What California’s Moving Booklet Means for You: The Consumer Guide Every Mover Must Give You

If you have ever moved in California and nobody handed you a booklet, something was missed. The Bureau of Household Goods and Services requires every licensed household goods mover to give you a document titled “Important Information for Persons Moving Household Goods (within California)” before your move. It is Item 470 of Maximum Rate Tariff 4, and the current version took effect January 1, 2026.

Most customers never read it, which is a shame, because it is the clearest statement of your rights you will find anywhere. This post walks through what it says, why you initial for it, and what happens if a mover skips it. You can read our full web version at /booklet or download the official PDF there.

What Item 470 is

Maximum Rate Tariff 4 is the rulebook that governs how California movers price and perform moves inside the state. It sets maximum rates, defines what a binding estimate is, spells out claims procedures and lists the documents a mover must use. Item 470 is the section written for consumers rather than movers: a plain-language booklet the Bureau prepared to explain your protections and the mover’s obligations.

The Bureau requires movers to provide this booklet without charge. The mover ultimately performing your move must do one of three things:

1. Provide the booklet at the first in-person contact.
2. Mail it to you, time allowing, if the move was arranged by mail or telephone and there is no in-person contact before moving day.
3. Obtain your assurance that you received it from some other source.

At MOVEXER we go further: the booklet is linked from every proposal, from the customer portal and from the footer of every page on this site.

Why you initial for it

Your Agreement for Moving Services — the contract for the move — has a section called “Consumer Protections and/or Waivers.” One line in that section is a statement that you received the booklet, and you initial it. That initial is not a formality. It confirms the mover met its obligation and that you had the chance to read your rights before the truck arrived.

Our advice: do not initial that line until you have actually seen the booklet. If a mover asks you to initial it and you have never been given anything, ask for it first.

The $100 rule

Here is the part most people never hear about. Item 470 states plainly: if your mover does not ensure you have this booklet, you are eligible for a $100 refund from your mover. That is a specific, enforceable consequence written into the tariff. It exists because the Bureau considers informed customers essential to a fair market, and it gives the requirement teeth.

What the booklet actually covers

The booklet runs roughly a dozen pages. The sections that matter most on a local Orange County move:

Choosing a mover

Avoid movers who do not show their Cal-T license number in advertising. Check any mover’s license status, insurance and complaint history at bhgs.dca.ca.gov or by calling 1-833-488-2327. Get written estimates from more than one company. (We wrote a longer guide on this: Choosing a licensed mover in Orange County.)

Estimates and costs

Written estimates are binding on the mover and must be based on a visual inspection of your goods. Verbal and online quotes are not estimates and are not binding. Moves of 100 miles or less are local and usually hourly; moves over 100 miles are charged by weight and mileage. Minimum charges, long-carry charges (when the truck cannot park within 75 feet of the door) and Change Orders are all explained.

The Not to Exceed price

Before the move begins the mover must write a Not to Exceed price on the Agreement and cannot charge more than that unless you add items or services on a Change Order. We explain it in detail in Not-to-Exceed price explained.

Protecting your goods

Basic coverage at 60 cents per pound per article is included in every mover’s rates. Actual Cash Value and Full Value protection cost more and cover more. If you do not choose, your goods are automatically covered for Actual Cash Value up to $20,000. See Valuation vs insurance.

Claims

Claims must be in writing within nine months of delivery. The mover must acknowledge within 30 days and pay, decline or offer a settlement within 60 days. You must pay the transportation charges before a claim can be processed, because the claim is a separate matter from the move itself.

Paying for your move

A licensed mover has a lien on your goods for the charges you agreed to in writing plus any signed Change Order — nothing more. Once you pay the authorized charges, the mover must release everything. The lien never applies to food, medicine, medical devices, disability aids or items for the care of a child.

Hazardous materials

The last page lists what no mover may ship: combustible liquids, corrosives, explosives, flammables and compressed gases, with household examples from motor oil and bleach to propane, paint, aerosol cans and fire extinguishers. Our guide Items movers can’t take covers what to do with them.

How to use the booklet during your move

Treat it as a checklist rather than a brochure:

• Before you book: confirm the mover is licensed and that every quote you compare is written and based on a visual inspection.
• When you receive your Agreement: check that the mover’s T-number, your addresses, the services, your declared value and valuation choice, the rates and minimums are all filled in. Nothing should be blank.
• Before the move begins: make sure the Not to Exceed price is written in and both parties sign.
• On moving day: sign Change Orders only after they are filled out, and keep copies. Note any damage on the paperwork before the crew leaves.
• After delivery: if something is lost or damaged, file in writing within nine months.

Why we like being held to it

A rulebook like Tariff 4 only protects you if the mover follows it, and it only gets followed if customers know what to expect. We would rather you walk into a MOVEXER move knowing exactly what we owe you. If you have questions about any section, contact us — and when you are ready, request a written estimate.