Moving Rules & Regulations, Explained
What a mover is allowed to charge you at delivery, what it owes you when something breaks, how long you have to file a claim — and who licenses movers in your state. Every rule here links to the regulation or agency page it comes from.
Last checked October 26, 2026
Federal Rules for Interstate Moves
These apply to every move that crosses a state line, whichever state you start in.
Binding vs. Non-Binding Moving Estimates
How binding and non-binding moving estimates work on interstate moves, what the 110% rule means at delivery, the 15% cap, and when a mover must survey your home first.
Released Value vs. Full Value Protection
What your interstate mover owes you if something breaks: full value protection vs. released value at 60 cents per pound per article, high-value items, and separate insurance.
Filing a Damage Claim Against a Mover
Federal deadlines for interstate moving claims: 9 months to file, 30 days for the mover to acknowledge, 120 days to resolve, when arbitration is binding, and when the mover pays your lawyer.
Moving Broker vs. Moving Carrier
A household goods broker arranges your move but doesn't own trucks. What federal rules require brokers to disclose, how broker estimates work, and how to check who will actually move you.
Your Rights When You Move Across State Lines
The federal paperwork, estimate, payment, valuation, delivery and claim rules every interstate household goods mover must follow, in one checklist from quote to claim.
The Bill of Lading and Your Moving Paperwork
The bill of lading is your contract with an interstate mover. What federal rules say it must contain, the 3-day rule to cancel, the inventory, and the documents you must receive.
Moving Weight, Weigh Tickets and Your Right to a Reweigh
On a weight-based interstate move, the price depends on the scale. How movers must weigh a shipment, your right to watch, weight tickets, and how to demand a reweigh.
Delivery Dates, Delays and Storage-in-Transit
Federal rules on interstate moving delivery dates: when a mover must deliver, how it must tell you about delays, early arrival, storage-in-transit notices and when its liability ends.
When a Mover Holds Your Belongings Hostage
What an interstate mover can legally demand before releasing your belongings, the 110% rule, how to pay, federal penalties for holding goods hostage, and who to call.
Moving Scam Red Flags
Red flags that an interstate mover isn't following federal rules — each tied to the regulation it breaks — and how to check a mover before you book.
Check a mover's USDOT number
Every rule above starts with knowing who you hired. Look up any mover's federal record.
Moving Within One State? Rules by State
Federal consumer rules stop at the state line. Inside a state, it's up to the state: some require a license and cap rates, some only want a registration, and a few don't license movers at all. Pick your state to see who regulates movers there and how to check one.
Compare all 50 states →Which rules apply to your move?
Look at where your belongings start and where they end. Same state: that state's rules, which range from a full license with capped rates to none at all. Different states: federal FMCSA rules, the same everywhere in the country. The distance doesn't matter — a ten-mile move across a state line is interstate.
The three checks that prevent most problems
Look up the mover's USDOT number and make sure the name matches your estimate. Get the estimate in writing after a survey of your belongings. Decide on valuation before moving day, not at the truck. Each takes minutes, and each is far easier to do before your belongings are loaded than after.
How these guides are written
Every rule is checked against the regulation text or the state agency that enforces it, and each page lists its sources with the date we checked them. When a source is missing or contradicts another, we say so instead of guessing. This is general information, not legal advice.
Moving regulations in each state
- Alabama moving rules
- Alaska moving rules
- Arizona moving rules
- Arkansas moving rules
- California moving rules
- Colorado moving rules
- Connecticut moving rules
- Delaware moving rules
- District of Columbia moving rules
- Florida moving rules
- Georgia moving rules
- Hawaii moving rules
- Idaho moving rules
- Illinois moving rules
- Indiana moving rules
- Iowa moving rules
- Kansas moving rules
- Kentucky moving rules
- Louisiana moving rules
- Maine moving rules
- Maryland moving rules
- Massachusetts moving rules
- Michigan moving rules
- Minnesota moving rules
- Mississippi moving rules
- Missouri moving rules
- Montana moving rules
- Nebraska moving rules
- Nevada moving rules
- New Hampshire moving rules
- New Jersey moving rules
- New Mexico moving rules
- New York moving rules
- North Carolina moving rules
- North Dakota moving rules
- Ohio moving rules
- Oklahoma moving rules
- Oregon moving rules
- Pennsylvania moving rules
- Rhode Island moving rules
- South Carolina moving rules
- South Dakota moving rules
- Tennessee moving rules
- Texas moving rules
- Utah moving rules
- Vermont moving rules
- Virginia moving rules
- Washington moving rules
- West Virginia moving rules
- Wisconsin moving rules
- Wyoming moving rules