Tips for moving in New Orleans from the people who carry the furniture: which months to pick, how to keep a truck near your door, what shotguns and raised houses do to a move day, and the utility calls to make first.
Most moves in this city go sideways before anyone lifts a box. The date gets picked first, then someone finds out a parade rolls past the front door that night, or the building only lets movers in on weekdays. So before you book anything, hold your move date up against three things: the weather, the festival calendar, and your building's rules.
From late spring through September, the heat and humidity here are real work conditions, not small talk. Afternoon thunderstorms are common in summer and they can pop up fast. If you have a choice, ask for a morning start. The crew is fresher, the truck is loaded before the worst heat, and you are less likely to be carrying a mattress across a wet sidewalk at 3 o'clock.
If you can pick any month, October and November are the easiest months; March and early April are next. Avoid August and September, which is peak storm season, and the Mardi Gras weeks. The catch is that everyone wants those mild Saturdays, so the good dates go first.
Most leases in town turn over on the 1st, so the last two days of a month and the first two of the next are the busiest stretch on any mover's calendar. If your lease gives you a few days of overlap, a mid-month weekday is the easiest date to get, and the morning slot is easier to land too.
The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30, and the busiest stretch is usually late August through September. Most days in that window are perfectly normal moving days. The thing to plan for is flexibility: keep a backup date in mind, ask your mover how they handle a storm reschedule, and don't let your old lease and new lease leave you with zero overlap during peak season. We wrote a full guide on moving during hurricane season in New Orleans if your date lands in August or September.
Carnival is the one that catches newcomers. Parades roll on many nights in the weeks before Fat Tuesday, and on parade days streets along the routes close hours ahead, with no-parking zones going up before the floats arrive. Uptown along St. Charles, the CBD, the Quarter and much of Mid-City can be impossible to reach with a box truck. Fat Tuesday falls on February 9 in 2027, so if you are moving in late January or early February, check the parade schedule for your street before you sign anything. Our page on moving during Mardi Gras covers what to avoid.
Jazz Fest runs over two long weekends at the Fair Grounds in late April and early May. Early listings put the 2027 festival at April 22 to May 2; confirm the exact days on the official Jazz Fest site before you book. If you live near Gentilly Boulevard or Esplanade near the Fair Grounds, expect heavy traffic and parked-up side streets on those days. A weekday move between the two weekends is usually fine.
A lot of New Orleans streets were laid out long before box trucks existed. In the Marigny, the Bywater, the Irish Channel and parts of Uptown, you get narrow one-way streets with cars parked on both sides, big oak trees with low limbs, and sidewalks lifted by roots. If the crew has to park a block away, every trip with a dresser gets longer, and that time adds up.
The French Quarter has its own limits. The city caps vehicle length lower in the Vieux Carré than in the rest of town, deliveries compete for every inch of curb, and some blocks close to traffic during events. If you are moving into or out of the Quarter, read our French Quarter movers page and plan the loading spot first.
The building you live in decides how the day goes more than the number of boxes does. Here is what our crews run into most often, and what to tell your mover ahead of time.
Shotguns are long and narrow, one room behind the next, often with no hallway. Most sit up on brick piers, so there are front steps even on a one-story house. Big pieces have to come through the front door and travel through every room. Measure your sofa, your fridge and the narrowest doorway before you buy anything new for the new place. Doubles add a shared porch and sometimes a shared side alley, so let your neighbor know the date. See our shotgun house movers page for more on tight doorways and steep stoops.
Many homes are raised a few feet or a full story off the ground. That means a longer staircase to the front door, and sometimes the only good path is up a side stair. Camelbacks have a second story only at the back, often reached by a tight staircase. Queen beds and large dressers sometimes don't make that turn, so take a picture of the stairs and send it to us ahead of time.
Creole cottages sit right at the sidewalk, so there is no front yard to stage furniture in, and the truck may be your only staging area. Rooms open into each other, and any upstairs space under the steep roof is usually reached by a narrow stair. Tell us about attic bedrooms before move day, because that is where box springs get stuck.
Creole cottages sit right at the sidewalk, so there is no front yard to stage furniture in, and the truck may be your only staging area. Rooms open into each other, and any upstairs space under the steep roof is usually reached by a narrow stair. Tell us about attic bedrooms before move day, because that is where box springs get stuck.
