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Moving Company ? Regulations & Permits | Moving Company License

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

StateAgencyAddressPhoneWebsite
AlabamaPublic Service Commission, Transportation Division100 N Union St, RSA Union, Montgomery, AL 36104(334) 242-5980http://www.psc.alabama.gov/Transportation/transportation.htm
AlaskaNone - local license is not required in Alaska701 West Eighth Avenue, Suite 300, Anchorage, AK 99501(907) 276-6222http://rca.alaska.gov/RCAWeb/home.aspx
ArizonaArizona Department of Weights and Measures, Arizona Department of Public Safety4425 W Olive Ave, Glendale, AZ 85302(800) 277-6675https://www.azdps.gov/services/public/hhg
ArkansasArkansas State Highway & Transportation Department10324 Interstate 30, Little Rock, Arkansas 72209(501) 569-2000https://www.arkansashighways.com
CaliforniaCalifornia Public Utilities CommissionSSRS Unit 505, Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94102-3298(800) 848-5580http://www.cpuc.ca.gov/puc/
ColoradoPublic Utilities Commission1560 Broadway, Suite 250, Denver, CO 80202(303) 894-2000https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/dora/movers
ConnecticutDepartment of Transportation,  Bureau of Public Transportation2800 Berlin Turnpike, Newington, CT 06111(860)-594-2000https://portal.ct.gov/DCP/Common-Elements/Consumer-Facts-and-Contacts/Movers-and-Moving
DelawareNone - local license is not required in DelawarePO Box 778, Dover, DE 19903(800) 652-5600
District of ColumbiaNone - local license is not required in District of Columbia914 N. Capital St, NE 2nd Floor, Washington, DC 20002(202) 442-4670
FloridaThe Division of Consumer Services, Bureau of ComplianceTerry Rhodes Building, 2005 Apalachee Parkway, Tallahassee, FL 32399-6500(800) 435-7352https://www.freshfromflorida.com/Consumer-Resources/Consumer-Rights-and-Responsibilities/Moving-Within-Florida
GeorgiaDepartment of Public Safety59 East Confederate Avenue, Atlanta, GA 30316(404) 624-7243http://www.gamccd.net/HouseholdGoods.aspx
HawaiiPublic Utilities Commission465 South King Street, #103, Honolulu, Hawaii 96813(808) 586-2020http://puc.hawaii.gov/transportation/
IdahoIdaho Transportation Department3311 W. State Street P.O. Box 7129, Boise, Idaho 83707-1129(208) 334-8000https://itd.idaho.gov//
IllinoisIllinois Commerce Commission 527 East Capitol Avenue, Springfield, IL 62701(800)524-0795https://www.icc.illinois.gov/householdgoodsmovers/
IndianaIndiana Department of Transportation5252 Decatur Blvd, Indianapolis, IN 46241(317) 615-7350www.in.gov/indot/index.htm
IowaIowa Department of TransportationPO Box 10382, Des Moines, IA 50306-0382(515) 237-3264https://iowadot.gov/mvd/motorcarriers
KansasKansas Corporation Commission, Transportation Division1500 SW Arrowhead Road, Topeka, KS 66604-4027(785) 271-3145www.kcc.state.ks.us
KentuckyKentucky Transportation Cabinet, Division of Motor Carriers200 Mero Street, Frankfort, KY 40622(502) 564-1257www.transportation.ky.gov
LouisianaLouisiana Department of Transportation and Development1201 Capitol Access Road, Baton Rouge, LA, 70802(225) 379-1232wwwsp.dotd.la.gov/Pages/default.aspx
MaineNone - local license is not required in MaineState House Station 29, Augusta, ME 04330
MarylandNone - local license is not required in Maryland6 Saint Paul Street 16th Floor, Baltimore, MC 21202
MassachusettsMassachusetts Department Of Public Utilities, Transportation Oversight Division1 South Station, Boston, MA 02110(617) 305-3559http://www.mass.gov/dpu/transportation
MichiganMichigan Public Service Commission, Motor Carrier Division6545 Mercantile Way, Suite 1, Lansing, MI 48911(517) 241-9770www.michigan.gov/mpsc
MinnesotaMinnesota Department of Transportation, Office of Freight and Commercial Vehicle Operations395 John Ireland Blvd, St. Paul, MN 55155-1899(800) 657-3774www.dot.state.mn.us
