Alabama Moving Complaints
Who regulates intrastate movers in Alabama, and where to file when a move stays inside the state.
Who regulates intrastate movers
Alabama Public Service Commission (APSC) — Motor Carrier Section
Alabama Public Service Commission (APSC) — Motor Carrier Section →
Where to file a complaint
File with Alabama Attorney General's Consumer Interest Division →
If your move started and ended inside Alabama, it is an intrastate move. The federal FMCSA household-goods rules — including the 100%/110% release rule — do not apply. Alabama regulates these moves instead.
The state regulator is the Alabama Public Service Commission (APSC), whose Motor Carrier Section oversees intrastate household-goods carriers. A company moving household goods for compensation from one point in Alabama to another generally needs an APSC certificate or permit, must keep cargo insurance, must have an approved tariff on file, and files an annual report with the Commission. The APSC also runs a consumer-services line for complaints about the carriers it regulates.
To report a problem with an in-state move, you can contact the APSC Motor Carrier Section, and you can file a separate consumer complaint with the Alabama Attorney General’s Consumer Interest Division, which handles unfair and deceptive business-practice complaints.
Filing with both is reasonable: the APSC is the licensing-and-tariff side for movers, while the Attorney General’s office covers broader consumer protection. This page is general information, and neither it nor either office can tell you how your specific dispute will come out.
An in-state dispute, step by step
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Get all your paperwork in hand
The written estimate(s), the contract, receipts, and any texts or emails. Every step below needs these. Photograph everything.
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Put the dispute to the mover in writing
State what the paperwork says, what happened, and what you are asking for. Many disputes end here, and the written record strengthens every later step.
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File with the state moving regulator
For a move inside Alabama, the regulator-side complaint goes to the office that oversees movers in the state.
Alabama Public Service Commission (APSC) — Motor Carrier Section →
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File a consumer complaint with the state
The consumer-protection office handles unfair and deceptive business-practice complaints, and a moving dispute is squarely that.
File with Alabama Attorney General's Consumer Interest Division →
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If you paid by credit card: a dispute may be available
The Fair Credit Billing Act lets a cardholder dispute a billing error in writing — including a charge for services not delivered as agreed — generally within 60 days of the statement. Whether a particular charge qualifies depends on the facts; the guide covers what counts.
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Small claims court or a local attorney
Intrastate moves run on state law, so the money path is the state's own courts — and a licensed attorney in Alabama can read the contract.
Did your move actually cross a state line? Then the federal rules apply instead — start with the Coverage Checker or, if goods are being held right now, the emergency page.
Sources
Every legal claim above links to one of these official sources. Rules change — check the source if you're acting on this.