Office moves go most smoothly when one person owns the plan, decisions about what to move happen early, and IT, building access, and communication are scheduled backward from a firm move date. For a small office, start about three months out; for a larger office or one with specialized equipment, start earlier. We’ve organized the checklist below by phase, so you can stretch or compress it to fit your team and your lease dates.
Three Months or More Before the Move
Assign a move coordinator
Choose one person to own the schedule, budget, vendor contacts, and decisions. In a larger office, add one contact per department to report needs and collect information. Write down who approves spending, who signs vendor contracts, and who handles employee questions.
Review both leases and buildings.
- Confirm the move-out date, notice requirements, and restoration obligations in your current lease, such as patching walls, removing cabling, or returning keys and badges.
- Confirm when you can access the new space and whether IT or furniture installation can begin early.
- Ask both building managers about moving hours, elevator reservations, loading dock access, required certificates of insurance for movers, and any floor or wall protection rules.
- Find out where a moving truck can legally park at each address. In Truckee, parking on town roads and public rights-of-way is prohibited from November 1 through April 30 (Town of Truckee), so winter moves need off-street staging.
Take inventory and decide what moves.
List furniture, equipment, files, and supplies by room or department. For each item, decide whether to move, replace, store, sell, donate, or dispose of it. Decisions made now reduce moving volume and cost. Items you are keeping but don’t need right away can go to storage; items you are discarding need a removal plan, such as junk removal and debris hauling.
Get moving quotes
Ask two or three commercial movers to walk through the office. Give each the same inventory and dates, and ask what is included: disassembly and reassembly, crating, floor and elevator protection, and after-hours or weekend work. Ask what the mover does and doesn’t do with computers and electronics, so you know which tasks belong to your IT provider.
Two to Three Months Before
Plan the new layout
Measure the new space, including doorways, hallways, and elevator dimensions, and confirm that large furniture will fit. Create a floor plan with a number or code for every desk, office, and room. Movers will use this plan to place furniture, so it should match the labels you will use later.
Plan IT, phones, and internet.t
This is usually the longest lead-time item.
- Order internet and phone service for the new address early, and confirm the installation date.
- Decide whether your IT provider, the mover, or a specialist will move network equipment, servers, and phone systems.
- Back up all data before disconnecting anything, and confirm the backup can be restored.
- Plan cabling, power, and outlet locations for the new layout.
- Schedule disconnection and reconnection so key systems are down for the shortest practical time.
Protect confidential records
Decide which records will move, which can be scanned, and which should be securely destroyed under your retention policy. Assign one person to oversee sensitive files, keep them in locked or sealed containers, and record who handled them. If your business is subject to specific record-keeping rules, check them with your compliance contact before the move.
Four to Eight Weeks Before
Communicate the move
- Employees: share the date, new address, parking, what each person must pack, and when they should stop working at the old office.
- Customers: announce the new address and any service interruptions in advance.
- Vendors and service providers: update delivery addresses, utilities, cleaning, security, and mail forwarding.
Update your business information.
Prepare updates for your website, email signatures, invoices, letterhead, and online listings. If you have a Google Business Profile, edit the address once you are operating at the new location. Changing your address may require you to verify the profile again, and Google may review edits before publishing them (Google Business Profile Help), so plan for some delay rather than waiting until the last day.
If your business itself is changing states, for example from Truckee to Reno, confirm registration, licensing, tax, and payroll requirements with your attorney or accountant. Those obligations fall outside a mover’s role.
Order supplies and set a labeling system
Label every box and piece of equipment with three things: the department, the destination room or desk number from your floor plan, and a priority level, such as “open first.” Use the same codes on the new floor plan and post room numbers on the doors of the new space before move day.
One to Two Weeks Before
- Confirm the moving schedule, crew arrival time, elevator and dock reservations, and building contacts.
- Send each department its packing instructions and deadline.
- Pack an essentials kit for each department: key files, chargers, supplies, and anything needed in the first business day.
- Confirm IT disconnection times and the reconnection plan.
- Photograph the condition of the old space for lease move-out records.
Moving Day
- Keep the move coordinator on site at the origin and a second contact at the destination.
- Walk the crew through the floor plan and point out fragile or high-value items.
- Keep sensitive records and essentials kits with assigned staff, not in the general load.
- Check that every room is empty before the truck leaves, including closets, storage rooms, and kitchens.
- If the move crosses Donner Summit in winter, build in time for chain controls or temporary closures on Interstate 80, which Caltrans posts on QuickMap (Caltrans).
First Week After the Move
- Test internet, phones, printers, and critical software before staff arrive.
- Check furniture and equipment against your inventory and report missing or damaged items to the mover in writing.
- Confirm that mail forwarding and vendor address changes are working.
- Complete move-out obligations at the old space and return keys and badges.
- Ask staff for a short list of problems, and fix the ones that slow daily work first.
Moving Between California and Nevada
A move from Truckee to Reno crosses a state line, so ask each mover which operating authority covers your job and how its liability terms are written. Federal consumer protection rules for moves focus on household goods, which FMCSA defines as items used in a dwelling (FMCSA). Office property usually moves under a commercial contract, so protections depend on what you negotiate. Get the declared value, claim process, and claim deadline in writing.
A move within the Reno area, or within Truckee and the Tahoe basin on the California side, does not cross a state line, but building rules, parking, and winter access still apply.
Office Relocation Checklist
- Move coordinator and department contacts assigned
- Lease dates, notice, and restoration terms confirmed
- Building rules, elevator, dock, and insurance certificates arranged at both addresses
- Truck parking confirmed, including winter restrictions
- Inventory complete with move, store, or dispose decisions
- Written quotes compared on the same inventory
- Floor plan measured and numbered
- Internet and phone service ordered for the new address
- Data backed up and restore tested
- IT disconnection and reconnection responsibilities assigned
- Confidential records plan and custodian assigned
- Employees, customers, and vendors notified
- Website, listings, and Google Business Profile updates prepared
- Labels by department, destination, and priority applied
- Essentials kits packed
- Post-move tests, inventory check, and damage reports completed
Our team handles commercial and office moves from our Truckee and Reno offices. When you’re ready to plan, send us your inventory and dates, ask us the questions on this checklist, and we’ll walk through each one with you.