Connecticut long distance
Long-distance moving companies in Connecticut
Connecticut Department of Transportation, Bureau of Public Transportation, Regulatory and Compliance Unit requires Connecticut Household Goods Carrier Certificate for household goods work inside Connecticut. The state publishes the Household goods movers with a certificate to operate from CTDOT. A move crossing the state line requires a separate federal check.
Researched and written by Grant Holloway · Reviewed by Amanda Brooks · Last reviewed August 2026
Who regulates moving companies in Connecticut?
Connecticut Department of Transportation, Bureau of Public Transportation, Regulatory and Compliance Unit regulates household goods movers operating inside Connecticut, and sits within the Connecticut Department of Transportation. Movers are licensed under Conn. Gen. Stat. chapter 245c, sections 13b-387 to 13b-414, with the certificate at 13b-389 and rate filing at 13b-393. Moves crossing the Connecticut state line fall under the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration instead, a separate authorisation with separate requirements.
What authorisation must a Connecticut mover hold?
A mover doing work inside Connecticut must hold the Connecticut Household Goods Carrier Certificate, issued by Connecticut Department of Transportation, Bureau of Public Transportation, Regulatory and Compliance Unit. It exists specifically for household goods movers, whatever its title. The requirement sits in Conn. Gen. Stat. chapter 245c, sections 13b-387 to 13b-414, with the certificate at 13b-389 and rate filing at 13b-393. An interstate carrier holding only a federal USDOT number is not authorised for Connecticut intrastate work by that number alone.
Source: Agency licensing page
How can I verify a Connecticut mover before booking?
Search the company by name or licence number in the Household goods movers with a certificate to operate from CTDOT, and confirm the record shows an active status. For a move leaving Connecticut, check the company's USDOT record in FMCSA SAFER as well. Holding one authorisation does not imply the other.
Connecticut licence lookupConnecticut Department of Transportation, Bureau of Public Transportation, Regulatory and Compliance Unit: 2800 Berlin Turnpike, P.O. Box 317546, Newington CT 06131-7546Verify by phone: 860-594-2868FMCSA SAFER
Does Connecticut regulate what movers can charge?
Connecticut requires each mover to file its own rates rather than setting a ceiling. The mechanism is Schedule of rates and charges filed with the Commissioner of Transportation under Conn. Gen. Stat. 13b-393, which the commissioner may cap or floor by order after a hearing, so the rates are public and enforceable against the mover that filed them, but Connecticut does not cap them. Rates on a move that leaves Connecticut are not set by the state.
How do I file a complaint against a Connecticut mover?
Complaints about a move inside Connecticut go to Connecticut Department of Transportation, Bureau of Public Transportation, Regulatory and Compliance Unit through 860-594-2868. A complaint about a move that crossed the Connecticut state line goes to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration through the National Consumer Complaint Database instead.
Connecticut complaint channelFMCSA National Consumer Complaint Database
Can a Connecticut mover charge whatever it quotes?
No. Under Conn. Gen. Stat. 13b-393 every certificated household goods carrier files an exact schedule of its rates and charges with the Commissioner of Transportation, and under 13b-394 it may not charge more or less than the filed figure for the service rendered. A change of rate takes thirty days' notice to the commissioner under 13b-395. The commissioner may also prescribe maximum or minimum rates after a hearing, so the ceiling is a power the state holds rather than a standing tariff.
Source: Conn. Gen. Stat. chapter 245c, sections 13b-393 to 13b-395
How does a Connecticut consumer complain about a mover?
In writing only. The Regulatory and Compliance Unit states that taxi, livery and household goods carrier complaints must be filed in writing and that no complaint will be taken over the phone, using the department's Taxi, Livery or Household Goods complaint form. Calling the unit will get an application question answered; it will not open a case.
What does Connecticut require of a permitted mover?
Connecticut Department of Transportation, Bureau of Public Transportation, Regulatory and Compliance Unit publishes what applies to a company moving household goods in Connecticut. Each of the following comes from the agency's own pages:
- Connecticut allows a certificated mover to meet the existing rate of a competing carrier, including a carrier outside the chapter, as a stated exception to the just-and-reasonable rate rule at 13b-393.
- A Connecticut certificate application is decided on public convenience and necessity, and the department publishes a guide to the application and hearing process alongside the form.
Connecticut Department of Transportation, Bureau of Public Transportation, Regulatory and Compliance Unit moving companies pageHow to apply for Connecticut moving authorityConnecticut consumer information for movers
What is different about an interstate move from Connecticut?
Moves crossing a state line are authorised by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration under a USDOT number and interstate household goods operating authority. A Connecticut state licence does not cover that work, and the federal record is the one to check: confirm the USDOT number is active and authorised for household goods before paying a deposit.
Sources for Connecticut licensing
- https://www.cga.ct.gov/current/pub/chap_245c.htm
- https://portal.ct.gov/dot/permits/new-household-goods-carrier-certificate
- https://portal.ct.gov/dot/publictrans/bureau-of-public-transportation/regulatory-compliance-unit
Last verified against agency pages: 2026-08-12
What does the federal count say about Connecticut?
Of the 771 household goods registrants filed at a Connecticutaddress, 336 carry the federal census classification for interstate operations. That is 44% of the state-address total. The other 435 do not carry that classification in this snapshot. Neither group is a list of movers serving every address inConnecticut: headquarters location and service area are different facts.
A consumer should use the count as context, not as a shortlist. Ask for the USDOT number of the company that will transport the shipment, match its legal or trade name to the written estimate, and confirm granted household goods authority close to pickup. A broker registration, a state-only filing, or a carrier based inConnecticut without interstate classification does not substitute for that check.
How many licensed moving companies are registered in Connecticut?
The FMCSA motor carrier census lists 771 registrants carrying household goods whose physical address is in Connecticut, and 336 of those are classified by FMCSA as interstate operations. That figure counts companies whose federal registration lists a Connecticut address, which is not the same as the number of companies that will serve a move in Connecticut. An interstate move into or out of Connecticut can be performed by a carrier registered in any state.
FMCSA motor carrier census, Company Census FileData as of 2026-08-10
Which record applies to a Connecticut move?
The dividing line is the shipment, not the mover's office. A move that begins and ends inside Connecticutfollows the state authorisation described above. A move from Connecticut to another state follows federal interstate rules. When one company offers both, check both records independently and make sure the name on the estimate matches the entity holding the authority for that trip.