Is This Mover Legal? Check the Federal Number and Your State's License
Which rules cover your move, what a mover on a state-line job must hand you, and a table of the 50 states and DC with the agency, the permit and a lookup where one exists. Read in federal rules and state pages on 13 November 2026.
Updated
Two different sets of rules can cover a move, and a company that is fine under one may be unlicensed under the other. A mover that carries your things to another state answers to the federal government. One that stays inside your state answers to a state agency in most places, and to nobody in a few. Start with the picker below, then use the table to look the company up.
Which rules cover your move?
Choose where the truck is going. The answer lists what to ask for and where to find it.
Four things a mover on a state-line job has to put in your hands
A registered name and a USDOT number
Federal law lets a motor carrier offer transportation only once it is registered. The booklet every mover must give you says the bill of lading has to carry the name the company is registered under with FMCSA, its address and the USDOT numbers of any carriers that will take part. The same booklet tells you to avoid brokers and movers that are not registered.
A written estimate, after someone has seen your things
The rules call for a physical survey of the goods before a written estimate, either on site or on a video call, unless you waive the survey in writing. The estimate must be dated and signed by both sides. A figure quoted on the phone is not an estimate under the rules.
Two booklets, with the estimate
With the written estimate the mover has to hand over "Ready to Move?" and "Your Rights and Responsibilities When You Move", or a link to each. It also has to tell you about its arbitration program and how to read its tariff.
Insurance that is real
For-hire trucks of 10,001 pounds and above that carry ordinary goods between states must hold at least $750,000 of public liability cover under the federal schedule. That figure protects people on the road, not your sofa. Your goods are covered by the valuation option you pick in the estimate, which the guide on held goods and damage claims explains.
To look a company up by USDOT or MC number, the booklet sends you to the FMCSA Licensing and Insurance search, where a carrier search also lists its process agent in each state. Both are linked at the bottom of the page.
Inside the border: who licenses movers in each state
Each row names the agency, the permit and, where the agency publishes one, a page to look a mover up. Rows marked "ask the agency" are states where the page was closed to our check or silent, so we do not state a rule for them.
| State | What we found | Agency and permit | Where to look |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | License or registration | Public Service Commission, Motor Carrier SectionIntrastate authority for household goods carriers. Insurance and a filed tariff are required, the page gives no amounts. | Official page |
| Alaska | None found | Regulatory Commission of AlaskaNone found. The statutes we opened (Title 42) do not mention household goods movers. The commission site blocked our check, so confirm with it. | Official page |
| Arizona | None found | Department of Public SafetyNo mover license found. The state page only points consumers to the Corporation Commission company search to confirm a business is registered. | Official page Look up a mover |
| Arkansas | License or registration | Department of Transportation (ARDOT)Intrastate authority, with a specific household goods movers application. The application fee listed is $50. | Official page |
| California | License or registration | Bureau of Household Goods and ServicesHousehold mover license. The Department of Consumer Affairs says movers need a license for moves inside California and for moves that start or end there. | Official page Look up a mover |
| Colorado | License or registration | Public Utilities CommissionHousehold goods mover permit (HHG number). The page says the permit number belongs in the mover's advertising and contracts. | Official page |
| Connecticut | License or registration | Department of TransportationHousehold Goods Carrier Certificate. The Department of Consumer Protection sends movers to the DOT certificate. The DOT publishes a roster of certified movers. | Official page Look up a mover |
| Delaware | None found | Department of TransportationNo mover license found. Delaware's public carrier chapter does not list household movers. | Official page |
| District of Columbia | License or registration | Department of Licensing and Consumer ProtectionMoving and Storage business license. Licenses run for two or four years. | Official page Look up a mover |
| Florida | License or registration | Department of Agriculture and Consumer ServicesMover or moving broker registration (Chapter 507). Statute 507.04: liability cover of at least $10,000 per shipment, or a $50,000 bond or deposit for a mover with two or fewer vehicles. | Official page |
| Georgia | License or registration | Department of Public SafetyClass B Household Goods Certificate. The department publishes a maximum intrastate rate tariff for moves, updated for 2026. | Official page |
