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6 min read
Edited BySarah CimarustiParking a passenger vehicle is hard enough in a big city, but parking a moving truck is another story. When moving into or out of a metro area, whether on your own or with professional movers, it's worth buying a moving permit from the city to give you (and your moving van) room to work.
Thankfully, we've done our homework to find learn more about how moving permits work and where you'll need them most.
Click on one of the links below to jump to the answer.
Moving permits are official parking passes for commercial vehicles like moving trucks and vans. They may also be called street occupancy, right of way or RoW permits.
Cities provide these permits for temporary parking within a designated date and time. Depending onthe type of permit and where you're moving, you may get additional "no parking" signs or cones to reserve the space for you and your moving team.
In most cases, a moving permit allows you to reserve two neighboring, on-street parking spaces, which can fit an average-sized moving truck. You’ll also be allowed to reserve the space for a period of time during the day, usually between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.
Start the search for your permit as far in advance as you can. The process can be notoriously confusing. But remember: not even a parking permit will allow you to park in an illegal parking space!
Moving permits can save you time and money, especially when you need to park a moving van on a busy city street. For a little bit of money upfront, you can save yourself (or your moving team) the headache of finding a legal parking spot far away from your apartment.
Moving permits help battle last-minute charges, moving delays, and parking tickets when you've already got a stressful job ahead of you.
You're moving from Chicago to Philadelphia and have a moving permit ready for your professional movers and their truck. But the only parking available is on the street, blocking traffic. Without that moving permit, the movers will have to risk getting a parking ticket or, worse—reschedule your move altogether.
When moving large loads, moving companies often use a small shuttle or truck to transport large items. These shuttles are expensive and time-consuming, but with a moving permit, you can skip the shuttle and unload items closer to your apartment.
You're moving into an 8th-floor apartment in Seattle all by yourself. You can drive around the block waiting for a space to open up, park illegally to unload quickly, or you can get a parking permit before moving day so you can take your time.
Some other moving situations where you might need a parking permit include:
No matter your actual situation, you can generally expect to obtain a moving permit if you’re moving in or out of any place with limited parking access.
With all the expenses that come with moving, moving permits are usually fairly affordable. Depending on the city you're moving to and your permit needs, you can expect to pay between $10 to $80. We recommend starting with your new city's Department of Motor Vehicles or other .gov website to see if moving permits are needed or available.
There are a couple of ways to get a moving permit:
You can register and apply for a moving permit through your city’s DMV website. Tackle this step no later than five days before your move (but we suggest at least two weeks prior if possible). Once you pay the fee, you’ll receive the instructions to pick up the “no parking” signs. You may have to confirm when to place the signs, but 48 hours prior to move day is usually recommended. If you’re not sure whether you even need a moving permit, you can always check with your apartment landlord, property manager, or homeowner’s association.
You can ask your moving company to take care of the moving permit for you. A quality mover will likely be able to arrange the parking permit for you, but it will also increase the overall cost of your move by a bit. On the bright side, it’ll save you time and ease the stress that can come with big-city moving because you won’t have to be the one worrying about parking issues.
No matter which way you go, it’s probably a good idea to know the parking enforcement policies and regulations for your move in advance—especially if you might have parking issues at your old home and your new one.
While it would be difficult for us to make a comprehensive list of all the cities across the US that require parking permits, we can give you some of the most popular cities:
The list above is just a sample of cities where moving permits are available or required. Wherever you're moving, we recommend checking the city government or DMV website weeks in advance to make sure you have the permits you need.
It depends on how much is inside the truck. Generally, a one-bedroom home takes up to three hours to load or unload. The more bedrooms you have, the longer the overall moving time takes.
If you're able to fit all of your items into an average-sized truck or vehicle, you likely won't need a moving permit. But for larger vehicles full of items to unload, ask your landlord, property manager, or HOA before you start sifting through city government websites.
Other community resources like NextDoor or Reddit may also be a good place to ask folks in your new neigborhood.
Most city government or DMV websites will have instructions or online portals for applying for permits. But the finer details like fees and exact process will vary from place to place.
Once you submit your application online with the DMV or city, it will generally take between 7 and 14 business days to receive your permit by mail. From there, you may need to contact your DMV or city for “no parking” signs and additional instructions.
A moving permit application costs between $10 and $80, depending on which city you’ll be applying for and how many spaces you need to reserve.
Moving permits are generally for commercial vehicles, which includes moving trucks. However, you can usually reserve parking permits for a regular passenger vehicle with the DMV or city government as well. Parking restrictions and availability may be different for these types of permits, though.
If you’ve purchased a manufactured home recently and must relocate it, then you may need a mobile home moving permit from the city government or Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV).
Now that you know all the ins and outs of moving permits, check out these other moving tips and guides to ensure you’re ready for your big move:
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