Creole townhouses and older apartment buildings often have steep wooden stairs and narrow landings. Once in a while a piece has to be hoisted over a balcony rail. That is a decision we make on site with you, and we will tell you plainly if a piece can't go safely.
Large parts of the city fall under the Historic District Landmarks Commission, and the French Quarter has the Vieux Carré Commission. Those rules are about the building's exterior, not about moving furniture, but they are a good reminder: protect old door frames, iron railings and wood floors. Ask your crew to pad door jambs and lay floor runners, and point out anything fragile when they arrive.
Larger buildings in the Warehouse District, the CBD and along the river usually want a reserved freight elevator, a set move window, and sometimes a certificate of insurance from your mover. Some only allow moves on weekdays. Call your building manager as soon as you have a date and ask four questions:
Write down the answers with the name of the person who gave them. Ask the same questions at the building you are leaving. If you need a certificate, send us the building's requirements early so it is ready before moving day. Our apartment movers handle walk-ups and elevator buildings all over the city.
Damp air is hard on wood, leather, paper and electronics, especially when things sit in a hot truck or a storage unit.
Set these up at least a week before your move so you aren't sleeping in the dark.
If you want a number before you decide on a date, the instant price tool gives you a ballpark price in about 60 seconds. Local moves are hourly, the rate is the same every day of the week, and we confirm the final price with you before move day. Call us at (504) 237-0855, 7am to 7pm, seven days a week, with questions about your street or your building. AD Movers - New Orleans has been moving people around the city since 2013 and is licensed with the Louisiana Public Service Commission (license #8127).
October and November are the easiest months; March and early April are next. Avoid August and September, the peak of storm season, and the Mardi Gras weeks, when parade routes close streets for hours. Those mild months are popular, so book a few weeks ahead and check that your date doesn't land on a parade night or a Jazz Fest weekend near the Fair Grounds.
Yes, most days between June 1 and November 30 are normal moving days. The risk is concentrated in late August and September. Pick a backup date, ask your mover how they handle a storm reschedule, and try to keep a few days of overlap between your old and new leases so a storm doesn't leave you with nowhere to sleep and a truck full of furniture.
You can, but stay off parade days on or near a route. Streets close hours before parades roll and no-parking zones go up, so a truck may not get within blocks of your door. Weekday mornings away from St. Charles, the CBD and the Quarter are the safest bet. Fat Tuesday is February 9 in 2027, so check the parade schedule for late January and early February.
Request a bulky-waste pickup through 311 and put items out only when the city's rules allow, not days early. Flatten moving boxes for curbside recycling. If you would rather not wait on a pickup, a junk removal crew can haul old mattresses, sofas and appliances away on moving day, which keeps them out of the new place entirely.
In Orleans Parish, Entergy New Orleans handles electricity and the Sewerage & Water Board handles water and sewer. In Jefferson Parish, power is Entergy Louisiana and water is set up through the parish. Schedule a stop at the old place and a start at the new one about a week ahead, with a day of overlap, so the lights and water are on when you arrive.
Most larger buildings in the CBD, the Warehouse District and along the river require it. Call management at both buildings to reserve the freight elevator, confirm the hours moves are allowed, ask where the truck can park, and find out whether they need a certificate of insurance from your mover. Send those requirements to your mover early so the paperwork is ready.
Two to four weeks is usually enough for a mid-month weekday. Book earlier for the last weekend of a month, a holiday weekend, a festival weekend or the mild months of October, November, March and April. Last-minute and same-day moves sometimes work when a crew is free, so it is still worth a call if your date is close.
At AD Movers, no. Local moves are hourly and the rate is the same every day of the week, with no weekend surcharge and no fuel surcharge. What changes the total is the job itself: how many movers you need, stairs, the walk from the truck, the drive between addresses and how much is packed. The online tool gives a ballpark in about 60 seconds.
Moving soon? Get a ballpark price in about 60 seconds, or call (504) 237-0855.
Get my pricePlanning tools: work through our New Orleans moving checklist and scout the best neighborhoods to move to before the truck rolls. Ready for numbers? See your ballpark price in 60 seconds.
AD Movers is a licensed & insured New Orleans moving company providing local and long-distance moving across the areas we serve.