MississippiMississippi Department of Transportation401 North West Street, Jackson, Mississippi 39201(601) 359-7001http://mdot.ms.gov/portal/home.aspx
MissouriMissouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT)105 W. Capitol Avenue, Jefferson City, MO 65102(866) 275-6636www.modot.org
MontanaMontana Department of Transportation (MDT)PO Box 201001, Helena, MT 59620-1001(406) 444-6200www.mdt.mt.gov
NebraskaNebraska Public Service Commission1200 N Street, Suite 300, Lincoln, NE 68508(800) 526-0017 www.psc.nebraska.gov
NevadaNevada Transportation Authority2290 South Jones Blvd, Suite 110, Las Vegas, NV 89146(702) 486-3303www.nta.nv.gov
New HampshireNone - local license is not required in New Hampshire7 Hazen Drive, Concord, NH(603) 271-3734www.nh.gov/dot/
New JerseyDepartment of Law and Public Safety, New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs124 Halsey Street, Newark, New Jersey 07101(973) 504-6512https://www.njconsumeraffairs.gov/pmw/Pages/default.aspx
New MexicoPublic Regulation Commission1120 Paseo De Peralta, PERA Building, P.O. Box 1269, Santa Fe, NM 87504(888) 427-5772www.nmprc.state.nm.us
New YorkNew York State Department of Transportation50 Wolf Road, Albany, NY 12232(518) 457-6195https://www.dot.ny.gov
North CarolinaNorth Carolina Utilities Commission, Transportation Division 430 N. Salisbury Street, Room 1130, Raleigh, NC 27603-5919(919) 733-7766https://www.ncuc.net/Industries/transportation/transportation.html
North DakotaNorth Dakota Department of Transportation (NDDOT)608 East Boulevard Avenue, Bismarck, ND 58505-0700(701) 328-2500www.dot.nd.gov
OhioOhio Public Utilties Commission108 East Broad Street, Columbus, OH 43215(614) 466-3392http://www.puco.ohio.gov/apps/hhglist/index.cfm
OklahomaOklahoma Corporation Commission2101 North Lincoln Blvd., Oklahoma City, OK 73105(405) 521-2211www.occeweb.com
OregonOregon Department of Transportation, Motor Carrier Transportation Division3930 Fairview Industrial Dr SE, Salem, OR 97302(503) 378-5985http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/MCT/Pages/index.aspx
PennsylvaniaPennsylvania Public Utility Commission400 North Street, Harrisburg, PA 17120-0211(800) 692-7380http://www.puc.state.pa.us
Rhode IslandRhode Island Public Utilities Commission89 Jefferson Boulevard, Warwick, RI 02888(401) 780-2158www.ripuc.org
South CarolinaThe South Carolina Office of Regulatory Staff 1401 Main Street, Suite 900, Columbia, S.C. 29201(803) 737-0800www.regulatorystaff.sc.gov
South DakotaNo local license required in South Dakota, Moving companies must have their DOT number500 East Capital Avenue, Pierre, SD 57501(605) 773-3201
TennesseeNo local license required in Tennessee.1148 Foster Avenue, Nashville, TN 37210(615) 253-2293https://www.tn.gov/safety.html
TexasTexas Department of Motor Vehicles4000 Jackson Ave., Austin, TX 78731(888) 368-4689https://www.txdmv.gov/motorists/consumer-protection/dont-make-a-move
UtahNone - local license is not required in Utah160 East 300 South, 4th Floor, Salt Lake City, UT 84114(801) 965-4205
VermontNone - local license is not required in Vermont118 State Street, Montpelier, VT 05602(802) 828-4480
VirginiaVirginia Department of Motor Vehicles2300 West Broad Street, Richmond, VA 23269(804) 497-7100http://www.dmv.virginia.gov
WashingtonUtilities and Transportation Commission1300 S. Evergreen Park Dr. SW, Olympia, WA 98504(360) 664-1160http://www.utc.wa.gov
West VirginiaWest Virginia Public Service Commission201 Brooks Street, Charleston, WV 25301(800) 642-8544www.psc.state.wv.us
WisconsinWisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT)4802 Sheboygan Avenue, Madison, WI 53705(608) 250-4606https://wisconsindot.gov/Pages/dmv/com-drv-vehs/mtr-car-trkr/mc-authority.aspx
WyomingWyoming Department of Transportation (WYDT)5300 Bishop Blvd., Cheyenne, WY 82009(307) 777-4375www.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.  

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