The FMCSA motor carrier census lists 399 household goods registrants whose physical address is in Los Angeles, CA, and 73 of those are classified by FMCSA as interstate operations. BestMovers.info holds no Los Angeles price measurement, only the California range on the California page. Moves that stay inside California are licensed by the Bureau of Household Goods and Services. Street parking permits run $15, $60 from LADOT and often need 7+ days notice; rush-hour traffic on the 405 can add 90+ minutes to a cross-town move.
Los Angeles is one of the hardest moves in the country to price — distances inside the metro can be longer than most cross-state moves. Here are our editorial cost estimates for 2026 and how to choose one that handles LADOT permits, hill carries, and the 405.
Common service neighborhoods: Hollywood, Santa Monica, Venice, Silver Lake, Downtown LA, Pasadena.
Researched and written by Grant Holloway · Reviewed by Brittany Evans · Last reviewed August 2026
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Los Angeles is one of the hardest moves in the country to price — distances inside the metro can be longer than most cross-state moves. Here are our editorial cost estimates for 2026 and how to choose one that handles LADOT permits, hill carries, and the 405.
LA's moving market is shaped by three things: traffic, sprawl, and the California Bureau of Household Goods and Services (BHGS). Every legitimate intrastate household-goods mover in California holds a Household Movers permit, still commonly called a Cal-T number, issued by BHGS; household-goods regulation moved from the California Public Utilities Commission to BHGS on 1 July 2018. Maximum Rate Tariff 4 sets the maximum rates a permit holder may charge on an intrastate move.
For interstate moves out of LA, federal FMCSA rules apply instead. The challenge is that LA attracts a high concentration of out-of-state brokers who buy leads, mark them up, and assign the work to whichever carrier is cheapest. That's the single biggest source of complaint volume in LA county. Verifying a mover's USDOT and confirming whether you're talking to a carrier or a broker matters more here than almost anywhere else.
Anything dramatically cheaper is either a broker pretending to be a local mover or a non-CAL-T operator — both should be avoided.
Long-distance moves out of LA price by weight and miles. Use the moving cost calculator for a custom estimate before any sales call.
Within LA County and to neighboring counties (Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino), Maximum Rate Tariff 4 governs hourly billing. Most movers bill door-to-door including a 'double drive time' charge. Expect 6–10 hours for a 2-BR even on a short move because of LA traffic.
Crossing state lines flips you into FMCSA territory. Always pull the carrier's USDOT record, confirm operating authority is active, and prefer binding-not-to-exceed estimates. LA-to-anywhere lanes are well-traveled, so prices are competitive if you avoid brokers.
May through September is peak in LA, with end-of-July through Labor Day being the absolute crunch. Mid-week, mid-month moves October through April are the cheapest. Avoid the last weekend of any month if you have any flexibility.
The only moving cost range BestMovers.info holds for Los Angeles is the California statewide range, and it is published in full on the California page.
Driving distances and transit windows from the routes dataset; transit days are carrier delivery spreads, not guarantees.
Get a personalized estimate before any sales call. Editorial estimate based on broader national moving-cost data; BestMovers.info does not maintain a separate Los Angeles transaction-price dataset.
IRS county migration data for filing years 2022 to 2023 records 162,890 returns moving out of Los Angeles County, the county Los Angeles sits in, and 122,437 moving in. A return approximates a household rather than a person. Those filings cover 264,089 individuals leaving and 177,566 arriving.
The counties receiving the most households from Los Angeles County were Orange County (19,802 returns), San Bernardino County (18,325 returns) and Riverside County (11,161 returns).
Arrivals came mainly from Orange County (16,006 returns), San Bernardino County (10,887 returns) and Riverside County (6,767 returns).
These figures come from federal tax return data and cover all household moves, not only those using professional movers.
IRS SOI county outflow fileIRS SOI county inflow fileData as of tax filing years 2022 to 2023
The FMCSA motor carrier census lists 399 registrants carrying household goods whose physical address is in Los Angeles, and 73 of those are classified by FMCSA as interstate operations. That figure counts companies whose federal registration lists an address in Los Angeles. It is not the number of companies that will serve a move there: a mover registered in a neighbouring city can take the job, and a company registered in Los Angeles may not.
FMCSA motor carrier census, Company Census FileData as of 2026-08-10
Moving crews quoting Los Angeles work Hollywood, Santa Monica, Venice, Silver Lake, Downtown LA, Pasadena and the surrounding areas.
Movers working inside Los Angeles are licensed by the Bureau of Household Goods and Services, whose licence, lookup route and complaint channel are set out on the California page.
