Almost every moving company says it is licensed and insured. In California you do not have to take that on trust, because the state publishes the licence database and it is open to anyone.
Checking takes about two minutes. It rules out the operators behind most of the horror stories, and it costs nothing. This guide covers how to do that check, what California law already entitles you to, and the signals worth paying attention to once licensing is confirmed.
Start with the Cal-T number
Household movers operating inside California are licensed by the Bureau of Household Goods and Services, part of the state Department of Consumer Affairs. The licence is a Household Mover Permit, known almost universally as a Cal-T number.
State law requires every household mover to display that number on its vehicles, and it should also appear on the website, the estimate, and the contract. Ours is Cal-T / MTR 0192323, and you can find it in the footer of every page on this site.
A missing Cal-T number is the end of the conversation. There is no version of a legitimate California moving company that does not have one.
How to verify it in two minutes
Moving in the Bay Area? Get a detailed written quote for your move.
- Go to the BHGS licence lookup at bhgs.dca.ca.gov/enforcement/lookup.shtml
- Choose License Search for Household Movers
- Type the company name into the Carrier Name / DBA field
- Leave the county field on "Select Any County"
- Submit
What you are looking for is a Carrier Status of "Active". Anything else, and that is your answer.
Two things people miss. First, check that the name on the licence matches the name on the estimate. Brokers sometimes quote under one name and subcontract the actual move to a different carrier. Second, the same BHGS site publishes citations and disciplinary actions, so it is worth a look while you are there.
For a move crossing state lines, the regulator is federal instead. Interstate carriers need a US DOT number, searchable at safer.fmcsa.dot.gov. Ours is US DOT 3549568.
A company can hold a valid Cal-T permit and still be wrong for your move. Licensing is the floor, not the ceiling. It tells you the company is legal, not that it is good.
What California already owes you
These are legal requirements for in-state moves, not favours. If a company treats any of them as optional, that tells you something.
A written Not to Exceed price. Before the move begins, the mover must give you a written maximum. You cannot be charged above it unless you agree, in writing, to additional services. This is the single strongest protection California gives you, and it is the one most people have never heard of.
The state booklet. Movers must provide a booklet titled "Important Information for Persons Moving Household Goods (within California)" at first contact. It explains your rights and the claims process.
Basic liability of 60 cents per pound, per item. This is the default coverage, and it is worth understanding before you need it rather than after. Sixty cents per pound means a 40-pound television is covered for $24, regardless of what it cost. That is not an insult, it is simply the statutory minimum, and it is why full value protection exists as an option.
Ask what your mover's full value protection costs before moving day. It is a different product to the 60-cent default, and the time to decide is while you are reading the estimate, not while you are looking at a damaged item.
Reading an estimate properly
Once licensing checks out, the estimate tells you most of what is left.
A real estimate describes your move. Crew size, truck size, estimated hours, materials, and any specialty items should be itemised. If you cannot recognise your own move in the document, it was not built from your details.
Ask what is not included. The common additions are long carry, stairs, elevator wait, fuel, packing materials, and bulky item handling. None of these are unreasonable. All of them should be visible in advance.
Compare the same thing. Two hourly rates are not comparable unless the crew sizes match. A cheaper three-person crew that takes six hours costs more than a four-person crew that takes three.
Be wary of estimates given without any questions. A price quoted over the phone in ninety seconds, with no discussion of access, stairs, parking, or inventory, is a number designed to win the booking. The real figure arrives later.
Warning signs worth taking seriously
- Large deposits up front. A deposit to hold a date is normal. A substantial percentage of the total before anything is loaded is not.
- No written estimate. Verbal-only pricing removes the one document that protects you.
- A name that does not match the licence. Or a licence that cannot be found at all.
- No physical address. Every legitimate mover has one, and it is not a mailbox service.
- Pressure to sign immediately. Discounts that expire today are a sales tactic, not a price.
- Reviews that all arrived at once. A cluster of five-star reviews inside one week, with no detail in them, is worth more scrutiny than a mixed history with specifics.
Questions worth asking on the call
- Is the crew employed by you, or subcontracted?
- Who is my point of contact on move day, and how do I reach them?
- What happens if the job runs longer than estimated?
- Do you handle the SFMTA parking permit, or do I?
- Can my building's certificate of insurance requirements be met, and how quickly?
That last pair matters more in San Francisco than almost anywhere else. Most buildings here require a certificate of insurance before a crew is allowed in, and most streets need a parking permit arranged days ahead. A company that cannot answer those two questions confidently has not done many moves in this city.
Where San Francisco differs
The licence check is the same statewide. The practical questions are not.
Victorian staircases, buildings with a single small elevator and a strict move window, blocks where the nearest legal parking is two hundred feet from the door, and neighbourhoods where a 26-foot truck simply cannot turn. These are the conditions that decide whether a move takes four hours or eight, and they are not visible in an hourly rate.
Ask how the company plans to handle your specific access on both ends. The answer tells you whether they have worked here.
In short
Check the Cal-T number against the BHGS database and confirm the status is Active. Insist on a written Not to Exceed price. Understand that 60 cents per pound is the default, not real coverage. Then judge the estimate on how specifically it describes your move.
You can see our licensing and credentials in full, read what clients have said, or request a written quote and compare it against anyone else's.
