The FMCSA motor carrier census lists 130 household goods registrants whose physical address is in San Francisco, CA, and 16 of those are classified by FMCSA as interstate operations. BestMovers.info holds no San Francisco 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. Hilly streets and narrow Victorians mean smaller trucks (24-foot max in many districts) and longer carry distances; SFMTA permits cost $93, $272 with 5-day lead.
San Francisco moves are physically harder than they look — narrow Victorians, hill carries, and a 24-foot max truck size in many districts shape every quote. Here's how to choose a licensed SF mover that knows what they're walking into.
Common service neighborhoods: Mission, SoMa, Marina, Hayes Valley, Castro, Sunset, Richmond.
Researched and written by Grant Holloway · Reviewed by Brittany Evans · Last reviewed August 2026
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San Francisco moves are physically harder than they look — narrow Victorians, hill carries, and a 24-foot max truck size in many districts shape every quote. Here's how to choose a licensed SF mover that knows what they're walking into.
San Francisco is one of the most expensive local moving markets in the country, and most of the premium is structural rather than profit-taking. A typical SF Victorian has narrow staircases, limited driveway access, and exterior stair runs — meaning a 2-bedroom move that takes 5 hours in the suburbs can take 8 hours here.
Anyone advertising significantly less is almost always a broker or an unlicensed operator. See broker vs carrier before booking.
Local SF moves bill hourly under California's Maximum Rate Tariff 4.
Outbound long-distance from SF is competitively priced because trucks run full both directions. Common outbound lanes cost less per pound than inbound. Pull the moving cost calculator for a baseline before requesting quotes.
Maximum Rate Tariff 4 applies. Movers must charge double drive time per California rule, which means a 30-minute one-way drive bills as 60 minutes. Get the projected hours in writing.
FMCSA-regulated. Always verify the USDOT and prefer binding-not-to-exceed estimates. SF-to-east-coast lanes have plenty of carrier capacity year-round outside June and September.
April through October is peak. Tech-industry hiring cycles, university leases, and end-of-month rental turnover all stack on top of each other. November through February is the cheapest window.
The only moving cost range BestMovers.info holds for San Francisco 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 San Francisco transaction-price dataset.
IRS county migration data for filing years 2022 to 2023 records 34,540 returns moving out of San Francisco County, the county San Francisco sits in, and 33,627 moving in. A return approximates a household rather than a person. Those filings cover 48,801 individuals leaving and 41,291 arriving.
The counties receiving the most households from San Francisco County were San Mateo County (4,514 returns), Alameda County (3,938 returns) and Los Angeles County (2,100 returns).
Arrivals came mainly from San Mateo County (3,710 returns), Alameda County (3,459 returns) and Santa Clara County (3,335 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 130 registrants carrying household goods whose physical address is in San Francisco, and 16 of those are classified by FMCSA as interstate operations. That figure counts companies whose federal registration lists an address in San Francisco. 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 San Francisco may not.
FMCSA motor carrier census, Company Census FileData as of 2026-08-10
Moving crews quoting San Francisco work Mission, SoMa, Marina, Hayes Valley, Castro, Sunset, Richmond and the surrounding areas.
Movers working inside San Francisco 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 have a documented headquarters or company location in San Francisco or its metro. Placement is based on documented location information, not a numeric ranking.
Editorially independent, funded by referral fees. We may be paid when you request a quote from a company listed here. Payment does not decide who is listed or the order they appear in, and we publish no score or star rating. Advertising disclosure
SF-based local mover with experience navigating hilly streets and Victorian narrow-stair conditions. Online booking and binding hourly quotes.
Pure Moving Company publishes its headquarters in San Francisco, CA.
These companies are headquartered elsewhere in California. Their inclusion here does not by itself confirm a local office in San Francisco.
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 San Francisco, 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 San Francisco, and no service claim is made here.
These companies publish broad nationwide moving service and are shown separately from locally or state-based companies.
North American Van Lines is part of SIRVA and moves interstate household goods through an agent-affiliate network. The federal registration shown here belongs to the van line, not to the local agent that loads the truck.
North American 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.
United Van Lines is the largest brand under UniGroup and publishes the annual National Movers Study. It offers shipment tracking and a published claims process; we hold no dataset that compares its claims outcomes with other carriers.
