Moving Services in Billings, MT: Plan Your Move

Choose the work you want the mover to handle

Start with a room-by-room inventory and mark each item for moving, donation, or disposal. Include belongings in the garage, basement, shed, and storage unit. Send photographs of large furniture and identify items that need disassembly. Ask the mover to review the inventory and confirm what the quoted work includes.

Choose loading help, transport with loading and unloading, or service that includes packing. Ask who supplies boxes, who packs fragile items, and who removes empty boxes and wrapping after delivery. Request a separate price for disposal so you can compare the mover's haul-away offer with taking unwanted items to the landfill yourself.

Compare prices and responsibility for belongings

Give each mover the same inventory, addresses, preferred dates, and access description. Ask whether the price covers the whole job or depends on time worked. For an hourly quote, request the crew size, minimum charge, when billing starts and stops, and how the mover charges travel. For a fixed price, ask which changes would require a revised quote.

Request written details about deposits, cancellation, schedule changes, and responsibility for damage or missing belongings. Ask the mover to explain coverage limits, exclusions, and the claim process. Describe valuable items and ask how the mover will handle them before booking. Have the mover put any coverage promise into the agreement.

For a move out of the area, ask who will collect your belongings, who will deliver them, and whether another company will handle any stage. Confirm whether the delivery commitment is a date or a window. Decide where you will keep essentials if you arrive before your furniture and boxes.

Plan disposal before loading day

Billings Public Works publishes landfill fees effective July 1, 2026. Its municipal solid waste rates per ton differ by waste origin: $35.15 for City of Billings waste, $52.73 for Montana waste from outside Billings, and $70.30 for out-of-state waste. Use these figures to plan disposal; request a separate quote for mover labor and transport. [1]

Public Works states that residential Yellowstone County customers receive an allowance through their annual tax assessment for loads less than 1.5 cubic yards or 700 pounds. Confirm how staff will apply that allowance to your load before arranging a trip. Ask about acceptance rules for the items you intend to discard. The landfill requires secured loads and assesses a fee for vehicles that fail its criteria. [1]

If you plan to use household collection during your cleanout, check your route and service calendar. Public Works states that a holiday delay affects the holiday and following days within that calendar week; the delay does not continue into the next week. Ask Solid Waste Services about your intended items before leaving furniture or packing materials for collection. [2]

Prepare access and the delivery handover

Walk the route from each entrance to the proposed truck position. Tell the mover about steps, narrow doors, elevators, carrying distance, and parking restrictions you need to resolve. Confirm arrangements with your building manager if needed. Send the same details for the destination, including who will provide keys and meet the crew.

Ask who will protect floors and doorways, disconnect appliances, and reassemble furniture. Keep documents, medication, keys, and personal essentials with you. Photograph belongings before loading, label boxes by destination room, and keep the agreed inventory available. At delivery, record missing items or visible damage and ask the mover how to submit your documentation.

Investigate assistance before committing money

The City's HOME-ARP page identifies Alternatives, Inc. and District 7 Human Resources Development Council as organizations offering housing-related financial assistance that includes moving costs. The program serves qualifying populations, including households experiencing homelessness, at risk of homelessness, or facing specified threats to housing stability. [3]

Ask the organization whether your circumstances qualify, whether funds remain available, and whether it must approve a mover or quote before you book. Confirm the documents it needs and how payment would work. Before paying a deposit, ask whether the organization can cover that payment and what approval you need.

Billings Regional Landfill municipal solid waste rates by origin

Match the arrangement to your move

Your hiring checklist

1. Create one inventory for all quotes, including storage spaces and items you will discard.
2. Send photographs of large or fragile belongings and describe access at both addresses.
3. Request the price basis, included tasks, extra charges, and payment terms in writing.
4. Confirm damage coverage, exclusions, and the claim process.
5. Check landfill eligibility, item acceptance, and collection timing before the cleanout.
6. Investigate assistance approval before paying a deposit if you may qualify.
7. Confirm keys, building access, truck placement, and who will meet the delivery crew.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much should I budget for the mover?

Request a written quote based on your inventory, addresses, access, and chosen tasks. Ask each mover to identify packing materials, disposal, storage, and additional transport charges so you can compare the complete price. Use the landfill figures on this page only when planning disposal. [1]

Can I take unwanted belongings to the landfill without an extra fee?

Public Works lists an allowance for residential Yellowstone County customers, funded through their annual landfill assessment, for loads less than 1.5 cubic yards or 700 pounds. Confirm eligibility and item acceptance before traveling. Secure the load; the landfill assesses a fee for vehicles that fail its secured-load criteria. [1]

Is local help available for moving costs?

The City lists moving costs among housing assistance offered by Alternatives, Inc. and District 7 HRDC through HOME-ARP for qualifying populations. Ask the organization about eligibility, available funding, approval timing, and payment arrangements before committing money. [3]

Should I include box and wrapping removal in the quote?

Ask for a separate price and confirm who takes away the materials after delivery. If you intend to use municipal collection, check the service calendar and ask Solid Waste Services which materials it accepts and how to prepare them. [2]