What You Should Know About Moving Permits

There are many things that you need to think about when preparing for a move. Decluttering, packing, and hiring movers are some of the most obvious things that everyone knows about. However, one thing that most people are not aware of is that you might need to acquire a moving permit in order to be able to park your moving truck at the desired location. Now, not every city requires you to get a permit. Mostly, we are talking about bigger cities where parking is strictly regulated. To help you with this task, Best Long Distance Movers will tell you all you need to know about moving permits.

What are moving permits?

Regardless of whether you hire a moving company or rented a moving truck, you will need to obtain an official parking permit that will allow you to park your moving truck legally for a certain period of time. This refers to large moving trucks as well as small moving vans. When you obtain a moving permit from the city, the officials will provide you with a no parking sign that you will need to place at the place where the truck will be parked during the loading and unloading process. Be aware though, that this permit only refers to legal parking spots. You cannot park a truck in an illegal parking spot even if you obtained a parking permit from the city.

Why do you need a moving permit?

Finding a perfect parking spot can be rather difficult. Especially when we talk about bigger cities like New York City. So, in some way, obtaining a parking permit that will allow you to reserve a parking spot is in your best interest. Now, when we are talking about difficulties with finding a parking spot, you are probably thinking about the most urban central city areas. And you will be right. However, even the best long distance movers New York has to offer will have difficulties finding a proper parking spot in suburban areas. So, if you want to ensure a smooth and efficient move, you should obtain a moving permit.

Situations where you will need a moving permit

Let’s say that you are moving from an apartment building where your home is on the 8^th floor. Getting your items to or out of the apartment will take several hours to complete. This means that your moving truck will need to be parked in front of the building for several hours. The first problem, of course, will be to find a parking spot that is close enough to allow your movers a smooth process. And even if you somehow managed to find one that is close enough, keeping it for several hours might be costly or even impossible.

For instance, if you are moving to the city of Chicago there will be many different parking zones. So, if you, for example, want to park in a 2-hour max zone, you will have to move your vehicle after two hours, which will make the process of moving difficult even for the best long distance movers Illinois has to offer. The only way to avoid a parking ticket here is to obtain a parking permit in advance.

Situations where you do not need a moving permit

There are, of course, situations where you do not need this permit. For example, your home has a private driveway. If the moving truck can fit on your driveway without obstructing other vehicles and neighbors, you will not need to get a permit. Naturally, this refers to you moving out of a home with a private driveway and moving into a new home with a private driveway. You can avoid getting this permit only if both homes have the above-mentioned access. Cities require you to have a permit only when it comes to public parking spots. The private parking spots are not regulated in this manner.

How to find out whether you need a permit?

Every city has different regulations regarding these permits. To check whether you will need one for your upcoming move, we recommend that you check online or ask your moving company, landlord, property manager, or homeowner’s association. If nobody can provide you with a clear answer, check whether your truck can access your driveway. If not, you probably need to get a permit.

Problems that you can run into if you do not have a permit

As we already mentioned, getting a moving permit is not mandatory in every city. This means that there are cities where you can move without applying for one. However, if you have it, moving will be much easier. For example, the city of Chicago only requires parking permits for vehicles that are longer than 16ft. On the other hand, Los Angeles doesn’t require you to have a moving permit.  But what will happen if you hire the best long distance movers California has to offer, and they arrive in front of your LA home only to realize that there are no parking spots available anywhere in the vicinity?

This will create several problems. Movers will waste time searching for a parking spot. If they find one that is far away, they will waste time carrying your items.  This increases the risks of damage to your items. Finally, a moving company may charge you an additional long-carry fee. But what if you do not have a permit and you do find a free parking spot? As we already mentioned, many cities have parking spots that are limited to a certain number of hours. So, not only that you will have to feed the parking meter regularly during the moving process, but you will also need to move the truck after a couple of hours. You can avoid all those problems by simply obtaining a moving permit from the city.

How much does a moving permit costs?

