Define: Intrastate and Interstate Moves

Posted by David Piotrowski

A common question people have when planning a move is determining the type of move they will be making and what it means to them in terms of what rules and regulations will apply. There are two main types of moves that occur on a daily basis in the United States: intrastate moves and interstate moves.

Intrastate Moves

Intrastate moves are moves that do not go across state lines, but rather the origin and the destination are within a single state. The routes on intrastate moves will never cross state lines. An example of an intrastate move would be a move from San Francisco, CA to Los Angeles, where the truck never leaves California to complete the move. Intrastate moves are handled by state agencies rather than federal law, and are not the main topic of this blog.

Interstate Moves

An interstate move is a move that crosses state lines, or has both the origin and the destination in the same state, but the route that the truck takes crosses state lines. An example of an interstate move is a move from California to Nevada. Interstate moves are governed by federal law. Interstate moves are the main topic of this blog and most of the posts on this site refer to interstate moves. For more information on interstate moves, please click here.