What makes moving in Savannah’s historic district different?

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The district was laid out around squares and narrow lanes long before moving trucks existed, so the hard part of a move there is getting a truck close to the door legally. Curb space can be scarce, the squares interrupt through streets, low tree canopy and one-way lanes limit a tall truck, and the City of Savannah regulates the use of the street. Plan the truck’s access with the city and the mover before you book, and on a move within Georgia, know that the cost of a tight approach shows up as crew time or an added van, not a shuttle fee.

Where the district is

According to the Historic Savannah Foundation, the National Historic Landmark District “extends from the Savannah River south to Gwinnett Street and East Broad Street westward to Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard.” The foundation notes the city plan dates to 1733, with a public square at the center of each ward.

What constrains the truck

  • The squares. Streets break at each square, so a truck may not be able to drive straight to your block.
  • Narrow and one-way lanes. A long truck may not make the turns, and may need to approach from a particular direction.
  • Tree canopy. Low live oak limbs can be below the height a tall truck needs.
  • Curb space. There may be no legal space near the door without arranging one with the city.

What to ask the City of Savannah

Ask the city, for your address and the truck the mover plans to send:

  1. whether you need a right-of-way permit to reserve curb space, and how much notice it requires,
  2. what is required to use a metered space or a loading zone,
  3. whether a length, axle, or delivery-hour limit applies to large trucks on your street, and whether a moving permit is available,
  4. what rules protect the trees along the route.

Give the answers to your mover before the estimate. Parking and permits in Savannah and Atlanta are compared in what parking and permit rules affect a move in Atlanta or Savannah.

How a tight approach is priced

On a move within Georgia. DPS Maximum Rate Tariff No. 7 has no shuttle item. On an hourly move, a longer walk from the truck adds crew time, and if the carrier sends a second, smaller van, the tariff’s ceiling for an additional van and driver is $139.95 an hour in regular hours and $167.20 in overtime. A carrier that checked access before estimating may also, with your agreement, use ancillary means for an item that cannot be moved directly, priced only at the rates in DPS’s rules and tariff (Rule 570-38-3-.05(3)). A carrier that did not check access first cannot charge for such services.

On an interstate move. A shuttle to a smaller truck can be a legitimate charge under the mover’s tariff, as explained in what a shuttle fee is.

Before you book

  • Walk or map the approach to your door: the nearest square, one-way directions, and places a truck could legally stop.
  • Ask the mover whether it has worked in the district and which truck size it plans to send.
  • Ask for a look at the approach, in person or by video, before the estimate.
  • Get any second van or extra crew written into the estimate.

Settling the truck’s access first is what keeps a Historic District move from stalling a square away from your door.

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