Movers · California

Every box, every mile, every move.

Coverage for household goods movers, local and long-distance moving companies, and storage operations.

Quick answer A moving company needs cargo coverage for customers' goods in transit, commercial auto for its trucks, general liability for damage at the home, and workers' comp for its crews, plus warehouse legal liability if it stores goods.

Cargo coverage protects customers' goods in a mover's care, while general liability covers damage to the home or building and injuries to others.
Goods stored in a moving company's warehouse need warehouse legal liability or storage coverage, not just cargo coverage.
Many condo, apartment and office buildings require a mover's certificate of insurance naming the building before a move.
State permits for household goods movers come with insurance requirements.
Underwriters rate moving company insurance on fleet, move types, payroll, storage and claims history.

By Sam Alishahi · CA Insurance License #4348151 · Reviewed November 2026 · En español · How this page is researched

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How it works

You're responsible for their belongings

Movers carry customers' belongings, work inside their homes and drive loaded trucks, so the core coverages are cargo for goods in transit, commercial auto, general liability for damage at the home, and workers' comp for a physical job. Storage adds warehouse legal liability.

State permits for household movers come with insurance requirements, and many buildings require certificates before a move. I package mover coverage with transportation specialty markets.

CargoCustomers' goods in your trucks.
Commercial autoMoving trucks and vans.
General liabilityDamage to homes and buildings during a move.
Workers' compMovers and packers.

Who I help

Movers that call me

Local movers

Residential and apartment moves.

Long-distance movers

Interstate household goods.

Commercial and office movers

Business relocations.

Storage

Warehouse legal liability. See details

Building certificates

COIs for condo and office buildings.

Crews

Workers' comp for your movers. See details

Before you call

What underwriters will ask

Having these ready means I can go to market on the first call. The quote form asks for the same things, and anything you don’t know yet can wait.

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Permits: state household goods permit and USDOT number.
Fleet: trucks, years and values.
Operations: local, long-distance, commercial, storage.
Payroll: movers, drivers and office staff.
Storage: warehouse square footage and values stored.
History: current policies and claims.

California's mover permit: the insurance it requires

In California, a mover can't haul used household goods on a public highway, or even advertise, solicit or broker those moves, without a permit from the Bureau of Household Goods and Services (BHGS) for moves within the state. Moves into or out of California also need FMCSA operating authority (Business and Professions Code 19237), and BHGS has a separate application for movers that only cross the state line. The insurance has to stay in force for the life of the permit:

Liability (B&P 19248(a)). At least $250,000 for bodily injury or death of one person; $500,000 for more than one person in any one accident; $100,000 for property damage in one accident, not counting goods being hauled; and $600,000 for bodily injury and property damage together in any one accident. General Order 100-M, which BHGS still enforces, states the $600,000 as a combined single limit alternative to the split limits. The Bureau can raise these minimums.
Cargo (19248(c); General Order 136-C). $20,000, per shipment under GO 136-C. A lower amount only if the Bureau finds it adequately protects the public.
Proof (19249, 19251). A policy, surety bond or approved self-insurance on deposit with the Bureau, covering each vehicle used under the permit. It can't be canceled on less than 30 days' written notice to the Bureau.
Workers' comp (19239.1, 19239.4). A current Certificate of Workers' Compensation Insurance has to be on file to get, renew or keep the permit. A mover with no employees files a statement under penalty of perjury instead. The permit is suspended by operation of law on the date coverage lapses, or the date it was first required, whichever is earlier.

I check that every truck on the permit is on the filing and that crews are on workers' compensation before the first job.

California valuation: 60 cents a pound is not insurance

California's Maximum Rate Tariff 4 (MAX 4, the edition effective January 1, 2026) and General Order 136-C set what a mover owes for the customer's goods. These are valuation levels, not insurance.

Basic, 60 cents a pound. Rates already include $0.60 per pound per article (Item 136). The booklet's example: a lost or damaged 20-pound item recovers $12.00.
The default. Unless the customer writes in another value, in their own handwriting, under "Valuation Declaration" on the Agreement for Moving Services, liability is actual cash value up to $20,000 (Item 128, Note 3; Item 136).
Full Value. When the mover offers it and the customer orders it in writing, the mover guarantees replacement, full replacement cost or satisfactory repair, up to the declared value. The customer can take on the first $250 or $500 of a claim.
Storage-in-transit. Storage at one point between origin and destination for no more than 90 days (Item 4). Protection during it is offered by the mover and ordered in writing.
The booklet. Movers furnish "Important Information for Persons Moving Household Goods" (Item 470) at the first in-person contact or with the Agreement (Item 88). The customer initials "I have received the booklet" and makes a valuation declaration (Item 128).

Here's the insurance tie-in. MAX 4 says the mover's Full Value guarantee must be covered by insurance under the General Order 136 series, unless BHGS has approved alternative protection (Item 136, Note 4). A mover selling Full Value is selling something its cargo policy has to back.