These companies are headquartered elsewhere in California. Their inclusion here does not by itself confirm a local office in Los Angeles.
Atlas agent and one of the largest West Coast interstate operators. Strong corporate-relocation track record with Fortune 500 clients.
Ace Relocation Systems is headquartered elsewhere in CA. That does not by itself confirm an office in Los Angeles, and no service claim is made here.
South Bay mover with steady operations across Silicon Valley and the Peninsula. Tech-relocation experience.
Bay Area Movers is headquartered elsewhere in CA. That does not by itself confirm an office in Los Angeles, and no service claim is made here.
These companies publish broad nationwide moving service and are shown separately from locally or state-based companies.
One of the oldest moving brands in the US, Bekins runs an agent-affiliate model similar to Allied, with interstate shipments booked under the Bekins registration and performed by affiliated agents.
Bekins Moving Solutions publishes broad nationwide moving service on its own site. It is shown separately from companies based in this area and its presence here is not evidence of a local office.
Budd Van Lines Inc is an independent nationwide carrier rather than an agent of a national van line, which is rare at this size: the federal census records 124 power units and 102 drivers filed from Somerset, New Jersey. Because the company holds its own active common and contract authority with household goods on the licensing record and no broker authority, the entity you contract with is the entity that hauls the shipment. The company's own history pages date the business to 1975.
Budd Van Lines publishes broad nationwide moving service on its own site. It is shown separately from companies based in this area and its presence here is not evidence of a local office.
60 companies with a Los Angeles address on their federal registration hold a granted household goods authority from the FMCSA, and 35 of those identify as a moving business in their legal or trade name. The 30 listed below are the ones registered with the agency longest, ordered by the federal registration date, earliest first. Registration age is the agency's own record. It is not a ranking, it is not a quality judgement and it is not a recommendation.
515 active registrants in Los Angeles tick household goods among their cargo types on the census form, and 191 of those carry any authority row at all. The cargo tick box is filled in by the registrant, so this list uses the agency grant instead, then sets aside general freight, trucking, logistics and courier registrants that hold the authority without presenting themselves as household movers. It is not every mover serving Los Angeles: a company based elsewhere may serve the city, and a registered address is not a service area.
STARVING STUDENTS INC
USDOT 318223 · 11420 SANTA MONICA BOULEVARD #25912, LOS ANGELES, CA 90025
It filed 0 power units, registered with the FMCSA on June 17, 1988, and holds granted federal household goods authority under docket MC166404, active as broker.
FMCSA SAFER snapshot for USDOT 318223Read our review of Starving Students Movers
VICTOR M MARTINEZ, trading as TRI STAR MOVING SERVICE
USDOT 798066 · 5742 DUARTE ST UNIT D, LOS ANGELES, CA 90058
It filed 1 power unit, registered with the FMCSA on March 2, 1999, and holds granted federal household goods authority under docket MC355477.
CNYX-SF, trading as BAY AREA EXPRESS MOVING
USDOT 1396171 · 5012 LINCOLN AVE, LOS ANGELES, CA 90042
It filed 2 power units, registered with the FMCSA on July 18, 2005, and holds granted federal household goods authority under docket MC530464, active as contract carrier.
EAGLE EXPRESS MOVERS INC
USDOT 1456548 · 1410 MOHAWK STREET, LOS ANGELES, CA 90026
It filed 1 power unit, registered with the FMCSA on January 26, 2006, and holds granted federal household goods authority under docket MC550344.
POPEYE MOVING AND STORAGE LLC
USDOT 1472924 · 5509 1/2 S CENTINELA AVENUE, LOS ANGELES, CA 90066
It filed 3 power units, registered with the FMCSA on March 10, 2006, and holds granted federal household goods authority under docket MC498816, active as common carrier.
FLAT RATE MOVING SYSTEMS LLC, trading as FLAT RATE MOVING
USDOT 1486017 · 1801 CENTURY PARK EAST 24TH FLOOR, LOS ANGELES, CA 90067
It filed 2 power units, registered with the FMCSA on April 10, 2006, and holds granted federal household goods authority under docket MC559760, active as common carrier.
VENICE MOVING & STORAGE INC, trading as GARIDELLES MOVING & WALTERS TRANSFER
USDOT 1575046 · 5850 VENICE BL, LOS ANGELES, CA 90019
It filed 10 power units, registered with the FMCSA on November 8, 2006, and holds granted federal household goods authority under docket MC584734, active as common carrier and contract carrier.
