Short answer
Ask the mover for its Florida registration number (an IM number) and look it up yourself in the FDACS business license lookup. Confirm the status is active and the name matches your estimate. In Broward, also ask about the county mover license, and for a move out of state, check its USDOT and MC numbers on FMCSA's site.
To check if a moving company is licensed in Florida, ask for three things and verify each one yourself: its Florida registration number from FDACS (an IM number for movers), its Broward County mover license if it works in the county, and its USDOT and MC numbers if your move leaves the state. Look each one up on the official government site, not the company website, and confirm the name and address match the estimate in your hand. A legitimate mover answers these questions without hesitation.
Below is what each number means, where to look it up, and the red flags that should make you hang up, with notes for moves around Pompano Beach and the Broward coast.
What a Florida IM Number Is and How to Look It Up
Florida regulates movers that carry household goods within the state under Chapter 507 of the Florida Statutes. The law requires those movers to register with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS), and moving brokers, companies that arrange moves performed by someone else, must register too. A registered mover receives a registration number, commonly shown as an IM number, short for intrastate mover.
Registration is not a quality rating. It means the company has filed with the state and answers to Florida's rules, including the requirement to give you a written estimate and contract before work begins. An unregistered company doing local moves is working outside those rules, and you have fewer protections if something goes wrong.
Checking the registration
Start at the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services website and find its business or license lookup for movers. Search by company name or registration number. Check that the registration is active, the business name matches your estimate, and the address is a real one. If you cannot find the company, call FDACS and ask before you pay anything.
Broward County Mover Licensing
Broward County adds its own layer. The county's Consumer Protection Division licenses movers that operate in Broward, separately from the state registration. A mover handling a job from Pompano Beach to Oakland Park, or from a Hillsboro Beach condo to a house in Deerfield Beach, should be able to tell you its county status as readily as its state number.
The Broward County Consumer Protection movers page explains the county's requirements and how to reach the division. For questions about a specific company, or to report a problem with a move inside the county, that office is the place to start.
USDOT and MC Numbers for Interstate Moves
Once a move crosses a state line, federal rules take over. Interstate household goods movers need a USDOT number and operating authority, shown as an MC number, from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). Brokers that arrange interstate moves need their own federal authority as well.
Search the FMCSA SAFER Company Snapshot by USDOT number, MC number or company name. Look at the operating status, whether the company is listed as a carrier or a broker, and whether the name and address match your paperwork. FMCSA's Protect Your Move site explains your rights in plain language, including the federal booklet an interstate mover must give you.
One federal rule worth knowing: with a non-binding interstate estimate, the mover can require you to pay no more than 110% of the estimate at delivery, with any balance billed later. If you are heading north after the season, our page on long distance movers from Pompano Beach covers how out-of-state moves are planned.
Red Flags That a Mover Is Not Legit
- No written estimate, or a firm price over the phone with no inventory and no questions about access.
- A large deposit up front, especially in cash or through a payment app, before anything is in writing.
- No registration number, or one that belongs to a different company name when you look it up.
- A name that shifts between the website, the phone greeting, the estimate and the contract.
- Blank or incomplete paperwork you are asked to sign on move day.
- A price far below every other estimate, followed by new charges once your things are on the truck. Our guide to how Pompano Beach moving quotes are built shows what a complete estimate includes.
- Unclear who will do the move. A company that arranges moves rather than performing them should say so and name the mover before move day.
Any one of these deserves a direct question. Two or more, and it is time to call someone else. If a company has already taken a deposit and gone quiet, our guide on what to do when movers cancel or never show up covers refunds and complaints.
Verifying the Mover We Match You With
Pompano Go Movers takes your call and matches you with an independent local moving crew. Every mover we send is registered with the State of Florida as required and insured. The mover performs the move under its own written estimate and contract, in its own name, and our about page explains that arrangement in full.
That means you can, and should, verify the mover the same way you would any other. Ask for its Florida registration number and its Broward County license status, and look both up before move day. For a local move in Pompano Beach, the written estimate and contract are the documents that matter, so read them before you sign.
The checks matter most when the stakes are high. Canal-front homes in Lighthouse Point often hold pianos, art and heirloom furniture, and when that much value goes on a truck, the paperwork, insurance and valuation terms deserve a line-by-line read.
From the coordinator's desk
What a clean lookup still does not tell you
An "active" result is the start of the check, not the end of it. These are the things we tell people to look at once the lookup comes back clean.
- The number on the paper. FDACS expects the registration number on the estimate and the contract. If your paperwork has no number, or a different one from the lookup, stop there and ask why.
- Legal name versus trade name. Plenty of movers register under an LLC name and advertise under a shorter one. That is normal, but the estimate should show the registered name, and the payment should go to it.
- Whether it is still current. Registration has to be renewed. A company that was fine when a neighbor used it may have lapsed since, so check it for your own move date.
- Insurance on the day. The registration shows the company filed with the state. Current coverage shows up on a certificate of insurance, which your condo building will probably want anyway.
What we would skip: paid "verified mover" badges and seals on a company's own website. The state lookup is free, and it is the record a complaint or a dispute will actually rely on.
Frequently asked questions
Is an IM number the same as a moving license?
Close, but Florida calls it registration. Movers that carry household goods within the state register with FDACS and receive a registration number, commonly shown as an IM number. People often say "licensed," but the state's term is registered. Broward County, separately, licenses movers that operate in the county through its Consumer Protection Division. For a move inside Broward, it is reasonable to ask a mover about both the state registration and the county license.
Does a mover that only works locally need a USDOT number?
Not for the move itself. USDOT and MC numbers are the federal requirements for interstate household moves. A mover working only inside Florida answers to the FDACS registration and, in Broward, the county license. Some local movers also hold a USDOT number because they run interstate jobs too. If your move leaves Florida, the company carrying your goods must have active federal authority, which you can confirm on the FMCSA SAFER site.
Where do I report a mover in Florida?
For a move within Florida, start with FDACS, which registers movers and takes consumer complaints about them. If the mover operates in Broward County, you can also contact the county's Consumer Protection Division. For an interstate move, FMCSA's Protect Your Move site explains how to file a complaint against a mover or broker. Include your estimate, contract, receipts and photos, and keep a copy of everything you send.
Can a Florida mover hold my belongings until I pay more?
Not once you have paid what the contract requires. FDACS warns that it is a felony in Florida for a mover to refuse to release household goods after law enforcement has determined you tendered payment. If a crew demands more than your written estimate and contract allow before unloading, keep the paperwork in hand, call local police, then file a complaint with FDACS. It is one more reason to check registration first: a registered mover has a state record to protect.
The bottom line
Checking a mover takes a few minutes and a few numbers: the Florida IM number, the Broward County license for moves in the county, and USDOT and MC numbers when the move leaves the state. Do it before you pay anything, and compare every name you find against the paperwork.
When you are ready to book, call Pompano Go Movers at (831) 293-1195. We will match you with a registered, insured mover, and you are welcome to look up its numbers before move day.
