Office Move Checklist for Los Angeles and Orange County Businesses

An office move checklist earns its keep on the boring details. The freight elevator nobody reserved. The internet circuit ordered three weeks too late. The phone lines canceled before the numbers were ported. Boxes are the easy part.

This list is for the office manager or operations lead who ends up owning the move. It's organized by workstream, each with its own timing, and covers what generic lists skip in Los Angeles and Orange County: building insurance certificates, curb loading rules, California filings and earthquake anchoring. Short on time? Read the building rules first. They can stop a truck at the dock.

Office Move Checklist at a Glance

Timing assumes roughly 15 to 60 people. A five-person suite can compress it; a floor with a server room shouldn't.

Print this office relocation checklist and put one name next to every row. A task without an owner is a task nobody does.

Set the Timeline and Budget

Work backward from the date that can't move: the end of the current lease or the day the new space is ready, whichever is less flexible. Then build in overlap. I'd want at least a week or two with keys to both spaces, so IT can install and test before staff arrive and a late furniture delivery doesn't strand anyone.

For the budget, list every line before you ask anyone for a number:

• Movers and packing materials
• IT: data cabling, network gear, internet installation, conference room AV, a technician on move night
• Furniture: new pieces, disassembly and reassembly, disposal of what stays behind
• Rent overlap, plus early-exit or restoration costs under the old lease
• After-hours building staff or extra cleanup, if your building bills for them
• Shredding, e-waste recycling, and reprinting business cards, letterhead and signage
• Lost productivity and a contingency line, because something always costs more than planned

Name One Owner and a Small Move Team

Every move needs one person who can say yes or no on the spot. Not a committee. That person owns the tracker, talks to the building and the movers, and breaks ties when two departments want the same corner. Keep the team around them small:

• IT lead: internet, phones, network, backups and the cutover plan
• HR or communications: employee updates, seat assignments, the move FAQ
• Finance: budget approvals, vendor contracts, deposits
• Department captains: packing deadlines and labels, one captain per team

Run it all from one shared tracker (task, owner, due date, status) with a short weekly check-in, and tell the building and the movers who the single contact is. Two people giving a crew different instructions at 9 p.m. is how desks end up on the wrong floor.

Review the Lease and Send the Right Notices

Read the current lease before you sign the next one. Find the notice deadline, early-termination fees, holdover rent if you stay past the end date, and the surrender clause: the condition the space must be in and whether cabling, signage or improvements have to come out. That last clause is the one I'd read twice.

Plan for the deposit, too. Under California Civil Code §1950.7, a commercial landlord can claim only what's reasonably needed for unpaid rent, repairing damage the tenant caused, or cleaning. When repairs or cleaning are claimed, the rest is due back within 30 days after the landlord gets the space back. Final walkthrough photos are your evidence.

Then send notices:

• Landlord: written notice in the form and by the date the lease requires
• Both property managers: your target date, so you get their move rules early
• Service contracts: janitorial, security monitoring, copier leases, water and coffee, shredding bins. Match end dates to the move so you don't pay for an empty suite
• Utilities in your name: shutoff, start-up and final meter readings

Plan the New Office Before Anyone Packs

Get the floor plan early and mark outlets, data drops, Wi-Fi access points, printers and screens. If your team is hybrid, plan desks for your busiest day, not total headcount. And measure doorways, corridors and the freight elevator cab before assuming the big conference table fits.

Inventory comes next, and it doubles as your purge list:

• Number every desk, chair, cabinet, monitor and printer, photograph its condition, and mark it keep, sell, donate or recycle
• Order new furniture once the layout is final, and get the delivery date in writing before you set the move date
• Schedule a shred day. California's Civil Code §1798.81 requires businesses to take reasonable steps to shred, erase or otherwise make unreadable customer records with personal information they no longer keep
• Keep old electronics out of the dumpster. LA County Public Works lists electronics and universal waste among the things that don't go in the trash, and CalRecycle notes that California treats some e-waste, like non-working CRTs, as hazardous. Wipe drives, then donate or recycle
• Mark the tall cabinets, shelving and server racks that need anchoring. The Earthquake Country Alliance cites a UCLA study finding that 55% of injuries in the 1994 Northridge earthquake came from falling furniture or objects

IT, Internet and Phones

Order internet for the new address as soon as the lease is signed, and get the installation date in writing. On the site tour, ask which providers already have lines in the building.

• Phone numbers: the FCC says you can keep your number when switching providers within the same geographic area, but a move to a new geographic area may rule that out. Don't cancel the old service before the new provider starts the port
• 911 address: the FCC tells VoIP customers to update their registered location when they change locations, so 911 calls reach the right place
• Before unplugging: label every cable and port, photograph the back of each rack, back up servers and test a restore
• Servers and network gear: last out, first in, with IT present at both ends
• Conference rooms and copiers: document AV connections, remove toner, and check whether a leased copier must be moved by the leasing company
• Access: badges, alarm codes and Wi-Fi at the new space, tested before day one

For packing monitors and desktops, see our guide on how to pack electronics.

Building Rules: COI, Freight Elevators and Loading

Get the written move rules from both property managers the week you pick a date. The published moving procedures at 6300 Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles show what to expect. The mover's certificate of insurance (COI) must arrive at least 48 hours ahead, carry $5,000,000 minimum general liability coverage and name the building's owners and managers as additional insured, and movers who don't follow the policy aren't allowed in. The same rules require:

• Moving outside business hours, which the building defines as weekdays 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., with its prior consent
• A building access request at least 48 hours ahead
• Masonite at least a quarter inch thick on finished floors, protective covering on walls, door frames and elevator cabs, and inspections before and after, with the tenant paying for damage
• Service elevators only, with the dock and freight elevator booked first come, first served

So send your mover the exact COI wording the day you get it, and book the freight elevator and dock at both buildings for the same window, in writing.