KANG NAM MOVING CORP
USDOT 1752553 · 1489 W WASHINGTON BLVD, LOS ANGELES, CA 90007
It filed 4 power units, registered with the FMCSA on March 25, 2008, and holds granted federal household goods authority under docket MC641360.
123 MOVING AND STORAGE LLC
USDOT 2074992 · 13401 S. MAIN ST., LOS ANGELES, CA 90061
It filed 11 power units, registered with the FMCSA on September 11, 2010, and holds granted federal household goods authority under docket MC724904, active as common carrier.
KANGAROO VAN LINES INC
USDOT 2513725 · 3251 W 6TH ST SUITE 420, LOS ANGELES, CA 90020
It filed 2 power units, registered with the FMCSA on June 9, 2014, and holds granted federal household goods authority under docket MC871984.
JB MOVING COM, trading as JB TRANSPORTERS
USDOT 2776982 · 834 1 2 N FORMOSA AVE, LOS ANGELES, CA 90046
It filed 1 power unit, registered with the FMCSA on July 1, 2015, and holds granted federal household goods authority under docket MC1332601.
WIZARD MOVING AND STORAGE
USDOT 2895107 · 1797 E MARTIN LUTHER KING JR BLVD, LOS ANGELES, CA 90058
It filed 2 power units, registered with the FMCSA on May 26, 2016, and holds granted federal household goods authority under docket MC990789, active as common carrier.
WHITE TRUCK MOVING COMPANY
USDOT 3028007 · 1846 E 46TH ST, LOS ANGELES, CA 90058
It filed 1 power unit, registered with the FMCSA on July 14, 2017, and holds granted federal household goods authority under docket MC037919.
FLASH MOVING & STORAGE INC
USDOT 3106377 · 1805 SICHEL STREET SUITE 204, LOS ANGELES, CA 90031
It filed 1 power unit, registered with the FMCSA on March 7, 2018, and holds granted federal household goods authority under docket MC080331.
CITY MOVING INC
USDOT 3136064 · 4770 VALLEY BLVD, LOS ANGELES, CA 90032-3834
It filed 31 power units, registered with the FMCSA on May 14, 2018, and holds granted federal household goods authority under docket MC096050, active as common carrier.
PURE MOVING & STORAGE INC
USDOT 3207734 · 1601 N GOWER ST STE 205, LOS ANGELES, CA 90028
It filed 1 power unit, registered with the FMCSA on November 1, 2018, and holds granted federal household goods authority under docket MC1115049, active as common carrier.
FMCSA SAFER snapshot for USDOT 3207734Read our review of Pure Moving Company
KERB MOVING AND STORAGE LLC, trading as CALIFORNIA SEATTLE EXPRESS LONG DISTANCE MOVERS
USDOT 3234695 · 2507 MEDFORD ST, LOS ANGELES, CA 90033
It filed 1 power unit, registered with the FMCSA on January 18, 2019, and holds granted federal household goods authority under docket MC1014839, active as common carrier.
WARRIORS MOVING LLC
USDOT 3236525 · 350 S FULLER AVE, LOS ANGELES, CA 90036
It filed 1 power unit, registered with the FMCSA on January 23, 2019, and holds granted federal household goods authority under docket MC1558216.
HANDY MOVERS LLC
USDOT 3307683 · 550 N FIGUEROA ST APT 5073, LOS ANGELES, CA 90012-3399
It filed 1 power unit, registered with the FMCSA on July 5, 2019, and holds granted federal household goods authority under docket MC1382695.
ORDA MOVING LLC
USDOT 3346719 · 550 N FIGUEROA ST UNIT 6007, LOS ANGELES, CA 90012
It filed 3 power units, registered with the FMCSA on October 15, 2019, and holds granted federal household goods authority under docket MC1733876.
SALAM TRADE WORLD LLC, trading as BRAVO MOVING
USDOT 3425161 · 937 S ALAMEDA STREET SUITE B, LOS ANGELES, CA 90021
It filed 2 power units, registered with the FMCSA on May 6, 2020, and holds granted federal household goods authority under docket MC1108273, active as common carrier.
4US MOVING LLC
USDOT 3689417 · 1304 W 2ND ST APT 458, LOS ANGELES, CA 90026
It filed 1 power unit, registered with the FMCSA on July 28, 2021, and holds granted federal household goods authority under docket MC1778661, active as common carrier.
FULL MOVING SERVICE COMPANY LLC
USDOT 3752031 · 909 W TEMPLE STR 333A, LOS ANGELES, CA 90012
It filed 1 power unit, registered with the FMCSA on October 26, 2021, and holds granted federal household goods authority under docket MC1332336, active as common carrier.
