Holding the curb in Portland
On a Portland street, a moving truck may block parking spaces only under a Street Occupancy Permit from the City. You apply through the City's online portal three to ten business days before the move and pay before it is issued (Street and Sidewalk Occupancy). The permit can cover several spaces and more than one day, and each space is 20 feet long, so ask us how many spaces the truck for your move needs. Pick up the no-parking signs and post them at least one business day ahead; without them the Parking Division cannot tow a car that sits in your spaces. Handicapped spaces, loading zones and no-parking stretches stay off limits (permit types). A condo, an HOA or a managed building may add its own rules: ask for the move-in hours, the elevator booking and the insurance wording, and send that wording to us for the certificate.
Up I-95 in under two hours
The truck leaves Boston on US 1 over the Tobin Bridge, joins I-95 north, and runs 84 miles of it across the short New Hampshire stretch and into Maine before I-295 takes it into downtown Portland. The whole trip is 110 miles and under two hours of driving, so the truck can be in Portland the day it is loaded. Delivery is planned for 2 to 3 days after loading. An unload the evening the truck arrives, or early the next day, can be booked depending on mover availability. Fuel and tolls are inside your rate. Going only as far as southern New Hampshire? See our Boston to Manchester page.
- Loading in Boston: walk the crew through every room and closet, point out what stays, and sign the bill of lading.
- The drive: north on I-95, then the truck waits for the delivery time you agreed with us.
- Unloading in Portland: name the room for each piece, watch the beds and tables go back together, and write any damage on a Damage Report before you sign.
Trash, boxes and foam after you unpack
Portland collects curbside trash only in the City's purple pay-as-you-throw bags, which local stores sell. Bags go out by 6:30 am on your collection day, and anything left at the curb comes back in by 8:00 pm. Recycling goes loose in the blue cart, never in a bag, and Styrofoam packing is not recyclable there, so it goes in a purple bag (Trash and Recycling). Buy a few bags before the first night, because the unpacking leftovers pile up fast.
Winter moves and snow bans
When a storm is on the way, the City can call a parking ban for the whole city, for the peninsula east and south of I-295, or for the downtown and arts district. A ban runs from 10:00 PM to 6:00 AM, and cars left on the street may be ticketed and towed (parking bans). If your Portland move lands in winter, keep your own car off the street on a ban night, and if a storm hits the night before delivery, we work out a new unload time with you.
Maine's 30-day deadlines
Once you live in Maine, you have 30 days to get a Maine license (Maine BMV, new residents) and 30 days to move the car's registration and title over. Maine has you pay the excise tax at your city or town office first, then register there or at a BMV branch (registering as a new Mainer). In Portland, City Hall books auto registration appointments. Carry the Massachusetts title and registration in your car on moving day.
Leaving Boston
In Boston, the street permit, the freight elevator and the loading dock are yours to reserve if your building or street needs them. Send us both buildings' certificate wording at once. Our pricing page explains how a flat rate is set, and our Boston office answers questions before you book.