| Hawaii | License or registration | Public Utilities CommissionMotor carrier certificate or permit, household goods class. The commission publishes an active motor carriers report. | Official page Look up a mover |
| Idaho | Ask the agency | Idaho Transportation DepartmentNot confirmed. We could not open an official Idaho page that settles this. | No link we could confirm |
| Illinois | License or registration | Illinois Commerce CommissionHousehold Goods license. The commission page says for-hire household movers must hold it and keep insurance on file. | Official page Look up a mover |
| Indiana | License or registration | Department of Revenue, Motor Carrier ServicesIndiana operating authority for household goods. The page says carriers of household goods for pay must apply for it. | Official page |
| Iowa | License or registration | Department of TransportationIntrastate permit or certificate with a filed household goods tariff. Set out in rule 761 IAC chapter 524. | Official page |
| Kansas | License or registration | Corporation CommissionCertificate for household goods carriers. Statute K.S.A. 66-1,114 makes it unlawful to operate without it. | Official page Look up a mover |
| Kentucky | License or registration | Transportation CabinetIntrastate household goods authority. The cabinet publishes a PDF list of household goods carriers rather than a search. | Official page |
| Louisiana | License or registration | Public Service CommissionHousehold goods mover registration. Statute R.S. 45:164: cargo cover of $50,000 per truck and $100,000 per catastrophe, plus a $5,000 bond. | Official page Look up a mover |
| Maine | Ask the agency | Secretary of State, Bureau of Motor VehiclesNot confirmed. The old mover license section was repealed in 2009 and we found no current page that replaces it. | Official page |
| Maryland | License or registration | Department of LaborHousehold Goods Movers registration. Registration became mandatory under a law in force since 1 October 2019. | Official page Look up a mover |
| Massachusetts | Ask the agency | Department of Public UtilitiesMoving company operating authority (agency page not opened). The agency page blocked our check. Confirm the current rule with the department before you hire. | No link we could confirm |
| Michigan | Ask the agency | State Police, Commercial Vehicle Enforcement DivisionIntrastate operating authority (agency page not opened). The agency page blocked our check. Confirm the current rule with the division before you hire. | No link we could confirm |
| Minnesota | License or registration | Department of TransportationHousehold Goods Mover permit. Minimums on the page: $100,000/$300,000 public liability, $50,000 property damage, $50,000 cargo. | Official page |
| Mississippi | License or registration | Department of TransportationCertificate of convenience and necessity for household goods. The application fee listed is $50. | Official page |
| Missouri | Ask the agency | Department of TransportationIntrastate authority for household goods carriers (agency page not read). The agency pages came back empty for our check. Confirm the current rule with MoDOT before you hire. | No link we could confirm |
| Montana | License or registration | Public Service CommissionCertificate of Public Convenience and Necessity. The commission's application guide is dated 2015. | Official page |
| Nebraska | License or registration | Public Service CommissionHousehold Goods Movers license. The commission publishes a list of licensees with license numbers. | Official page Look up a mover |
| Nevada | Ask the agency | Nevada Transportation AuthorityCertificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (household goods). The authority says it enforces the household goods mover laws. We could not read its list of active certificates. | Official page |
| New Hampshire | Ask the agency | Department of SafetyHousehold goods carrier certificate (agency page not opened). The state page blocked our check. Confirm the current rule with the department before you hire. | No link we could confirm |
| New Jersey | License or registration | Division of Consumer AffairsPublic Mover and Warehouseman license. Movers whose moves start and end in New Jersey must show their license number on the vehicle. | Official page |
| New Mexico | License or registration | Public Regulation Commission, moving to the Department of TransportationOperating authority for household goods moving. The commission announced the transfer to the Department of Transportation for 1 July 2024. | Official page |
| New York | License or registration | Department of TransportationCertificate to transport household goods. Article 191 of the Transportation Law bars intrastate household goods service without it. | Official page |
| North Carolina | License or registration | Utilities CommissionHousehold goods mover certificate (C number). Required for moves inside the state. | Official page |
| North Dakota | License or registration | Department of TransportationHousehold goods carrier permit. Public liability cover must be on file. The department can exempt moves wholly inside a city. | Official page |
