Colorado Moving Checklist: Week-by-Week Plan and When to Book U-Haul Loading Help Aurora

8 hours ago

3 min read

Quick answer: start planning 8 weeks out. Reserve your rental truck or moving container 4 to 6 weeks before the move, book your loading help 1 to 2 weeks out (earlier for weekends and the end of the month), and update your Colorado driver's license address within 30 days of moving. Here is the full week-by-week list.

8 weeks out: set the plan

Give your landlord written notice. Many Colorado leases ask for 30 to 60 days, so check yours.
Pick your move date. Weekdays and mid-month dates are usually easier to book than weekends and the last days of the month.
Decide how you'll move: a rental truck, a PODS or U-Box container, or a freight trailer. You drive or the company delivers it, and hourly helpers load and unload it.
Start sorting. Sell, donate or toss what you won't move. Fewer items means fewer hours on moving day.

6 weeks out: book the big pieces

Reserve your rental truck or moving container. They book up fast in summer and at the end of the month.
Ask your building or HOA about move rules: elevator reservations, move hours, loading zones and any certificate of insurance they need.
Check parking. Some cities, including Denver, require a permit to park a container or a large truck on the street. Look up your city's right-of-way rules early.
Order boxes, tape and moving blankets, or plan for packing help.

4 weeks out: utilities and addresses

Schedule Xcel Energy gas and electric to stop at your old home and start at your new one. Some towns use another provider, such as Colorado Springs Utilities, so check your new address.
Transfer water and trash service with your city or water provider, like Denver Water in Denver.
Schedule internet installation for move-in day or the day after.
Submit your USPS change of address.
Start packing the rooms you don't use every day.

2 weeks out: book your loading help

Book your hourly helpers 1 to 2 weeks out, and earlier for weekends or the end of the month. Your date isn't held until the deposit is paid, so pay it as soon as you get it. Book moving help.
Tell the office about stairs, elevators, long walks to the truck and items over 300 lb so the right crew size comes.
Take paint, propane tanks, pool chemicals and other hazardous items to your city's household hazardous waste program. Rental trucks and containers don't allow them.
Use up frozen food and plan when to defrost the freezer.

Moving week

Finish packing and tape every box closed. Label each box with the room it goes to.
Take apart beds and tables, or add furniture disassembly to your booking.
Empty, defrost and dry the fridge 24 hours before. Disconnect the washer, dryer and other appliances.
Pack a bag with chargers, medicine, documents, a change of clothes and snacks, and keep it in your car.
Confirm your truck pickup time so the truck is parked and empty before the crew arrives.

Moving day

Have the truck or container in place when the crew arrives. Time starts when the crew arrives.
Walk the crew through the home and point out fragile items and anything that stays.
Keep kids and pets in a safe room, and keep the walkways clear.
Do a final walkthrough: closets, cabinets, the garage, the attic and the backyard shed.

First 30 days in your new home

Update the address on your Colorado driver's license or ID within 30 days. You can do it online with the Colorado DMV.
New to Colorado? Get a Colorado driver's license within 30 days and register your vehicle within 90 days of becoming a resident. Many Front Range counties need an emissions test first.
Update your voter registration at GoVoteColorado.gov.
Update your address with your bank, insurance, employer and doctors.
Change or rekey the exterior locks.

Need hands for the heavy part?

Rocket Services is labor-only moving help. Hourly helpers load and unload your rental truck, PODS, U-Box or storage unit across the Denver Metro and Front Range. 2 helpers are $149/hr with a 2-hour minimum, plus $1 per round-trip mile from Aurora (80017). Call or text (720) 336-1661, or request a free quote.