United 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.
22 companies with a San Francisco address on their federal registration hold a granted household goods authority from the FMCSA, and 14 of those identify as a moving business in their legal or trade name. The 14 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.
144 active registrants in San Francisco tick household goods among their cargo types on the census form, and 39 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 San Francisco: a company based elsewhere may serve the city, and a registered address is not a service area.
DELANCEY STREET FOUNDATION, trading as DELANCEY STREET MOVING & TRANSPORTATION
USDOT 289919 · 5700 3RD STREET, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124
It filed 13 power units, registered with the FMCSA on April 8, 1987, and holds granted federal household goods authority under docket MC198922, active as common carrier and contract carrier.
WINTER MOVING INC, trading as WINTER MOVING AND STORAGE
USDOT 2032816 · 2067 NEWCOMB AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124
It filed 4 power units, registered with the FMCSA on May 12, 2010, and holds granted federal household goods authority under docket MC716188, active as common carrier and contract carrier.
FAST N' RELIABLE MOVING LLC, trading as ZHANG'S MOVING CO
USDOT 2697921 · 1671 40TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122
It filed 2 power units, registered with the FMCSA on June 12, 2015, and holds granted federal household goods authority under docket MC1172986.
IMOVING PROFESSIONAL MOVING SYSTEM INC
USDOT 3043907 · 300 NAGLEE AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112
It filed 3 power units, registered with the FMCSA on August 30, 2017, and holds granted federal household goods authority under docket MC1356230.
BRESLIN ENTERPRISES INC, trading as A1 TRANSFER MOVING & STORAGE
USDOT 3081814 · 400 FORBES BLVD #3, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94080
It filed 3 power units, registered with the FMCSA on January 2, 2018, and holds granted federal household goods authority under docket MC067063, active as common carrier.
CORRIB MOVING & STORAGE COMPANY LLC
USDOT 3266994 · 1120 THOMAS AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124
It filed 5 power units, registered with the FMCSA on April 1, 2019, and holds granted federal household goods authority under docket MC1542457, active as common carrier.
XINZHAI DONG, trading as BETENSH MOVING
USDOT 3595749 · 135 BROAD ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112
It filed 1 power unit, registered with the FMCSA on March 23, 2021, and holds granted federal household goods authority under docket MC1219569.
UNSTOPPABLE MOVING LLC
USDOT 3610381 · 945 DARIEN WAY, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94127
It filed 1 power unit, registered with the FMCSA on April 12, 2021, and holds granted federal household goods authority under docket MC1229545.
TONYS MOVING SERVICES LLC
USDOT 3769684 · 1899 OAKDALE AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124
It filed 2 power units, registered with the FMCSA on November 22, 2021, and holds granted federal household goods authority under docket MC1701356.
SHANNON MOVING LLC, trading as SHANNON MOVING & STORAGE
USDOT 4005225 · 1280 VAN DYKE AVENUE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124
It filed 6 power units, registered with the FMCSA on January 3, 2023, and holds granted federal household goods authority under docket MC1506452, active as common carrier.
SUPERMAN MOVING LLC
USDOT 4120363 · 626 MISSION BAY BLVD STE 408, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94158
It filed 1 power unit, registered with the FMCSA on August 21, 2023, and holds granted federal household goods authority under docket MC1575753.
LUX MOVING SERVICE LLC
USDOT 4240508 · 331 CORDOVA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112
It filed 1 power unit, registered with the FMCSA on May 14, 2024, and holds granted federal household goods authority under docket MC1642115.
OLADKO LLC, trading as OVA MOVERS
USDOT 4265836 · 2301 29TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94116
It filed 1 power unit, registered with the FMCSA on July 10, 2024, and holds granted federal household goods authority under docket MC1658786.
KORA MOVING ENTERPRISES INC, trading as KORA MOVING
USDOT 4481318 · 948 SOUTH VAN NESS #5, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110
It filed 1 power unit, registered with the FMCSA on October 14, 2025, and holds granted federal household goods authority under docket MC1769952.
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 San Francisco. 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 San Francisco, 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 San Francisco 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 San Francisco:
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 San Francisco 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