What Movers Can and
Cannot Move
Avoid costly surprises on move day. Here is a complete guide to what professional San Diego movers will and will not transport, and what you need to handle yourself.
By Discount Movers · Updated August 2026 · 5 min read
What We Will Move
Items Movers
Will Transport
The vast majority of household items can be safely moved by a professional moving company. Here is what is included in a standard move.
All Standard Furniture
Sofas, beds, dressers, dining tables, desks, bookshelves, entertainment centers, and any standard household furniture. We disassemble and reassemble at no extra charge.
Packed Boxes
Any properly packed and sealed box. For fragile items, we recommend double-boxing and using adequate padding. Our crew handles boxes with care but proper packing is essential for delicate items.
Exercise Equipment
Treadmills, weight benches, ellipticals, and stationary bikes. Some large pieces require disassembly. Let us know about specialty gym equipment when booking so we can plan accordingly.
All Piano Types
Upright pianos, baby grands, and grand pianos. Piano moving requires specialized equipment and trained movers. Discount Movers handles all piano types. Call for a custom piano moving quote.
Art and Mirrors
Framed art, mirrors, and wall hangings when properly wrapped. For extremely valuable pieces, ask about custom crating services which provide maximum protection during transport.
Appliances
Refrigerators, washers, dryers, stoves, and dishwashers. Appliances should be emptied, defrosted, and cleaned before move day. Disconnect service lines in advance or ask about appliance disconnect services.
What We Cannot Move
Items That Cannot
Be Transported
For safety, legal, and practical reasons, professional movers cannot transport certain categories of items. Plan ahead for these.
Hazardous Materials
Flammable liquids (gasoline, paint thinner, lighter fluid), explosives, corrosives, propane tanks, and any material classified as hazardous. These must be disposed of or transported by the owner.
Plants
Plants are generally not transported on long distance moves as they cannot survive in a sealed truck and some states have agricultural restrictions. For local San Diego moves, we can often accommodate plants, ask when booking.
Pets
Pets must travel with their owners. They cannot be placed in a moving truck for obvious safety and welfare reasons. Plan your pet transport separately, especially for long distance moves.
Perishable Food
Fresh, refrigerated, and frozen food cannot be transported. Use up what you have before move day, donate non-perishables, or transport perishables in a cooler in your own vehicle.
Medications
Keep all medications with you personally, especially anything you need daily. Do not pack medications in boxes that will be loaded onto the truck.
Irreplaceable Items
Cash, jewelry, passports, birth certificates, financial documents, and items of extreme sentimental value should travel with you personally, never in a moving truck.
Specialty Items
Items That Require
Special Handling
Some items can be moved but require advance notice so we can bring the right equipment and plan appropriately.
Pianos
All piano types require piano boards, padded straps, and experienced movers. Always mention a piano when booking so we bring proper equipment. Call for a custom piano moving quote.
Safes
Heavy safes require specialized equipment and additional crew. Always disclose safes when booking and tell us the approximate weight. Never try to move a heavy safe with a regular dolly.
Pool Tables
Pool tables must be disassembled and the slate carefully wrapped. This is a specialty service. Ask about pool table moving when booking and we will arrange the right crew.
High Value Art
For original artwork worth thousands of dollars, ask about custom crating. We build custom wooden crates that provide maximum protection and are appropriate for high value pieces.
Large Outdoor Items
Hot tubs, large trampolines, and built-in outdoor kitchens may require specialty services. Describe all outdoor items when requesting your estimate so we can plan properly.
Workshop Equipment
Large table saws, lathes, and heavy workshop machinery require special equipment and planning. Drain any fluids before the move and disclose heavy machinery when booking.
Where to Take Hazardous Items Before Moving
Paint, propane cylinders, and pool chemicals do not go on the truck, and they cannot go in the trash either. If you live inside the City of San Diego, the Household Hazardous Waste Transfer Facility sits at the Miramar Landfill entrance on Convoy Street, just north of the 52 freeway. Residents drop off hazardous waste there at no charge, by appointment only. The city accepts unused and surplus paint and propane gas cylinders at this location. To make an appointment, call 858-694-7000 or visit sandiego.gov/hhw.
Residents of the unincorporated county use a separate program. The County of San Diego household hazardous waste program runs two permanent collection facilities for unincorporated residents and accepts latex and oil paint and stains, pesticides, pool chemicals, and propane. If you live in another incorporated city, the county directs you to that city's own household hazardous waste program.
Build the disposal trip into your moving timeline rather than leaving it for move day. Appointment-only facilities mean you cannot simply show up with a trunk full of half-used cans the morning the crew arrives. A practical order is to sort the garage and under-sink cabinets two weeks out, book the drop-off, and then pack the remaining household chemicals that are not hazardous, such as sealed dish soap and laundry detergent, in an upright box marked for the kitchen or laundry room.
Federal Rules on Undisclosed Hazardous Goods
The rule against hazardous materials is not just a company policy. According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, federal law forbids you to ship hazardous materials in your household goods boxes or luggage without informing your mover. The same FMCSA guidance lists packing perishable, dangerous, or hazardous materials in your household goods without the mover's knowledge as an action that limits the mover's liability for your shipment. In plain terms, a hidden gasoline can or aerosol case can cost you the protection you would otherwise have on everything else in the load.
For a local San Diego move this means walking the crew lead through the garage, shed, and laundry area before loading starts and pointing out anything that burns, sprays, or corrodes. Lighter fluid for the grill, a spare propane bottle behind the patio furniture, and pool shock in the side yard are the items most often forgotten because they live outside the house. Setting them apart on the driveway with a note that they stay behind removes any chance of one being boxed by mistake.
Plants and Firewood at California Border Stations
Anyone moving into California, or back to San Diego from another state, passes through one of the state's agricultural border protection stations. The California Department of Food and Agriculture says the most common interceptions at these stations are fruits and vegetables, fruit trees, garden plants, household plants, and firewood. Plant material, including fruits, vegetables, plants, hay, and firewood, must be packed for easy access so inspectors can look at it.
The practical decision for most people is to give away houseplants and firewood before an interstate move rather than risk having them rejected at the border after days on a truck. If a particular plant matters to you, carry it in your own vehicle where it can be shown at the station and kept in light and air. Leave firewood behind entirely and buy it locally at your destination.
Declaring High-Value Items to Your Mover
Jewelry, silverware, china, furs, and antiques belong in a category federal regulators call articles of extraordinary value. FMCSA defines these as items whose value exceeds $100 per pound. Under certain liability options on an interstate move, movers are allowed to limit their responsibility for loss or damage to items in this category. Declaring them in writing before loading is what protects your position.
Small valuables such as rings, watches, and cash are easiest to handle by keeping them with you, which this page already recommends. The harder cases are heavy pieces that are also valuable, like a set of sterling flatware, a collection of signed prints, or an antique clock, which are awkward to carry in a car. For those, write a short list with a description and an approximate value, give a copy to the crew lead before loading, and keep a photo of each piece taken the morning of the move.
On a local move the same habit helps even where the federal interstate rule does not apply. A written list means the crew knows which boxes need extra padding and which pieces should ride in a protected spot on the truck rather than being stacked. Ask when booking how the company handles pieces you consider high value, and whether custom crating makes sense for anything fragile enough that a standard blanket wrap is not adequate.
Frequently Asked
Questions
Questions About Your Specific Items?
Call us and describe what you need moved. We will tell you exactly what we can do and give you a free estimate.
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