Every legitimate mover in California carries a permit, and every permit is public. This page explains what the numbers mean, how to look up any company in about two minutes, and what moving protection actually covers.
Movers list several registration numbers, and they are not interchangeable. Knowing which one answers which question makes a shortlist much easier to sort.
| Number | Who issues it | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| CAL-T | Bureau of Household Goods and Services (BHGS) | The company is permitted to perform household moves inside California |
| USDOT | Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) | A safety identifier. It ties inspections, crashes and audits to one carrier |
| MC | FMCSA | Operating authority for interstate for-hire transport. A USDOT number alone does not grant it |
A mover can hold a USDOT number and still not be authorized to move your household goods across state lines. That is what the MC number is for.
Both registries are public and free. Run them before signing anything.
If a company cannot give you a number to look up, that is the answer to the question.
Our registered business name is California Movers Local & Long Distance Moving Company. That is the name the licence is held under and the name to search for in any public registry — you may also know us as California Movers USA.
We operate in California under CAL-T203846, the number listed in the header of this site. The business address is 1010 Hyde St, San Francisco, CA 94109, and the phone number is (415) 579-2747.
You do not have to take that on trust. Run it through the BHGS License Search above, the same way you would check any other mover.
The word insurance gets used loosely in this industry. What a mover provides is valuation coverage — the limit of its own legal responsibility for your goods. FMCSA requires interstate movers to offer two levels.
The mover is responsible for the replacement value of lost or damaged goods in the shipment. FMCSA states this applies automatically unless the customer chooses Released Value. Movers are allowed to limit responsibility for items of extraordinary value — more than $100 per pound, such as jewelry or china — unless those items are specifically listed on the shipping documents.
Free, and minimal. The mover is responsible for no more than 60 cents per pound per article. FMCSA gives the arithmetic plainly: a 25-pound television is worth $15 under this option, whatever it cost. Choosing it requires a specific signature on the bill of lading.
Read the two options as what they are: a choice about how much of the risk the mover carries. Neither one is a household insurance policy, and neither replaces one.
FMCSA lists actions that can reduce what you are able to claim later:
These separate carriers quickly, and every honest company answers them without hesitating.
For how the last one works in California, see our moving pricing page. For the deposit and payment terms, see payment options.