Moving Checklist for New Orleans

Print this, stick it on the fridge, and cross things off. Each block below is a timeframe, and the items inside are in the order we'd do them. If your move date is closer than eight weeks, start at the block you're in and pull anything you skipped forward.

The New Orleans parts are marked where they matter: the city's utilities, the curb space for the truck, apartment building rules, storm season, and the Louisiana paperwork that comes after you land. The items most people forget are the ones with a waiting period, like a flood policy or an elevator booking, so those sit early in the list on purpose.

8 weeks out: lock in the big pieces

1. Pick your move date, and a backup date. End-of-month weekends fill first. A mid-month weekday gives you more choices for crews and building elevator times.
2. Get a moving price. Count rooms and big items, then get a ballpark from the instant price tool in about 60 seconds, or ask for a walkthrough. Write down what the price is built on: crew size, truck, stairs, wrapping. A full three-bedroom house is usually a job for 3–4 movers.
3. Name the heavy and odd pieces. A piano, gun safe, pool table or hot tub carries a specialty charge and may need extra hands or equipment, so tell the mover now rather than on the day.
4. Check the mover's license. Household movers working in Louisiana should hold a Louisiana Public Service Commission number. Ask for it and look it up.
5. Get the new building's move-in rules in writing. For an apartment or condo, ask the manager for: allowed move hours, elevator reservation, padding for the elevator, loading dock or loading zone, and whether they need the mover's certificate of insurance before the day.
6. Ask the same questions at the building you're leaving. Many buildings have move-out rules too, and a missed elevator booking can push your whole day.
7. Start a "keep, sell, donate, toss" pass. Begin with the attic, shed and spare room. Anything you won't move, you won't have to pack or pay to haul.
8. Measure the big furniture against the new place. Sofa, fridge, mattress and dresser, against the narrowest door and the tightest stair turn at the new address. Older New Orleans houses decide what fits, not the floor plan.
9. Ask for the day off. You will want to be at both addresses, and a weekday move is easier to book and usually easier on elevators and parking.
10. Measure the big furniture against the new place. Sofa, fridge, mattress and dresser, against the narrowest door and the tightest stair turn at the new address. Older New Orleans houses decide what fits, not the floor plan.
11. Ask for the day off. You will want to be at both addresses, and a weekday move is easier to book and usually easier on elevators and parking.

4 weeks out: insurance, utilities and the curb

Insurance

• Renters: buy or move your renter's policy to the new address, starting the day you get keys. Many New Orleans leases require it.
• Look up the flood zone of the new address on FEMA's flood map and ask your agent what it means for you.
• Flood insurance: regular homeowner's and renter's policies don't cover flood. A National Flood Insurance Program policy usually has a 30-day waiting period before it takes effect, unless it's bought with a new mortgage. So buy it now, not the week of the move.
• Buyers: your lender will tell you if flood coverage is required. Get the policy start date to match your closing.

Utilities

• Electric: schedule a stop at the old address and a start at the new one with Entergy New Orleans (it serves all of Orleans Parish, Algiers included). Set the start for the day before you move in so lights and A/C are on.
• Water: call the Sewerage & Water Board at 52-WATER, (504) 529-2837, to close the old account and open the new one. Ask when the final reading will happen.
• Gas, internet and cable: confirm who serves the new address and book the install. Internet installs are often the slowest to get.
• Leaving the parish? Across the line in Jefferson Parish (Metairie, Kenner, Harahan), power comes from Entergy Louisiana and water is set up through the parish, so you will open new accounts instead of transferring. On the Northshore, providers vary by address. Ask the new landlord or seller which companies serve the home.

Curb space for the truck

• Walk both streets. Look at the width, overhead wires and oak limbs, meters, and whether neighbors park on both sides.
• On a metered or tight street, contact the city's Department of Public Works. It handles parking meter rentals and street closure permits and can tell you what you need to hold space for a truck.
• Don't plan on parking the truck on the neutral ground. City rules don't allow it.
• Tell your mover about anything odd at either address: a narrow driveway, a gate code, a long walk from the street.
• Text your mover a photo of each street from the front door. It answers most truck-size and parking questions in one look.
• Text your mover a photo of each street from the front door. It answers most truck-size and parking questions in one look.

