- A USDOT number, used by the FMCSA to track safety records, inspections, and compliance reviews.
- Motor Carrier (MC) operating authority, which is the actual legal permission to haul household goods for hire across state lines, obtained by filing Form OP-1 with a non-refundable $300 filing fee.
- Designation of a process agent in every state where the carrier operates, filed on Form BOC-3 with the FMCSA.
- Enrollment in the Unified Carrier Registration (UCR) program, with annual fees that scale by fleet size — for example, $46 for 0–2 vehicles and $963 for 21–100 vehicles in 2026.
- Bodily injury and property damage liability insurance of at least $750,000 for vehicles over 10,001 pounds GVWR, filed on Form BMC-91 or BMC-91X.
- Cargo liability coverage of $5,000 per vehicle and $10,000 per occurrence for household goods shipments.
- Biennial updates to carrier information on Form MCS-150, with the filing month determined by the last digits of the USDOT number.
What legally counts as an interstate move and which federal agency regulates it?
A move is "interstate" under federal law when household goods cross a state line during transport, putting the carrier under FMCSA jurisdiction. Here is how that line is drawn, what the FMCSA requires of carriers, and when an in-state move falls outside federal rules.
Under federal rules, a move is "interstate" whenever your household goods cross a state line at any point during transport. The agency that regulates those moves is the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), part of the U.S. Department of Transportation. An in-state move that never leaves its origin state is generally not an interstate move under federal law and is regulated by the state instead.
Two things decide whether your move is an interstate move for federal purposes: whether household goods are being transported as part of a household goods shipment, and whether that shipment crosses a state line. The FMCSA defines an interstate move as one in which the transportation of household goods crosses a state border, no matter how briefly. The federal regulator is the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), which sits inside the U.S. Department of Transportation and writes the rules that interstate household goods carriers must follow.
The federal definition, in plain terms
The FMCSA's consumer-protection framing is straightforward: if your shipment of household goods goes from one state into another, it is an interstate move, and the carrier handling it is subject to FMCSA rules. That includes moves that start in one state, touch a second state in transit, and end back in the original state — the state-line crossing is what triggers federal jurisdiction, not the final location. By contrast, a move that begins and ends entirely within the same state is treated as an intrastate move and is generally governed by that state's own regulations, not federal interstate rules.
When federal interstate rules may not apply
Federal FMCSA household-goods rules apply to interstate transportation. They generally do not apply when a move is purely intrastate — that is, when household goods are picked up and delivered within the same state and the shipment does not cross a state line as part of transport. In those cases, regulation falls to the state, and the specific rules depend on where you live. State regulators go by different names: a Public Utilities Commission, a state Department of Transportation, or a state corporation commission. Some states require a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity or an equivalent operating permit, while deregulated states rely on basic business registration, insurance filings, and consumer-protection statutes. Initial state-level application fees commonly run in the $300 to $600 range, and many states require movers to file a public tariff listing rates and service rules.
What the FMCSA requires of an interstate household goods carrier
Consumer protections that follow from the federal definition
Because the FMCSA's jurisdiction attaches to the act of crossing a state line with household goods, the federal protections travel with the shipment. Carriers must offer two levels of valuation coverage for your belongings: Released Value Protection, which is included but caps the mover's liability at roughly 60 cents per pound per item, and Full Value Protection, under which the mover must repair, replace, or pay the current market value of lost or damaged items. Carriers must also provide written estimates and apply the federal rules on holding household goods — refusing to unload a shipment until an inflated amount is paid can trigger separate federal civil penalties starting at $10,000 per violation, with each day counted separately.
Penalties that confirm the regulator
Federal penalty scale for household goods violations
| Violation | Minimum federal civil penalty |
|---|---|
| Operating as an unregistered interstate household goods carrier | $25,000 per violation |
| Other registration violations under the federal statutes | $10,000 per violation |
| Holding a household goods shipment hostage | $10,000 per violation, per day |
These penalty floors exist only because the FMCSA has jurisdiction over interstate household goods transportation. An in-state mover that never crosses a state line is not exposed to these specific federal fines; its exposure is to whatever the state regulatory scheme provides, which can include its own fines, license suspension, and consumer-protection actions.
Records and verifications to prepare
- Confirm whether your shipment crosses a state line
Ask the mover directly and write the answer into the estimate or contract, since that answer decides which regulator applies.
- Verify the USDOT number
Look up the carrier's USDOT number and check its registration status before signing a binding estimate.
- Confirm MC authority and BOC-3 filings
Active interstate household goods authority and a process agent on file are required, not optional.
- Check UCR enrollment
Confirm the carrier is current with its Unified Carrier Registration for the current year.
- Pull proof of insurance
Ask for evidence of the $750,000 BI&PD policy and the cargo liability filings on FMCSA forms.
- Decide on valuation coverage in writing
Choose Released Value or Full Value Protection before the move and document the choice; do not leave it to the default.
- Identify the right complaint channel
FMCSA for interstate shipments; the state PUC, DOT, or consumer protection office for purely intrastate moves.
How to think about a move that sits on the boundary
Some moves look intrastate on paper but become interstate in practice. Common examples include a move routed through a neighboring state for efficiency, an origin-to-destination pair that sits within one state but is serviced by a carrier whose truck is already in another state, or a shipment that is transferred to a second truck at a state-line hub. If the goods physically cross a state line during transport, the FMCSA's definition treats the shipment as interstate and the federal rules apply for the duration of that shipment. If you want certainty before you sign, ask the carrier to describe the planned routing and confirm in writing whether any state line will be crossed between pickup and delivery.
SUMMARY
The bottom line
An interstate move under federal law is any household goods shipment that crosses a state line in transit, and the regulator is the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. If your shipment never leaves its origin state, federal interstate rules generally do not apply and your state's rules do — and the specific protections, licensing body, and complaint channel depend entirely on which state you are moving within. Decide which category your move falls into before you book, because that decision controls which agency enforces your rights and which insurance and valuation minimums the carrier must carry.
Common questions
Before you move on
Does the final destination state determine whether a move is interstate?+
No. The FMCSA treats a shipment as interstate whenever household goods cross a state line during transport. A move that starts in one state, briefly enters a second state in transit, and returns to the first state is still an interstate move under federal rules, even though both endpoints are in the same state.
Which agency regulates interstate household goods moves?+
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), part of the U.S. Department of Transportation. It sets the registration, insurance, and consumer-protection rules that interstate household goods carriers must follow.
Are federal interstate rules the same in every state?+
The federal rules are the same nationwide because they come from the FMCSA. State requirements for intrastate moves, however, vary widely — from states that require a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity to deregulated states that focus on basic registration and insurance.
What is the easiest way to tell which rules apply to my move?+
Ask the mover whether the truck will cross a state line between pickup and delivery. If yes, federal FMCSA rules apply. If no, your state's rules apply, and the relevant agency is usually the state's Public Utilities Commission, Department of Transportation, or corporation commission.