As a general rule of thumb, a moving company nearly always must be licensed to do your move, and they should ALWAYS have insurance.

As far as licensing, if the moving company is doing moves across state lines, it needs to be licensed by the federal Department of Transportation – you can check the moving company’s licensing by visiting www.protectyourmove.gov.

If your moving company only does moves in state, they most likely must be licensed by the state. However, a small handful states don’t require any licensing – you can see what your state requires by reading this article on moving regulations by state. Also, many states require local movers to be licensed both at the state AND federal move. Learn more about that in this article about a moving company's DOT and MC numbers.

Don’t ever hire a moving company that does not have the proper licensing to do your move!

As far as insurance, the mover should always have proper insurance both for the goods it’s hauling, and proper Workers’ Comp insurance. Ask about both – you don’t want to be held liable if a moving company employee gets injured in your home during the move.

If you’re looking for a moving company online, some companies, like TopMovingCompanies.com, require movers in its network to have proper licensing and insurance. But you should still do a spotcheck anyways just to be sure.