Every city has a different price when it comes to reserving your parking spot for the move. However, moving permits usually cost somewhere in the range of $10 to $110. Now, considering that long distance relocations can cost up to $10,000, an additional $80 will not make a significant difference. Moreover, when you factor in possible parking tickets, long carry fees that some moving companies will charge you, and the additional time movers will need to handle your move, it is clear that getting a moving permit is in your best interest.

Moving permit costs examples

Here are a few examples of how much a moving permit might cost.

Moving permits costs in Boston

If you are moving to Boston, and you need to reserve a parking spot in a public parking area, you will need to pay a base fee of $50. Then, you need to factor in $8 for two reserve parking signs as well as $40 for taking up two metered spaces at $20 a meter.  Finally, you also need to pay a $1 per square foot per day fee, which is $11. This all adds up to around $110. Not that expensive, especially if you already invested a lot of money into hiring the best long distance movers Massachusetts has to offer.

Moving permits costs in Oklahoma City

Oklahoma City offers some of the cheapest relocation permits in the country. A 72-hour moving permit in this city costs only $22. That is something that will not affect your moving budget in any way, even if you hire the very best long distance movers Oklahoma City calls it’s own.

Moving permits costs in San Antonio

San Antonio also has pretty straightforward rates when it comes to reserving parking spots for moving trucks. A single parking spot here costs $30 per day. So, all you need to consult with your movers to see how big of a truck they plan to use. Then, multiply the number of parking spots by the number of days, add a sales tax (which in San Antonio is 8.25%) and you will get the price of your parking permit.

So for example, let’s say you hired the best long distance movers Texas has to offer. For long distance moves, movers usually use larger vehicles that require two parking spots. And since you hire the best pros, they will need only a couple of hours to complete the job. So, $30 per parking spot times two, equals $60. Add a sales tax of  8.25% and you end up with a parking permit that costs $64.95.

Where do you get moving permits?

Moving permits are acquired in a local DMV. However, it is important to know that some cities require you to pay for your permit in person while other cities will accept online applications and payments. For example, if you hired the best long distance movers New Jersey has, and you need to apply for a parking permit in Hoboken, you will need to show up in person to apply for your parking permit. Moreover, they will provide you with your “no parking” signs two days after you applied. This can be a big problem if you are moving across the country. So make sure that find some solution.

When is the best time to apply for a permit?

As we already mentioned, every city has different regulations when it comes to relocation permits. Some cities will require you to apply for a permit two days before the move, while others will ask you to do it even sooner. Nevertheless, on average, the best time to apply for one is 5 days before the move. Bear in mind that some cities won’t issue your “no parking” signs right away. That means that you will have to return to the DMV once more before the moving truck arrives.

Do you need to apply for the permit or your movers can handle it for you?

In most cases, you will have to handle this task on your own. However, some of the best long distance moving companies Colorado has to offer will take this task upon themselves. This can be particularly helpful for people that are moving across the country. Since applying for a permit in a distant town can be pretty complicated or even impossible. So, bear this in mind when choosing your movers. And let this fact be one of the important factors when deciding what moving company to hire.

When to post a “no parking” sign?

Another important question that people ask is when is the best time to post a “no parking” sign. Well, that depends. The sooner you can do it the greater the chances will be that you will reserve the best spot. However, there are a few factors that can affect this. First, if you pay for a one-day ticket, you cannot post your sign a few days before the move.

Another obvious factor is that you might not be physically present at the location in order to post a sign a few days earlier. However, if you can, our suggestion is to do it a few days before the move. If you are hiring the best long distance movers Oregon to move to Portland, movers can apply for the permit in your name and the city will post the sign for you. This is the best solution, unfortunately, not many cities offer this type of convenience.

To summarize

That is all you need to know about moving permits. As you can see, there are many things that you need to think about. First, you need to know the size of the moving truck. Then, you also need to know how long the move will last. You need to check the cost of a moving permit and see whether you actually need one. Another important thing is to contact the local DMV and check whether you can apply for a permit online or if you need to do it in person. Remember that some movers will take this task upon themselves. Finally, don’t forget that you need to post a “no parking” sign a day or two in advance in order to secure your parking spot.