Maryland Moving Complaints
Who regulates intrastate movers in Maryland, and where to file when a move stays inside the state.
Who regulates intrastate movers
Maryland Department of Labor — Household Goods Movers Registration
Maryland Department of Labor — Household Goods Movers Registration →
Where to file a complaint
File with Maryland Attorney General, Consumer Protection Division →
If your move started and ended inside Maryland, it is an intrastate move. The federal FMCSA household-goods rules — including the 100%/110% release rule — do not apply. Maryland regulates these moves instead.
Maryland’s Household Goods Movers Act (Title 8.5 of the Business Regulation Article) created a state registration program administered by the Maryland Department of Labor’s Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing. The registration requirement took effect October 1, 2019: a person may not provide household-goods moving services in the state using a commercial motor vehicle unless registered, and registration requires proof of liability, cargo, and workers’-compensation insurance.
Two tools on the Division’s site are worth using around a move — a License Search to confirm a mover is registered before you book, and a “Complaints & Information for Consumers” section for when something goes wrong.
To report a problem with an in-state move, you can raise the registration side with the Department of Labor, and file a separate consumer complaint with the Maryland Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division, which handles unfair and deceptive business-practice complaints.
This page is general information and does not predict how any particular dispute will be resolved.
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 Maryland, the regulator-side complaint goes to the office that oversees movers in the state.
Maryland Department of Labor — Household Goods Movers Registration →
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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 Maryland Attorney General, Consumer Protection 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 Maryland 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.