California moving rules, with the tariff quoted
Most of what a mover in California may and may not charge you is written down in one document: Maximum Rate Tariff 4, published by the Bureau of Household Goods and Services. Almost nobody in this industry links to it. Every rule below names its clause and prints it word for word, so you can check us — and anyone else quoting you — against the document rather than against a sales pitch.
A price in about a minute, or a written answer the same day.
Why is the drive time doubled on my invoice?
Because the tariff says so, on every hourly local move, whatever the distance. The billable time is the loading, the unloading and twice the driving time between your two addresses. It is not a surcharge any company invented, and a mover who does not bill it is not giving you a discount — they are quoting something other than the state rate.
The five-mile version you will hear — "it only doubles past five miles" — is folklore. Searching the tariff for "five miles" returns nothing at all. It was on ninety-six pages of this site too, until somebody opened the PDF.
In computing charges accruing under the hourly rates contained in Item 320, the time used shall be the total of loading, unloading and double the driving time from point of origin to point of destination, subject to EXCEPTIONS 1 through 3.What counts as an "estimate", and is the number on a website one?
No. Under the tariff an Estimated Cost of Services is a specific written document, and it may only be given after someone has looked at what is being moved. A figure produced by a form on a website — including the one on this site — is a rate quotation, not an estimate, and it is not binding on anybody.
That is not a technicality worth glossing over: a binding written estimate is real protection, and a calculator dressed up as one takes the word away from you without giving you the protection.
Every mover of household goods may give a shipper an estimate of costs for the proposed services. If an estimate is given, the estimated cost shall be given only after visual inspection of the goods to be moved and shall be in writing.The state booklet says it more plainly
The Bureau publishes a consumer booklet that every mover has to hand you. It is blunter than the tariff about what an online number is worth.
Written estimates are binding on the mover. All written estimates must be based on a visual inspection of goods and must show total estimated charges. A verbal or online rate quotation (how much it will cost per 100 pounds or per hour) is not an Estimate. Remember, verbal and online quotes are not binding.What is a Not To Exceed price, and when must I be given one?
It is a ceiling on what the move can cost, and you must have it in writing before any work starts. Not after loading, not at the end of the day. It can rise only if you add items or ask for work that was not in the agreement.
The tariff also says the Agreement itself should reach you three days before the move, and that the Not To Exceed price is the one part of it that can never be waived — not even by you, in writing. If a mover starts work without giving you one, that is not a paperwork slip.
The Not To Exceed Price and mover’s final signature must be added no later than the day of the move, but prior to performing any service in commencement of the move. […] issuance of a fully completed Agreement on the day of the move before the move begins — including the Not to Exceed Price — can never be waived.Can a mover charge me extra for stairs or a long carry?
Not on an hourly move. The tariff sets the maximum flight and long-carry charge on an hourly shipment at "No additional" — the clock is already running while the crew climbs, so a separate per-flight fee would put the invoice over the state maximum.
The exception the tariff itself makes is pianos and organs, which carry a flight charge on top of the hours. Everything else — stairs, a long walk from the truck, waiting for a lift — costs time, and time is what you are already paying for.
Maximum Fixed Rates For Flight and/or Long Carry — 1. Shipment Rate Basis: Hourly under Item 320 … No additional.Is a four-hour minimum allowed?
Yes, and the state's own booklet uses four hours as its example. This company's minimum is 4 billable hours — $516 with two movers — and "billable" means the loading, the unloading and the doubled drive added together, not the labour alone.
In certain circumstances, some movers may have minimum charges. For example, on hourly moves, a mover may charge a minimum of four hours even if your move takes only two or three.How high can an hourly rate legally go?
Item 320 caps straight-time hourly rates by territory. Sacramento, Placer, Yolo and El Dorado are all Territory B, where the maximum is $215.48 · $288.19 · $360.9 an hour for two, three and four movers with a truck.
For comparison, and so you can check the arithmetic: this company charges $129 · $179 · $219. A quote above the cap is not expensive, it is unlawful, and it is worth knowing the number before you agree to one.
What about the permit number in adverts?
A mover advertising intrastate moving in California has to show a CAL-T number issued by the Bureau. It is the single fastest way to check anyone quoting you: ask for the number, then look it up.
We do not print one, because we do not have one yet — our application is with the Bureau. Printing a number we do not hold is exactly the thing this rule exists to prevent.
Printed advertising matter, including hand bills, newspaper advertising, classified telephone directory listings, and advertisements which advertise or solicit the intrastate movement of used household goods shall show the household mover’s "T" number as issued by the Bureau. The number shall be printed in this manner: "CAL-T____________."How to check any mover in ten seconds
- —Ask for the CAL-T number and look it up in the Bureau’s licensee search.
- —Ask for the estimate in writing, and check it shows the doubled drive time as its own line.
- —Ask when you will be given the Not To Exceed price. The answer has to be "before we start".
- —Ask whether stairs are billed as a fee. On an hourly move they should not be.
- —Compare hourly rates against the Territory B cap above — and against whether the truck is inside the rate or billed beside it, because that is where two quotes stop being comparable.
Is this legal advice?
No. It is the text of the state tariff with the clause numbers, so you can read the source yourself. Both documents are linked at the foot of this page. For a dispute, the Bureau of Household Goods and Services is the regulator that handles complaints against movers.
Which edition of the tariff is this?
The Bureau edition effective 1 January 2026, read on 2026-09-15. Quotes are copied word for word and are not translated on the Russian and Ukrainian versions of this page, because a tariff clause in translation is a paraphrase you could not find in the document.
Does any of this apply to a move out of California?
No. Maximum Rate Tariff 4 governs intrastate moves — origin and destination both in California. An interstate move is federal, runs under a different regime, and needs an FMCSA licence. We do not do interstate moves and do not broker them.
Two addresses and a date
That is enough for a written price with the hours, the truck and the doubled drive time on separate lines. The owner answers, not a call centre.
A price in about a minute, or a written answer the same day.
08:00–19:00 · romanov@easy-move-florida.com