How to check if a moving company is licensed
Researched and written by Daniel Novak · Reviewed by Brittany Evans · Last reviewed August 2026
Three confirmations settle it, and all three are free and public. The registration is active. The operating authority covers household goods. That authority is current rather than lapsed. A company that passes all three may still be a poor mover, but a company that fails any one of them is not licensed to do the job you are hiring it for.
This is the check BestMovers.info runs on every company profile it publishes. It has not until now had a page of its own.
Check one: the registration is active
Take the USDOT number from the written estimate, not from the advert, and look it up in the federal company snapshot. Confirm the operating status reads active and confirm the legal name on the record matches the entity on your paperwork. A number that resolves to a different legal name is the check failing, not a typo to move past. Note the address on file as well: a household goods carrier with no physical address in the record is worth a question.
Check two: the authority covers household goods
Cargo classes on the registration are the company's own declaration. Authority is the agency's grant, recorded separately in the licensing and insurance record against the docket. What you want to see is authority for household goods, granted, with insurance on file against it. General freight authority alone does not authorise an interstate household goods move, and the difference is invisible on a website.
Check three: the authority is current
Authority can be granted and later revoked, suspended, or voluntarily surrendered, and the record keeps the history. Read the status as it stands today rather than the fact that it was once granted. Check the insurance filing at the same time: authority stays formally granted for a period while required insurance is not on file, and that is a state you would want to know about before loading day.
What the paperwork should say
Alongside the three checks, 49 CFR 375.401 requires an interstate household goods carrier to give you a written estimate of charges before the move. If no written estimate exists, the licensing question is almost beside the point. Confirm the estimate names the same legal entity and the same number you verified.
Intrastate moves are a separate question
A move that stays inside one state is regulated by that state, and federal authority is not the applicable record. Some states license household goods movers, some register them, and some do neither. The state page for your move names the agency where the state has one, and says plainly where the state runs no programme.
Official sources
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Frequently asked questions
How do I check if a moving company is licensed?
Is an active USDOT number enough to confirm a mover is licensed?
What licence does a mover need for a move inside one state?
What if the company will not give me its USDOT number?
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