Interstate moves: released value vs. Full Value Protection

Across state lines, 49 CFR Part 375 governs. The mover is liable for loss or damage during the move, and Full Value Protection is the default: replacement value, capped at the declared value of the shipment (375.201). If the customer waives it in writing, liability drops to the released rate, and the mover has to disclose its limits clearly.

Released value. FMCSA's booklet puts it at 60 cents per pound per article, at no charge. Its example: a 10-pound stereo component worth $1,000 gets no more than $6.00.
Extraordinary value. Items worth more than $100 per pound. Under Full Value Protection the mover can limit its liability on them unless they're listed on the shipping documents.
The booklet. "Your Rights and Responsibilities When You Move" goes out with the written estimate, as a copy or a link (375.213). If the customer uses the link, the mover keeps a signed, dated receipt for one year.
Arbitration (375.211). Every mover must have a program. If the customer asks, arbitration is binding for claims of $10,000 or less; above that, only if the mover also agrees. Notice comes before the bill of lading, and the customer can't be charged more than half the cost of starting it.
Cargo security. $5,000 for household goods on any one motor vehicle and $10,000 for losses at any one time and place (49 CFR 387.303T(c); the parallel 387.303 is suspended).

What I read for on a mover's cargo policy

Valuation is what you owe the customer. Cargo coverage, an inland marine form in IRMI's terms, is meant to pay your share. I read for these:

Limit against the valuation you sell. California's $20,000 per shipment and the federal $5,000 per vehicle are minimums. Under GO 136-C, before you take on responsibility above your cargo insurance, you need your insurer's written acknowledgement that enough added cargo coverage is in place. The form choice is in cargo insurance vs. motor truck cargo legal liability.
Storage-in-transit wording. GO 136-C requires the California cargo policy to insure the carrier's liability while goods are held in storage-in-transit under MAX 4. I confirm the policy says so.
Storage beyond that. Storage-in-transit tops out at 90 days. IRMI describes warehouse operators legal liability as covering businesses that store property of others for a fee, so I ask how longer storage is written. See warehouse insurance.
Exclusions against your paperwork. GO 136-C lets the mover's liability, and its cargo policy, exclude the condition or flavor of perishables and items such as jewelry, currency and securities unless listed on the shipping document by description and value. I compare the policy's exclusions with that list and with your inventory forms.
Policy mechanics. Under GO 136-C, the cargo policy can't carry a coinsurance rule that cuts recovery when declared value is below actual value, must reinstate automatically after each loss, and keeps applying to a shipment picked up before cancellation until that move is finished.

Questions

Moving company insurance, answered

What's the difference between cargo and general liability for movers?

Cargo covers customers' goods in your care. General liability covers damage to the home or building and injuries to others.

Do buildings require certificates?

Many condo, apartment and office buildings require a certificate of insurance naming them before a move.

Is storage covered?

Goods in your warehouse need warehouse legal liability or storage coverage, not just cargo.

What do underwriters rate on?

Fleet, move types, payroll, storage and claims history.

How long does a customer have to file a claim against a mover?

In California, MAX 4 Item 92 requires a written claim within nine months after delivery; the mover acknowledges it within 30 days and pays, declines or makes a firm offer within 60 days. On an interstate move, FMCSA's booklet also gives nine months from delivery, with 30 days to acknowledge and 120 days for a disposition.

Can a California mover sell insurance to its customer?

Not on moves within California: General Order 136-C bars a mover and its staff or agents from selling or procuring insurance for the customer's goods in transit or storage-in-transit, though it can insure its own liability. On interstate moves, 49 CFR 375.303 allows it only when the shipment is released at no more than 60 cents per pound per article, and a mover that doesn't issue the customer a policy or other evidence faces full liability for the claim.

Do you offer moving company insurance outside California?

Yes. Clients across the country send the same quote form. Sam Alishahi is licensed in all 50 states and Washington, DC and places policies there directly. The shopping across carriers works the same way. Rules, minimums and markets differ by state — see truck insurance by state or insurance requirements by state.

Official sources

Often placed alongside this

Coverage

Commercial auto insurance

Business vehicles, hired and non-owned auto, from one van to a fleet.

See coverage Coverage

Warehouse insurance

Warehouse legal liability, property and liability for 3PLs and storage.

See coverage Coverage

Workers’ comp insurance

Required coverage for California employers.

See coverage

Questions people ask: Do I need cargo insurance for my trucking company?

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By state: Truck insurance by state Insurance requirements by state

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Alishahi Insurance · Saman Alishahi, independent insurance broker, California License #4348151. General information, not a quote or a promise of coverage; coverage depends on underwriting and the terms, conditions and exclusions of the policy actually issued. Some policies may be placed with nonadmitted (surplus lines) insurers, which are not members of the California Insurance Guarantee Association (CIGA).

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