| Ohio | License or registration | Public Utilities CommissionCertificate of Public Convenience and Necessity. Household goods movers renew every year. Liability cover of $750,000 is listed. | Official page Look up a mover |
| Oklahoma | License or registration | Corporation CommissionHousehold Goods certificate. Required even for moves inside city limits. | Official page |
| Oregon | License or registration | Department of TransportationIntrastate Certificate to Transport Household Goods. The department publishes a list of authorized movers. | Official page Look up a mover |
| Pennsylvania | License or registration | Public Utility CommissionCertificate of public convenience or permit for household goods in use. From the commission's rules in the Pennsylvania Code. The commission site refused our connection. | Official page |
| Rhode Island | Ask the agency | Division of Public Utilities and CarriersOperating authority for household goods movers (agency page not opened). The agency page blocked our check. Confirm the current rule with the division before you hire. | No link we could confirm |
| South Carolina | License or registration | Office of Regulatory StaffCertificate for household goods carriers. Section 58-23-40 of the state code requires it before carrying household goods for pay or advertising. | Official page |
| South Dakota | None found | Department of RevenueNo mover license found. The motor carrier chapter of the statutes is almost entirely repealed. | Official page |
| Tennessee | General carrier rule | Department of Revenue, Motor CarrierIntrastate authority for for-hire carriers. Household goods are named only through the cargo insurance form the page asks for. | Official page |
| Texas | License or registration | Department of Motor VehiclesHousehold goods mover certificate. An "Active" certificate in the lookup means the mover is licensed. | Official page Look up a mover |
| Utah | None found | Department of TransportationNo mover license found. Utah's motor carrier chapter covers safety and has no household goods license. | Official page |
| Vermont | None found | Department of Motor VehiclesNo mover license found. The DMV guide to for-hire transport lists registration only. | Official page |
| Virginia | License or registration | Department of Motor VehiclesHousehold Goods Carrier authority. $750,000 liability, $50,000 cargo cover and a $50,000 bond or letter of credit kept on file. | Official page Look up a mover |
| Washington | License or registration | Utilities and Transportation CommissionHousehold goods mover permit. The commission lists active household goods carriers in a public directory. | Official page Look up a mover |
| West Virginia | General carrier rule | Public Service CommissionCertificate of convenience and necessity for common carriers by motor vehicle. The code sections we opened do not name household goods. | Official page |
| Wisconsin | General carrier rule | Department of TransportationIntrastate operating authority (local carrier number). A general rule for carrying other people's property inside the state. We found no page about movers. | Official page |
| Wyoming | General carrier rule | Department of TransportationLetter of operating authority. A general rule for any for-hire hauler. We found no page about movers. | Official page |
No state matches that filter.
"None found" describes the statutes and agency pages we could open on 13 November 2026. It is not a statement from the state. Insurance and bond amounts appear only where the agency page gives them.
What a license number cannot tell you
It proves a registration, not good service
A number says the company filed what the agency asks for. It says nothing about whether the crew shows up on time or handles a wardrobe carefully. Pair the lookup with what customers say in recent reviews and with the written estimate.
Brokers are not movers
The federal booklet defines a broker as a company that arranges a move by a registered mover. A broker has to be registered too, and the mover that turns up must be the one named in your paperwork. If the name on the truck differs from the name on the estimate, stop and ask why before anything is loaded. To find a company worth checking, start from the city lists of local moving companies or long distance movers.
Being on a list on this site is not a license check either. A list tells you what a business does and how the public rates it. The registers in the table and the federal lookup tell you whether it may legally carry your belongings, and you are the one who can run that search in two minutes.
Registers and rules behind this guide
- 49 CFR Part 375 and its Appendix AEstimates, survey, booklets, bill of lading contents, metro-zone exception. Read on 13 November 2026.
- 49 U.S. Code 13901Registration before a motor carrier may provide transportation. Read on 13 November 2026.
- 49 CFR 387.9Minimum public liability of $750,000 for for-hire trucks of 10,001 pounds and above. Read on 13 November 2026.
- FMCSA Licensing and Insurance searchThe carrier lookup the booklet points to. The site did not open for our automated check.
- State agenciesEach row above links to the agency page or statute we read, on 13 November 2026. Where the agency site refused us, the row says so and carries no link.