation.html |
| North Dakota | North Dakota Department of Transportation (NDDOT) | 608 East Boulevard Avenue, Bismarck, ND 58505-0700 | (701) 328-2500 | www.dot.nd.gov |
| Ohio | Ohio Public Utilties Commission | 108 East Broad Street, Columbus, OH 43215 | (614) 466-3392 | http://www.puco.ohio.gov/apps/hhglist/index.cfm |
| Oklahoma | Oklahoma Corporation Commission | 2101 North Lincoln Blvd., Oklahoma City, OK 73105 | (405) 521-2211 | www.occeweb.com |
| Oregon | Oregon Department of Transportation, Motor Carrier Transportation Division | 3930 Fairview Industrial Dr SE, Salem, OR 97302 | (503) 378-5985 | http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/MCT/Pages/index.aspx |
| Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission | 400 North Street, Harrisburg, PA 17120-0211 | (800) 692-7380 | http://www.puc.state.pa.us |
| Rhode Island | Rhode Island Public Utilities Commission | 89 Jefferson Boulevard, Warwick, RI 02888 | (401) 780-2158 | www.ripuc.org |
| South Carolina | The South Carolina Office of Regulatory Staff | 1401 Main Street, Suite 900, Columbia, S.C. 29201 | (803) 737-0800 | www.regulatorystaff.sc.gov |
| South Dakota | No local license required in South Dakota, Moving companies must have their DOT number | 500 East Capital Avenue, Pierre, SD 57501 | (605) 773-3201 | |
| Tennessee | No local license required in Tennessee. | 1148 Foster Avenue, Nashville, TN 37210 | (615) 253-2293 | https://www.tn.gov/safety.html |
| Texas | Texas Department of Motor Vehicles | 4000 Jackson Ave., Austin, TX 78731 | (888) 368-4689 | https://www.txdmv.gov/motorists/consumer-protection/dont-make-a-move |
| Utah | None - local license is not required in Utah | 160 East 300 South, 4th Floor, Salt Lake City, UT 84114 | (801) 965-4205 | |
| Vermont | None - local license is not required in Vermont | 118 State Street, Montpelier, VT 05602 | (802) 828-4480 | |
| Virginia | Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles | 2300 West Broad Street, Richmond, VA 23269 | (804) 497-7100 | http://www.dmv.virginia.gov |
| Washington | Utilities and Transportation Commission | 1300 S. Evergreen Park Dr. SW, Olympia, WA 98504 | (360) 664-1160 | http://www.utc.wa.gov |
| West Virginia | West Virginia Public Service Commission | 201 Brooks Street, Charleston, WV 25301 | (800) 642-8544 | www.psc.state.wv.us |
| Wisconsin | Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) | 4802 Sheboygan Avenue, Madison, WI 53705 | (608) 250-4606 | https://wisconsindot.gov/Pages/dmv/com-drv-vehs/mtr-car-trkr/mc-authority.aspx |
| Wyoming | Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDT) | 5300 Bishop Blvd., Cheyenne, WY 82009 | (307) 777-4375 | www.dot.state.wy.us/cms/sites/wydot/home.html |
DOT Regulations for Moving Companies
There are quite a few DOT moving company regulations. Many of these are referred to as Consumer Protection Regulations. If you want to read more or actually look up the DOT regulations for moving companies, we would direct you to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration page where you can find all of them.
What is The Difference Between a DOT Number and an MC Number?
Don’t worry you are not the first person to wonder about this! Both are license numbers that identify interstate commerce. In the instance of transporting household goods (moving companies) a DOT license is required, not an MC license. So if you are working with a moving company, check to make sure they have a valid DOT license number.
An MC, or Motor Carrier license is required for transporting regulated commodities across state lines or for transporting passengers in interstate commerce.
We hope you enjoyed this post. By the way, some have reached out to us for help in getting a moving company license. That is not something we do, sorry.
