Office Relocation and Setup in Fort Wayne

Define the inventory and charges before comparing movers

Prepare an inventory by room or department. Include desks, workstations, filing cabinets, conference furniture, printers, boxed records, and electronics. Add photographs and dimensions for bulky pieces. Mark what needs disassembly, what staff will pack, and what you plan to leave behind.

Give bidders the stairs, elevator dimensions, loading entrance, truck-to-door route, and building work hours for both addresses. Ask for a site review if access remains uncertain. Request a written scope covering packing materials, crew arrangements, assembly, storage, waiting time, and any return visit.

For carriers within its Indiana intrastate household-goods and passenger operating-authority program, DOR keeps tariffs available to the public on request and prohibits charges outside the tariff. If DOR confirms that your shipment falls within this program, ask the mover how its quote relates to its filed tariff. [3]

Check the mover’s commercial scope and applicable authority

Ask each mover to explain its proposed handling of workstation furniture, confidential records, and electronics. Request insurance documentation, damage-coverage terms, exclusions, and a claims procedure. Check with your building manager about required insurance documents before accepting a booking.

Under its Indiana intrastate operating-authority guidance, DOR requires carriers transporting household goods or passengers for hire to obtain a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity. The supplied guidance does not classify every office shipment. Describe your route and contents to Motor Carrier Services and ask which authority, if any, applies. [3]

DOR lists 317-615-7200, option 3, then option 1 for questions about this program. If the department confirms applicability, ask the bidder for evidence of its current authority. Keep that check separate from your review of the mover’s proposed commercial scope and insurance. [3]

Resolve downtown parking and loading before setting the time

Fort Wayne enforces downtown meters from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. The city allows free metered parking after 5 p.m. on weekdays and throughout weekends, while accessible spaces remain reserved at all times. Use those hours to plan crew parking, then confirm the truck’s loading location with the building manager. [1]

The City Clerk identifies 311 as a non-emergency contact for parking concerns and questions. Use it to clarify unresolved public-street access questions. Do not treat a meter payment or free parking period as approval for your proposed loading arrangement. [1]

Walk the route from the proposed truck position to the destination rooms. Agree on elevator reservations, door access, floor protection, and a building contact who can resolve problems during the move. Ask the mover to confirm that the agreed route works for the largest items.

Confirm service readiness and define completed setup

Ask your landlord which utilities the lease includes and which accounts you must manage. City Utilities publishes a $35 reconnection charge and a $70 same-day service-reconnection charge under its non-recurring rates effective June 22, 2026. It also lists commercial deposits as varying by business type. Confirm applicable charges and the service date with customer support. [2]

Assign furniture assembly and IT work by name. Specify who disconnects, packs, transports, reconnects, and tests equipment. Have your IT contact confirm backups and a recovery plan before disconnection. Keep account credentials with authorized staff or your IT provider.

Label boxes and furniture to match a destination floor plan. Define completion through observable tasks: furniture assembled in assigned positions, equipment accounted for, and packing debris handled as agreed. Before reopening, have your IT contact test internet access, phones, printers, shared files, and business applications. Record missing items or damage during the walkthrough and follow the agreed reporting procedure.

Published City Utilities reconnection charges

Match the requested scope to your move

Your hiring checklist

1. Send bidders the same inventory, photographs, and destination floor plan.
2. Confirm loading locations, elevator arrangements, and building work hours at both addresses.
3. Obtain a written scope, exclusions, and an extra-work approval process.
4. Review insurance documents, damage coverage, and the claims procedure.
5. Assign packing, furniture assembly, equipment handling, and IT testing to named people.
6. Confirm landlord and tenant responsibilities for utilities and internet service.
7. Complete the inventory walkthrough and operational tests before reopening.

Frequently Asked Questions

How should I budget for an office move?

Request quotes against the same inventory and access information. Ask bidders to separate transport, packing, assembly, storage, and IT work. Keep utility charges and destination improvements separate from the moving quote, and require written approval before extra work begins.

Can we move after work to use free downtown parking?

Fort Wayne allows free downtown metered parking after 5 p.m. on weekdays and throughout weekends. Accessible spaces remain reserved at all times. Confirm your loading location, elevator access, and building work hours before choosing the move window. [1]

Does our office mover need an Indiana household-goods certificate?

Ask DOR whether your shipment falls within its Indiana intrastate household-goods operating-authority program. That guidance requires a certificate for covered for-hire transport, but it does not classify every office shipment. Describe both the route and contents before treating the certificate as a hiring requirement. [3]

Should the mover reconnect our computers?

Agree on that responsibility in writing with your mover and IT contact. Specify which equipment the mover may handle and who will test connectivity, phones, printers, and business applications. Include any mover-provided setup tasks in the quote.