No dock? Figure out where the truck will stand. In the City of Los Angeles, a yellow curb is for vehicles with commercial plates actively loading or unloading freight, for up to 30 minutes, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday, unless signs say otherwise. Half an hour won't cover an office load, which is one more argument for an evening or weekend move.

Who Packs What, and When to Hire Commercial Movers

Split the work before anyone buys tape:

Get at least three written quotes on the same scope: inventory, floors and elevator windows at both addresses, after-hours rules, and who handles IT. Insist on a walk-through before any number, and ask for a sample COI in your building's wording.

Ask what damage coverage the quote includes, too. On interstate household moves, the FMCSA says released value makes the mover liable for no more than 60 cents per pound per article, so a damaged 25-pound screen gets you $15. Moves within one state can fall under that state's own rules, so get default coverage and upgrade options in writing. The FMCSA also notes that damage in boxes you packed yourself can be harder to claim.

When does a commercial crew make sense? I'd say once the job involves more furniture than a few people can safely carry, a freight elevator schedule, or a Monday morning that can't slip. Green Moving's commercial moving team handles business relocations across Los Angeles and Orange County, with after-hours and weekend scheduling, labeled packing and furniture reassembly.

Tell Employees, Clients and Vendors

Employees should hear about the move from you, early, and before clients do. Cover the why, the date, the address, commute and parking, and what changes in their day. Then keep a running FAQ.

• Packing instructions: what each person packs, by when, and how to label it. A color per department plus a desk number works; our color-coding system shows the setup
• Move packet: seat number, floor map, badge and parking instructions, Wi-Fi, where the kitchen is
• Plan B: if the network isn't up on the first morning, people work remotely
• Legal notice: California's WARN Act requires 60 days' written notice before a relocation, which the Labor Code defines as moving all or substantially all operations of a site that has employed 75 or more people in the past year to a place 100 miles or more away. Downtown LA to Irvine is well short of that; if your move isn't, call employment counsel

Clients and vendors get an announcement four to six weeks out and a reminder the week of the move. Update email signatures, invoices and your remit-to address, and send a fresh W-9 to clients who pay you. Suppliers, couriers, your bank, insurance broker, payroll provider and accountant all need the new address.

Change Your Address Everywhere It Lives

This list drags on for months if nobody owns it:

• IRS:Form 8822-B reports a new business mailing address, business location or responsible party
• California Secretary of State: file an updated Statement of Information when details change between filing periods. Since August 1, 2026, online filing requires User Access in bizfile Online, so set that up before move week
• CDTFA: if you hold a seller's permit, update your business and mailing address through your online services profile, as Publication 73 explains
• City business tax: moving within the City of Los Angeles, report the new location to the Office of Finance, which issues an amended Business Tax Registration Certificate. Moving to a different city means checking that city's business license rules
• USPS: file a business change of address. USPS says forwarding may start within three business days but recommends allowing up to two weeks
• Money and insurance: banks, merchant processor, payroll, benefits providers, equipment leases, and the insurance policies that list your premises
• Google Business Profile: edit the address, but expect a pause. Google reviews edits before they go live, and a business that moves after verification has to verify again
• Everywhere else online: website footer and contact page, map embeds, Apple Business Connect, Bing Places, Yelp, LinkedIn, industry directories

Moving Day Checklist

A good office moving checklist makes moving day almost dull, because the real decisions were made weeks earlier. What's left:

• A lead at each address with the seat map, inventory list and the building contact's cell number
• Floor and wall protection in place before the first load
• Checks, legal documents, keys and backup drives travel with a named person, not in the truck
• Inventory tags checked off at departure and arrival, with damage noted on the paperwork before anyone signs
• A last walkthrough of the old space: empty drawers and closets, photos of every room, then keys, access cards and mailbox keys returned

The First Week in the New Office

The move isn't over on day one:

• Someone at the entrance on the first morning with printed floor maps
• Test calls in and out, extensions, voicemail, printers, conference screens and every badge
• Anchor the tall cabinets, shelves and racks you marked on the plan
• Walk the punch list (damaged items, missing boxes, wall dings) and file damage claims in writing within your contract's deadline
• Watch for the deposit and for final bills from utilities and service contracts
• Ask employees after a week what isn't working, from desk assignments to parking
• Then celebrate. A team lunch in the new space tells everyone the move is over

Frequently Asked Questions

What should an office move checklist include?

Timeline and budget, a move owner, lease terms and notices, floor plan and furniture, IT and phones, building rules at both addresses, employee and client communication, address changes, moving day roles and a first-week punch list. Then give every item an owner and a date.

How far in advance should a company start planning a move?

If you're still deciding whether to renew, start six to twelve months out; the lease notice deadline can come months before the end date. Once the new space is signed, three months is workable for a small office if internet, furniture and building bookings start first.

How do you project-manage a move to a new office?

Give one person decision rights, backed by IT, HR or communications, finance and a captain per department. Track each task with an owner, due date and status, meet weekly, and route all contact with the building and movers through the owner.

Can we keep our business phone numbers?

Usually, if you stay in the same geographic area; the FCC says a move to a new geographic area may prevent porting. Start the port with the new provider before canceling anything, and update the 911 address on every VoIP line.

Is an evening or weekend move better?

For most offices, yes. It protects business hours, and some buildings expect it anyway: 6300 Wilshire's rules allow moving outside business hours with the building's prior consent. Confirm that IT support and building staff are available that night before you commit.