Illinois long distance
Long-distance moving companies in Illinois
Illinois Commerce Commission requires Household Goods License for household goods work inside Illinois. The state publishes the public lookup. 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 Illinois?
Illinois Commerce Commission regulates household goods movers operating inside Illinois. Movers are licensed under Illinois Commercial Transportation Law, 625 ILCS 5/18c-1101 et seq., with household goods rules at 92 Ill. Adm. Code 1457 and tariff rules at 92 Ill. Adm. Code 1225. Moves crossing the Illinois state line fall under the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration instead, a separate authorisation with separate requirements.
Source: Illinois Commerce Commission
What authorisation must an Illinois mover hold?
A mover doing work inside Illinois must hold the Household Goods License, issued by Illinois Commerce Commission. It exists specifically for household goods movers, whatever its title. The requirement sits in Illinois Commercial Transportation Law, 625 ILCS 5/18c-1101 et seq., with household goods rules at 92 Ill. Adm. Code 1457 and tariff rules at 92 Ill. Adm. Code 1225. An interstate carrier holding only a federal USDOT number is not authorised for Illinois intrastate work by that number alone.
Source: Agency licensing page
How can I verify an Illinois mover before booking?
Search the company by name or licence number in the Illinois Commerce Commission public licence lookup, and confirm the record shows an active status. For a move leaving Illinois, check the company's USDOT record in FMCSA SAFER as well. Holding one authorisation does not imply the other.
Illinois licence lookupVerify by phone: 217-782-6448FMCSA SAFER
Does Illinois regulate what movers can charge?
Illinois requires each mover to file its own rates rather than setting a ceiling. The mechanism is Tariff filed with the Illinois Commerce Commission under 92 Ill. Adm. Code 1225, so the rates are public and enforceable against the mover that filed them, but Illinois does not cap them. Rates on a move that leaves Illinois are not set by the state.
Source: Illinois Commerce Commission
How do I file a complaint against an Illinois mover?
Complaints about a move inside Illinois go to Illinois Commerce Commission through Illinois Commerce Commission complaint form, Household goods movers complaints line 217-782-6448. A complaint about a move that crossed the Illinois state line goes to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration through the National Consumer Complaint Database instead.
Illinois complaint channelFMCSA National Consumer Complaint Database
What is different about an interstate move from Illinois?
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 Illinois 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 Illinois licensing
- https://www.icc.illinois.gov/authority/household-goods-movers
- https://www.icc.illinois.gov/transportation
- https://www.icc.illinois.gov/emdb/mcis/search
Last verified against agency pages: 2026-08-09
What does the federal count say about Illinois?
Of the 1,700 household goods registrants filed at a Illinoisaddress, 1,046 carry the federal census classification for interstate operations. That is 62% of the state-address total. The other 654 do not carry that classification in this snapshot. Neither group is a list of movers serving every address inIllinois: 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 inIllinois without interstate classification does not substitute for that check.
How many licensed moving companies are registered in Illinois?
The FMCSA motor carrier census lists 1,700 registrants carrying household goods whose physical address is in Illinois, and 1,046 of those are classified by FMCSA as interstate operations. That figure counts companies whose federal registration lists a Illinois address, which is not the same as the number of companies that will serve a move in Illinois. An interstate move into or out of Illinois 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 Illinois move?
The dividing line is the shipment, not the mover's office. A move that begins and ends inside Illinoisfollows the state authorisation described above. A move from Illinois 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.