2 weeks out: pack the rooms you don't use

1. Get your supplies: boxes in a few sizes, packing tape, paper, markers, and wardrobe boxes if you want clothes moved on hangers. Or book packing help for the kitchen and breakable items.
2. Pack the guest room, storage closets, books and décor first. Label every box on the side with the room it goes to, not just what's inside.
3. Book junk pickup for the things in the "toss" pile. Old mattresses and broken furniture take up truck space. Our junk removal crew can take them on a separate trip.
4. Set up storage if your dates don't line up. A gap between leases or a late closing is what short-term storage is for.
5. Forward your mail with USPS. You can set the start date ahead of time.
6. Confirm the elevator and loading dock bookings at both buildings. Get the time window and the name of the person who approved it.
7. Send the mover's certificate of insurance to the building manager if the building asked for one.
8. Pack a box of things you'll want the first morning and mark it on every side, so it comes off the truck last and gets opened first.
9. Pack a box of things you'll want the first morning and mark it on every side, so it comes off the truck last and gets opened first.

1 week out: confirm everything

• Call the mover to confirm the date, start time, both addresses, and any third stop.
• Re-check the weather. During storm season, look at the National Hurricane Center outlook, not just the daily forecast.
• Pack everything except what you'll use this week: a few plates, a pot, work clothes, toiletries.
• Take apart anything you plan to take apart yourself, such as bed frames and desks. Put the screws in a bag and tape it to the piece.
• Use up frozen food, and plan to empty the fridge two days before.
• Gather the paperwork you'll need after the move in one folder: lease or closing papers, IDs, car title, insurance cards. Carry it yourself.
• Arrange care for kids and pets on moving day. In summer, a pet left in a hot house with the doors propped open is a real risk.
• Decide where your own car will be. Plan to move it off the curb in front of the house before the truck arrives.
• Check the fine print on deposits and cancellations with your mover, and confirm the final price before move day.

The day before

1. Empty, defrost and dry the fridge and freezer. Leave the doors cracked open.
2. Pack a "first night" box: sheets, towels, phone chargers, medicine, toilet paper, a shower curtain, basic tools, snacks and water. It rides in your car.
3. Take photos of electronics wiring before you unplug them.
4. Set aside anything that should not go on the truck: cash, jewelry, firearms, important papers, prescriptions, and open paint or gas cans.
5. Clear a path from the front door to the street. Move plants and rugs, and pick up anything that could trip someone carrying a box down porch steps.
6. If a building elevator is booked, confirm the time window one more time with the front desk.

Moving day

1. Be there when the crew arrives. Walk them through each room and point out what's going and what's staying.
2. Keep the truck spot clear. If you have a car out front, move it before the crew pulls up.
3. Stay reachable by phone, and keep one person in charge of answering questions.
4. Do a final sweep of closets, cabinets, the attic, the shed and behind doors before the truck leaves.
5. Take photos and a short video of the empty unit for your deposit.
6. Get to the new place before the truck. Turn on the A/C, check the water, and tape room names on doors so boxes land in the right room.
7. Check big items as they come off the truck, and note any problem before the crew leaves.
8. Tipping is optional and never expected. If you do tip, 100% of it goes to the movers who worked your job.
9. Tipping is optional and never expected. If you do tip, 100% of it goes to the movers who worked your job.

In an apartment move, the elevator window is often the tightest part of the day, and a freight elevator nobody booked can stall a whole crew. Keep the crew's path to the elevator clear and have the key fob or access card in hand.

First week in the new place: the Louisiana paperwork

• Driver's license: if you're coming from another state, Louisiana's Office of Motor Vehicles (OMV) says to transfer your license within 30 days of making Louisiana your home. Bring your out-of-state license, proof of residency and your Social Security number. Moving inside Louisiana? Update your address with the OMV instead.
• Vehicle registration: new residents also need to register their vehicle in Louisiana. Plan on an inspection sticker, the title and proof of Louisiana insurance. Book it in the same OMV visit if you can.
• Car insurance: switch your auto policy to a Louisiana policy at the new address.
• Voter registration: register or update your address at GeauxVote.com (online needs a Louisiana license or ID card) or through the Registrar of Voters. Deadlines run about 30 days before an election in person or by mail, and 20 days online.
• Homestead exemption, if you bought: apply with the Orleans Parish Assessor. Bring your act of sale, a Louisiana driver's license or ID showing the new address, and a recent utility bill. The Assessor books in-person and Zoom appointments. You only apply once as long as you live there.
• Change your address with your bank, employer, doctors, pharmacy, and any subscriptions.
• Find your storm plan: learn your new evacuation route and sign up for the city's NOLA Ready emergency alerts.
• Unpack the kitchen and bedrooms first. The rest can wait for the weekend.

Ready to put a date on it?

Once you have a date and a building window, you can book the move online, or start with a ballpark price in about 60 seconds. AD Movers - New Orleans has been moving people around the city since 2013, and we're licensed with the Louisiana Public Service Commission (license #8127). Local moves are hourly, the rate is the same every day of the week, and the final price is confirmed before move day. Questions about a tricky street or building? Call us at (504) 237-0855, 7am–7pm, seven days a week.

Checklist questions people ask us