AFFORDABLE VAN LINES LLC
USDOT 3933997 · 505 N FIGUEROA ST UNIT 649, LOS ANGELES, CA 90012
It filed 1 power unit, registered with the FMCSA on August 11, 2022, and holds granted federal household goods authority under docket MC1458966.
LIGHTNING MOVING & STORAGE LLC
USDOT 4002492 · 1480 WEST COLORADO BLVD #200, LOS ANGELES, CA 90041
It filed 1 power unit, registered with the FMCSA on December 25, 2022, and holds granted federal household goods authority under docket MC1504698.
WEST SIDE MOVING HAULING AND JUNK REMOVAL LLC
USDOT 4004214 · 1666 THAYER AVE APT 203, LOS ANGELES, CA 90024
It filed 1 power unit, registered with the FMCSA on December 30, 2022, and holds granted federal household goods authority under docket MC1505816.
SPACE Y MOVING LLC
USDOT 4031387 · 909 W TEMPLE ST APT 506A, LOS ANGELES, CA 90012
It filed 3 power units, registered with the FMCSA on February 21, 2023, and holds granted federal household goods authority under docket MC1717220, active as common carrier.
KUAT MOVING LLC
USDOT 4043667 · 550 N FIGUEROA ST APT 5032, LOS ANGELES, CA 90012
It filed 1 power unit, registered with the FMCSA on March 14, 2023, and holds granted federal household goods authority under docket MC1530684.
USA VAN LINES LLC
USDOT 4063870 · 200 S SAN PEDRO ST STE 501, LOS ANGELES, CA 90012
It filed 0 power units, registered with the FMCSA on April 19, 2023, and holds granted federal household goods authority under docket MC1542510.
RUSHMORE VAN LINES INC
USDOT 4086767 · 714 SOUTH HILL STREET STE304, LOS ANGELES, CA 90014
It filed 3 power units, registered with the FMCSA on June 6, 2023, and holds granted federal household goods authority under docket MC1560709, active as common carrier and contract carrier.
Data as of 2026-08-15 from the FMCSA company census, with authority status as of 2026-08-16. The query behind this list. Information provided by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
No. Federal registration and California authorisation are separate. The list above shows the federal record only, and we have not verified whether any company listed holds a California licence or permit.
A mover operating inside California needs the Household Movers (HHM) permit, commonly called a Cal-T number from the Bureau of Household Goods and Services. Its rates sit in maximum Rate Tariff 4.
California publishes a licence lookup: Bureau of Household Goods and Services licence search.
Source: Bureau of Household Goods and Services, read 2026-08-09.
Peak demand across California runs May–September. Dates outside that window, and dates away from the last and first few days of any month, are where carriers have spare capacity — and spare capacity is what makes a crew negotiable on price.
We do not publish a percentage saving for moving off-peak in Los Angeles. We hold no month-by-month booking price data for this city, and a discount figure taken from a national average would not describe this market. What we can say is structural, and it holds in every market:
The only reliable way to price a specific date is to put the same date in front of several licensed carriers and compare written estimates. Ask each one what the same move costs two weeks earlier or later — the gap between those two numbers is your real off-peak saving in Los Angeles, measured on your move rather than on an average.
A tip is never part of a written estimate and never part of a binding price. It is discretionary, it is paid per mover rather than per crew, and it is handed to each mover directly at the end of the job rather than to the foreman to divide. Our working guideline scales with hours rather than with the value of the shipment, because that is how moving labour is actually priced:
These are a BestMovers.info editorial guideline, not a survey result. We hold no tipping survey for Los Angeles and no federal record covers gratuities, so nothing here is a local figure. Read the full tipping guide for stairs, long carries, storage and interstate deliveries, where the crew that loads is not the crew that unloads.
Free boxes come from businesses that receive stock in cartons and throw the cartons away, and from households that finished moving last week. The sources are the same in every city, including Los Angeles:
Ask in the morning, when the overnight delivery has just been unpacked and the cartons have not yet been flattened. Skip anything damp, greasy or previously used for produce that leaked. The free boxes guide covers how many you need by home size — those counts are BestMovers.info planning estimates rather than measured figures — and which boxes are worth buying rather than scavenging.
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Researched and written by Grant Holloway · Reviewed by Brittany Evans · Last reviewed August 2026
How we evaluate Los Angeles movers: we verify federal registration and operating authority against FMCSA records, record carrier or broker classification, and note state licensing where the state regulator publishes it. The list above is not ranked and carries no numeric score. Read the full methodology