Who Regulates Moving Companies in the US? A Plain Guide

Who regulates your mover depends on whether the truck crosses a state line. Interstate moves are regulated by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA); moves within a state are regulated by that state, and the state agency varies. Overseas moves add a third regulator, the Federal Maritime Commission, for the ocean leg.

That split explains most of the confusion. A mover can be fully licensed for one kind of move and unregistered for the other, and the paperwork, the liability rules and the place to complain all change at the state line.

Interstate moves: FMCSA

Any mover carrying household goods across a state line must hold active FMCSA operating authority, which shows up as a USDOT number and an MC number, and must appear in the public register (the SAFER lookup). Brokers, which arrange moves but do not carry them, must register separately as brokers and must tell you that they are brokers. The moving broker vs carrier guide covers that distinction.

The consumer protection rules are in 49 CFR Part 375. What they require of the mover:

Requirement	What it means for you
Consumer booklet	The mover must give you, or link you to, FMCSA’s “Your Rights and Responsibilities When You Move” booklet and the “Ready to Move” brochure
Written estimate after a survey	The mover must survey your goods, in person or by live or recorded video, and give you a written estimate before it accepts them
Binding or non-binding estimate	A binding estimate fixes the price for the listed inventory and services; a non-binding estimate is a guess, and the mover cannot demand more than 110% of it at delivery, with any balance due within 30 days
Two liability options	Released value at 60 cents per pound per article at no charge, or full value protection, which is the default unless you waive it in writing
Arbitration program	The mover must have an arbitration program for loss and damage disputes; under the rule it is binding for claims of $10,000 or less if you request it, and the mover cannot charge you more than half the cost
Bill of lading	The mover must prepare and issue one before loading; it is the contract, a copy must travel with the shipment, and it is signed at origin and at destination

Complaints about an interstate mover or broker go to FMCSA. The regulator’s job is licensing and enforcement; your individual claim for a broken table runs through the mover’s claims process and the arbitration program it was required to offer.

Moves within a state: the state decides

For a local or in-state move, FMCSA’s consumer rules do not apply. Each state runs its own regime, and they range from a full permit program with a consumer booklet to nothing mover-specific at all. Three of the largest states show the range of what “regulated” can mean. They also hold the most carriers in the federal register: Texas 2,438, Florida 2,045 and California 1,617 active household-goods carriers as of our September 23, 2026 snapshot.

California: Bureau of Household Goods and Services

California’s movers were regulated by the Public Utilities Commission until July 1, 2018, when SB 19 transferred the program to the Bureau of Household Goods and Services (BHGS), part of the Department of Consumer Affairs. Under the Household Movers Act a mover operating within California needs a permit from the bureau, and as a condition of the permit the bureau requires the mover to carry public liability protection and cargo insurance, kept in force for the life of the permit and not cancelable on less than 30 days’ written notice. Complaints go to the bureau. Our California movers page lists the carriers in the federal register for the state.

Texas: Department of Motor Vehicles

In Texas a mover needs a TxDMV certificate. TxDMV requires licensed movers to display their name, TxDMV certificate number and USDOT number on both sides of the truck, permanently or on a magnetic sign, and to give you the “Your Rights and Responsibilities When You Move in Texas” document before loading. A licensed mover provides a proposal and a contract and asks you to sign at different stages of the move. Liability can be limited by agreement to 60 cents per pound per item, so transit insurance is a separate purchase. You can check a certificate in TxDMV’s Truck Stop lookup and file a complaint through its Complaint Management System. See the Texas movers page for the register.

Florida: Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services

Florida regulates intrastate movers and moving brokers under Chapter 507 of the Florida Statutes, administered by FDACS. Movers register every two years at $300 per year, every contract must state that the firm is registered with the State of Florida and give its registration number, every advertisement must carry “Fla. Mover Reg. No.” or “Fla. IM No.”, and vehicles must show the identifier on the driver’s-side doors. Movers must carry liability coverage of at least $10,000 per shipment or post a $50,000 performance bond, plus motor vehicle coverage that scales with vehicle weight. Operating without registering can bring a cease-and-desist order and fines of up to $5,000. The Florida movers page lists the state’s carriers.

Everywhere else

Other states place movers under a public utilities commission, a department of transportation, a consumer affairs agency or, in some cases, no mover-specific program. The reliable way to find out is to search your state government’s site for “household goods mover” and see which agency answers. The six checks on our how to check a moving company page work in any state.

International moves: the Federal Maritime Commission

When your household goes overseas, the company that packs it and drives it to the port may be an FMCSA-regulated carrier, but the company that books the ocean container is an ocean transportation intermediary, either a freight forwarder or a non-vessel-operating common carrier. Those are licensed by the Federal Maritime Commission, not FMCSA, and must show proof of financial responsibility to cover claims. If an international mover cannot tell you who its FMC-licensed intermediary is, that is the question to press.

Local business licensing

A city or county business license is not a moving license. It confirms that a business exists and pays local taxes; it says nothing about insurance, valuation, estimates or safety. A mover that shows you a business license in place of an FMCSA or state registration is answering a different question.

What is not regulated

• Labor-only crews, in many states. Regulators license carriers, meaning companies that transport goods in their own trucks. A crew that only loads your rental truck or container often falls outside the state’s mover program, so there may be no license to check, no required valuation and no complaint route beyond the courts. Ask whether the company is licensed as a mover, and if not, treat it as a contractor: written scope, proof of insurance, references.
• Prices. FMCSA does not set or cap what an interstate mover charges. Movers publish their own tariffs, and the rules govern how estimates are made and honored, not the rate. A quote that looks high is legal; a final bill that ignores the estimate rules is not.
• Promises made by brokers and lead sites. A broker’s quote binds nobody until a carrier issues an estimate. That gap is where most of the patterns in moving scams and red flags live.
• Reviews, memberships and badges. None of them is a license. Check the register.

Where to complain, in order

1. The mover, in writing. Loss and damage claims start with a written claim to the carrier named on your bill of lading. Keep copies and photographs.
2. Arbitration (interstate moves). If the claim stalls, invoke the arbitration program the mover was required to offer.
3. The regulator. FMCSA for an interstate mover or broker; the state agency (BHGS, TxDMV, FDACS or your state’s equivalent) for an in-state move. Regulators act on patterns and licensing, so a complaint matters even when it does not recover your money.
4. Your state attorney general or consumer protection office, for deceptive practices, hostage-goods situations and unlicensed operators.
5. Small claims court, for the money itself when everything above has failed.

The moving industry hub explains how carriers, agents, brokers and regulators fit together, and why the register is the first thing to check before any of this becomes necessary.