Coverage built for California household goods carriers — structured around the CPUC permit (Cal-T number), Maximum Rate Tariff 4, and the public-liability and cargo insurance the Commission requires on file.
California regulates intrastate household-goods movers more tightly than almost any other state, and it does so through the California Public Utilities Commission rather than a DMV or DOT. To move belongings for hire within California you need a CPUC permit, a Cal-T number, and proof of insurance on file with the Commission — and your rates are governed by a state tariff. Here is what that means for your coverage.
In California, companies that transport used household goods and personal effects for compensation within the state are household goods carriers regulated by the CPUC Transportation Licensing and Analysis Branch. A mover must hold an active CPUC permit and is issued a “Cal-T” number, which must appear in the company’s advertising. This is separate from the federal authority an interstate mover needs.
Rates for intrastate moves are not set freely by the mover — they are governed by the Commission’s Maximum Rate Tariff 4 (MAX 4), which sets the maximum rates and rules for moving used household goods over California highways. Operating without a valid permit, or outside the tariff, exposes a mover to CPUC enforcement and fines.
A California household goods carrier must have evidence of public liability and property damage insurance and cargo insurance on file with the Commission to hold an active permit, per the CPUC’s own guidance for people moving household goods. In practice that means your insurance carrier files proof of coverage with the CPUC, and a lapse can suspend your permit the same way a federal lapse suspends interstate authority.
On top of the Commission filing, the customers and partners you work with — corporate relocation accounts, property managers requiring a certificate before crews enter a building, and van lines if you operate as an agent — drive the operative limits, commonly a $1M combined single limit on auto with $1M/$2M general liability and a cargo limit sized to the loads you carry.
If your California company also moves household goods across state lines, you carry both layers at once: the CPUC permit and tariff for intrastate work, and federal authority for interstate work. Interstate household-goods movers need a USDOT number, $750,000 public-liability and $5,000 cargo on file with the FMCSA, and an MCS-90 endorsement, per the FMCSA insurance requirements. We coordinate the state and federal filings so neither lapses and your certificates stay consistent across both.
Tell us about your operation and your loss history — we’ll confirm we can write California and structure the limits to match.