In California, a mover needs a state permit from the Bureau of Household Goods and Services before it can even advertise a move inside the state. Rates are capped by a state tariff called Max 4, and your CAL-T number has to appear on your ads and paperwork. From hillside streets in San Francisco to long hauls up Interstate 5, a licensed crew that plays by these rules has plenty of room to grow.
Quick answer: do you need a state license in California?
Yes. Anyone paid to move used household goods within California needs a household movers permit from BHGS, and the law covers advertising, soliciting and brokering moves, not just driving the truck. BHGS also licenses movers that handle moves into or out of California, on top of their federal authority. A mover working without a permit cannot sue a customer to collect payment, and its trucks can be impounded.
Do you need a license to move households in California?
Yes. Anyone paid to move used household goods within California needs a household movers permit from BHGS, and the law covers advertising, soliciting and brokering moves, not just driving the truck. BHGS also licenses movers that handle moves into or out of California, on top of their federal authority. A mover working without a permit cannot sue a customer to collect payment, and its trucks can be impounded.
Movers in California are regulated by the Bureau of Household Goods and Services (BHGS). The permit is called the Household Movers Permit (CAL-T number).
- Get a USDOT number from the FMCSA, then a CA number from the California Highway Patrol by filing form CHP 362 (Motor Carrier Profile). The CHP’s guidance for new intrastate carriers also covers the DMV Motor Carrier Permit.
- Apply to BHGS online through its Connect portal or by mail, with the $500 nonrefundable fee and the forms on the application checklist: equipment list, safety program, workers’ compensation declaration, business papers and your fictitious business name filing if you use one.
- Complete Live Scan fingerprinting for each owner, partner, corporate officer or LLC member once BHGS sends you the form.
- Pass the BHGS exam on the Max 4 tariff. It is open book and multiple choice, you need 70 percent to pass, and you get three tries at least 30 days apart.
- Have your insurer send BHGS certificates for liability, cargo and workers’ compensation, plus your CA number notice. Finish every item within 120 days of BHGS processing your application.
What insurance and paperwork does a California mover need?
- Public liability and property damage: at least $250,000 for injury or death of one person, $500,000 per accident for more than one person and $100,000 for property damage, or a combined single limit of at least $600,000 (Business and Professions Code section 19248).
- Cargo insurance: $20,000. BHGS can approve a lower amount only after a mover shows that it still protects the public.
- Workers’ compensation covering all employees, on file with BHGS. If you say you have no employees, you must explain in writing how you will run moves without them.
- C.O.D. surety bond: $2,000, filed with BHGS before you handle collect on delivery shipments.
Price lists and estimates
BHGS sets maximum rates and the rules for estimates in Maximum Rate Tariff 4 (Max 4), and the permit exam is based on it. For moves of 100 miles or less, hourly or distance rates apply, and longer moves use distance rates. You may not advertise, quote or charge by the cubic foot, and you may not advertise rates in phone or online directories. You also file quarterly revenue reports and pay a fee based on gross operating revenue.
When you work with customers in California, plan for these rules:
- Give every customer the booklet “Important Information for Persons Moving Household Goods” with the signed Not to Exceed notice at least three days before the move. If they book later, give it as soon as you can, and do not start any work until it is signed.
- The Not to Exceed amount is the most the customer can owe, plus any change order they sign before the extra work. Keep the signed notice for at least three years.
- Written estimates may only be given after a visual inspection of the goods.
- Once the customer pays the Not to Exceed amount plus any signed change orders, you must release their goods.
- Show your CAL-T number on printed ads, shipping documents and forms, and add a prominent link on your website to the BHGS website.
Do California movers need a USDOT number?
Yes. California Vehicle Code section 34507.5 requires intrastate motor carriers to get a USDOT number before the CHP will issue a CA number, even if your trucks never leave the state.
If you take jobs that cross the California state line, federal rules apply on top of the state rules:
- USDOT number: every mover that carries household goods across state lines needs one from the FMCSA.
- Operating authority (MC number): for-hire household goods movers need FMCSA authority before taking interstate jobs.
- Insurance on file: your insurer files proof of liability and cargo coverage with the FMCSA.
- Process agent (BOC-3): someone in each state who can accept legal papers on your behalf.
- Unified Carrier Registration: a yearly registration, priced by fleet size.
- Customer paperwork: a written estimate, a bill of lading, the FMCSA booklet “Your Rights and Responsibilities When You Move” and access to an arbitration program for loss and damage claims.
The licenses and insurance guide explains each one.
What is the moving market like in California?
- Hills, narrow streets and tight parking in San Francisco, Oakland and the canyon neighborhoods of Los Angeles often mean long carries, shuttle trucks and street parking permits. Ask about access before you give a Not to Exceed price.
- Many in-state jobs are long hauls between Southern California, the Central Valley and the Bay Area. Max 4 prices moves over 100 miles differently from local moves, so set up your estimates for both.
- Wildfire season can close roads and force sudden moves, which raises demand for storage and short-notice crews. Have a plan for smoke days and evacuation orders.
- Military bases such as Camp Pendleton, Naval Base San Diego and Travis Air Force Base, along with Silicon Valley employers and big university towns, keep families moving all year, with summer as the peak.
- BHGS runs enforcement sweeps against unlicensed movers, especially before the summer rush. A visible permit number is a real selling point for customers who have heard moving scam stories.
Most moves in California happen around Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco and Oakland, San Jose, Sacramento, Orange County, Riverside and San Bernardino and Fresno.
How do you market a moving company in California?
- Put your CAL-T number in your site header or footer, on your trucks and in every ad, and add the required link to the BHGS website. California customers are told to check a mover’s license before they hire, so make it easy.
- Build a page for each city and neighborhood you serve, since a family in Pasadena searches differently than one in Fresno. Our local SEO setup creates those town pages for you.
- BHGS publishes its moving tips in English and Spanish. If your crew can serve Spanish speakers, offer your website and estimates in Spanish too.
- Never post prices by the cubic foot or list rates in online directories, since Max 4 bans both. Instead, explain on your site how hourly pricing and the Not to Exceed price work, in plain words.
- Ask every customer for a review right after delivery. In crowded markets like Los Angeles and the Bay Area, a steady stream of fresh reviews is what separates you from unlicensed crews, and review requests can run on autopilot.
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