The 8-week Yorkville moving checklist

How far in advance should you book movers?

Book movers at least six weeks before a move within Illinois, which is the Illinois Commerce Commission’s own advice, and 8 to 12 weeks ahead for a long-distance move, which is Amenity’s recommendation. More lead time helps when your date is fixed by a closing, a lease end or the first day of school.

Six weeks leaves room for in-home estimates, a written estimate to compare, and a license check. The ICC’s smart tips for hiring a mover say to confirm an Illinois mover holds an ICC household goods license, ask the mover to visit your home, and get the estimate in writing. You can look up any mover on the ICC’s licensed mover search; Amenity Moving & Storage holds ILCC 73744 MC-C.

Eight weeks out: plan and compare

Eight weeks out is for decisions: the date, the budget, the mover and how much of the packing you’ll do yourself.

• Pick a target date and a backup date.
• Start a move folder for estimates, receipts, the lease or closing papers and the new address details.
• Schedule in-home estimates, and show each estimator every room, closet, basement and garage you want moved, as the ICC recommends.
• For a move to another state, expect two federal booklets with the written estimate, “Your Rights and Responsibilities When You Move” and “Ready to Move?” (49 CFR 375.213).
• Measure the new home’s rooms and doorways and decide which furniture fits.
• Decide between full packing, partial packing or doing it yourself; packing services explains the options.
• Mention any piano, gun safe or hot tub at every estimate, since each needs its own equipment.
• If your move-out and move-in dates don’t match, ask about short-term storage.

Six weeks out: book and start clearing out

By six weeks out, the mover should be booked and the clearing out under way, starting with the rooms you use least.

• Book the mover and keep the written estimate. In Illinois it isn’t binding, so note the 110% rule covered under moving week.
• Sort the basement, spare room and garage first, then closets.
• Check the next bulk-item pickup. Inside city limits, Groot runs one spring and one fall white goods and bulk pickup, with items at the curb by 6 a.m. on your garbage day and only one pass.
• Schedule old electronics. Within city limits, call Groot at 630-892-9294 for a free curbside e-waste pickup; listed items such as TVs and computers can’t go in the trash under Illinois law.
• Eat down the freezer and pantry rather than moving them.
• Confirm what packing materials the mover brings, and gather your own boxes only for what you’ll pack.

For the hard calls on what stays behind, read what to get rid of before you move.

Four weeks out: addresses, school and records

Four weeks out, change your address with the post office and start the paperwork your household will need at the new home. It’s also the right time to start packing what you won’t use before moving day.

• File a change of address at USPS.com. USPS says to allow at least 7 to 10 business days for it to take effect, and standard forwarding lasts 12 months.
• Enrolling children in Yorkville CUSD 115? New families create a ParentVUE account and complete the online registration packet for the correct school year. The district’s registration page lists the registrar at 630-553-4382 ext. 6282 or registration@y115.org, and links its proof-of-residency requirements.
• Ask current schools to release records, and doctors and pharmacies to transfer prescriptions.
• Give the new address to your bank, employer, insurers and subscriptions.
• Pack out-of-season clothes, books, décor and anything in storage closets.

Start packing about four weeks out with the things you won’t need, and save the kitchen, bathrooms and bedrooms for the final week. A large house, or one person packing alone, may need to begin sooner; when to start packing breaks the timing down room by room.

Two weeks out: utilities and confirmations

Two weeks out, schedule the utility handoffs so service ends at the old home and starts at the new one on the right days.

City water, sewer and refuse

Inside city limits, water, sewer and garbage service are started or stopped with the city’s Meter Read Request form, which also covers the sanitary district. Give at least five days’ notice. Renters leaving should list a forwarding address for the final bill, and sellers should give their closing lawyer’s email or fax. Leave the refuse and recycling totes with the house.

Moving into a new-construction home? Order totes at the bottom of the same form; the city says Groot should deliver them in about 10 business days. Bills are issued every two months, and your account number appears on the first one. The utility billing office is at 651 Prairie Pointe Drive, 630-553-4350, open 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., per the city’s service setup page.

• Schedule gas, electric, internet and phone shutoff at the old address and start-up at the new one.
• Confirm the moving date, arrival window and crew size with your mover.
• Reserve elevators or loading areas, and check HOA or building move rules.
• Arrange care for young children and pets for moving day.
• Refill prescriptions so you’re covered through the first week.

Moving week: the last checks

Moving week is for emptying, labeling and setting aside what rides with you instead of on the truck.

• Pack a first-night box: medications, chargers, toiletries, bedding, a change of clothes, basic tools and paper towels.
• Keep documents, jewelry, cash and the move folder with you.
• Defrost and dry the freezer at least a day ahead.
• Empty any gun safe that’s moving; Amenity moves the safe, and you carry the valuables inside it separately.
• Have a hot tub drained and disconnected from power before the crew arrives.
• Set aside paint, fuel, propane and other hazardous products that shouldn’t ride in a moving truck.
• Be ready to pay 110% of the written estimate at delivery; the ICC says a mover can’t hold your goods if you pay that amount.
• Decide on tips ahead of time if you plan to give one; the ICC says tipping is not required.

Moving day: start to finish

Moving day starts with a walk-through and ends with a final sweep, and the steps below keep anything from being missed in between.

1. Walk the house with the crew leadPoint out fragile pieces, items staying behind and anything headed to storage.
2. Review the paperworkRead the estimate and order for service before loading. On a long-distance move, Amenity’s crew inventories each item and its condition, and you review and approve the list.
3. Do a final sweepCheck closets, cabinets, the basement, the garage and the attic before the truck pulls away.
4. Note the meters and lock upPhotograph the utility meters if you can, then lock doors and windows and leave the totes.
5. Direct placement at the new homeStand at the door with a floor plan so each piece goes to the right room the first time.

First 10 days: Illinois address deadlines

Illinois law gives you 10 days after moving to report your new address to the Secretary of State for your driver’s license (625 ILCS 5/6-116) and, separately, for each vehicle registration (625 ILCS 5/3-416).

• Use the Secretary of State’s online address change. The statute says you may obtain a corrected license; the 10-day notice is the requirement.
• Update your voter registration on the Illinois State Board of Elections’ online voter registration site, which handles new registrations and updates. To vote in Illinois you must live in your election precinct at least 30 days before Election Day.
• Finish school registration if it’s still open, and update your address with doctors, insurers and your employer.
• Unpack the kitchen, beds and bathrooms first, and leave décor for the second week.

Heading to Oswego or Montgomery instead? The state deadlines are the same, but check that village’s own utility and refuse rules. If you’re new to the area, moving to Yorkville, IL covers settling in.

Keep reading

• When to Start Packing (and How Long It Takes)
• What Movers Won't Move or Pack
• Moving Company Red Flags (and How to Check a License)
• Hiring Movers vs. Renting a Truck

Browse the full moving guide library or see every moving service.

Last reviewed November 11, 2026 by the Yorkville Movers team against Amenity Moving & Storage’s published service details and the public sources listed above.