Moving in Summerville, SC

Moving in Summerville — Charleston Tri-County, SC

Low Country Moving Specialists, a locally owned moving company, moves households into, out of and within Summerville, SC, inside the tri-county; the town sits in southeastern Dorchester County and reaches into Berkeley and Charleston counties. Our published rates: $135 to $225 an hour full service, $115 to $195 labor only, by crew size, two-hour minimum; additional fees may apply.

Updated October 2026 · 8 min read · Serving the Charleston tri-county

The short version:

• One town, three counties. The Town places Summerville in southeastern Dorchester County, with parts in Berkeley and Charleston counties.
• A storage container is a permitted temporary use: up to 30 days for loading or unloading, with a $25.00 Town permit.
• Loading time is carved out. A truck over 20 feet can’t stay parked on a street for more than two hours, except for as long as loading or unloading takes.
• Bulk pickup is monthly, and Town code keeps bulk debris off the curb until seven days before collection.
• Our published rates: $135 to $225 an hour with our truck, $115 to $195 for labor only, by crew size, two-hour minimum; additional fees may apply.

Comparing Summerville moving companies? Here’s what a move there involves, the crews we book and what they cost.

1. Moving in Summerville: what a move there involves

Three counties, and the town limits

The Town calls Summerville the “Flower Town in the Pines,” and its comprehensive plan places it in southeastern Dorchester County, with parts of the town reaching into Berkeley and Charleston counties. The town is home to about 51,700 people in about 21,200 households, and about 31 percent of occupied housing units are renter-occupied (U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 five-year estimates). ACS figures are estimates with margins of error (90% confidence), and shares are rounded to whole percents.

Check whether an address is inside the town limits: the Town’s garbage and recycling service is for Town of Summerville residents, and its Code Enforcement page points to a town streets list for checking. Moving to Nexton? The master-planned community describes itself as being in unincorporated Berkeley County and says its residents pay a Nexton Improvement District payment instead of city property tax, so check the exact address on the Town’s list before counting on a Town service.

Plan on a Town permit for a storage container

Summerville’s Unified Development Ordinance lists portable storage containers used for loading or unloading among the temporary uses Town Staff issue permits for, allowed in any zoning district for up to 30 days, and the Town’s Planning & Zoning fee schedule lists that permit for portable storage devices at $25.00. Separately, the Town’s street code bars placing any obstruction in a town street or right-of-way, so plan the container’s spot on the property.

Where the moving truck can wait

Two Town code sections limit how long a truck can sit at the curb, and both carve out loading:

• Trucks over 20 feet. No truck or other vehicle longer than 20 feet overall may stay stopped or parked on a street, right-of-way or shoulder for more than two hours, except for as long as it takes to load, unload or deliver.
• Heavy vehicles in residential areas. The Town’s heavy-vehicle rule, which names box trucks, bars parking or leaving one unattended for more than two hours in a residential area, and says it doesn’t limit the temporary loading and unloading of service vehicles.

The carve-outs cover loading time, not the hours in between, and the heavy-vehicle rule reaches any part of a residential area, not only the street: if loading runs into a second day, confirm a lawful overnight spot with the Town before move day. Towing a trailer? The code bars leaving one on a street unless its towing vehicle stays attached. And trucks with three or more axles are barred from stretches of South Gum Street, South Magnolia Street, Richardson Avenue and Marion Avenue unless the trip starts or ends on that street.

Trash, bulk pickup and moving boxes

Carolina Waste picks up household garbage and recycling every week for Town residents, both on the same day of the week. Since 2021, recycling has been single-stream: glass, plastic, metal, paper and cardboard all go in the same 65-gallon blue-lid cart, so break boxes down to fit.

For a move-day pile:

• Monthly bulk pickup. The Town’s bulk waste page says its Street Department runs a monthly pickup for bulk waste such as furniture, appliances, boards and fencing; check that page for your collection week. Call very large items, such as a hot tub, in to Public Works at 843-851-4225.
• Flattened boxes. Under the Town code, bulk household debris includes flattened, emptied cardboard boxes, and that debris can’t go to the curb more than seven days before collection.
• What stays off the curb. The bulk page lists what the Town doesn’t collect: electronics, televisions, paint, tires, concrete, sand, tree stumps and combustible materials. It points Dorchester County and Berkeley County residents to separate county disposal sites.

Water, power and gas

Water service depends on where in town the home is. The Town’s 2020 plan says Summerville CPW’s service area extends no further north than the I-26 corridor, Berkeley County Water and Sanitation serves north of I-26 and some areas south of it, and Dorchester County water utilities overlap parts of the town. Confirm your provider before move day.

If the home is on Summerville CPW, opening a water and sewer account carries a $30 non-refundable origination fee per meter, and CPW asks for each account holder’s name, date of birth, Social Security number and a government photo ID. Leaving a CPW home? Service ends no sooner than the next business day after a Service Off form.

For electricity, the plan names Dominion Energy, Edisto Electric Cooperative and Berkeley Electric Cooperative, with Dominion Energy the main natural gas supplier.

From Mount Pleasant: I-526 and I-26

We’re based in Mount Pleasant. SCDOT describes the I-526 corridor as running from Virginia Avenue in North Charleston to about US 17 in Mount Pleasant, and I-526 meets I-26 at the I-26/I-526 interchange in North Charleston. I-26 is one of the major corridors the Town’s plan names for Summerville, along with US-78 (5th North Street), US-17 Alternate (Main Street) and SC-165 (Berlin G. Myers Parkway).

2. Our moving services in Summerville

Need local movers in Summerville for the whole job, or a crew for a truck you rented? We book three kinds of crews for household moves, each with two to six movers.

Full Moving Service

Full Moving Service pairs a packing crew with a moving crew for your household goods: you choose each crew and its hours separately, and the packing and the move can’t be scheduled on the same day. The moving crew’s rate covers the crew, our truck and the equipment (dollies, furniture pads and straps), and basic disassembly is part of the job.

Truck + Labor Crew

Packing yourself? A Truck + Labor Crew brings our truck and a crew to load your home and unload it at the other end, at the same hourly rates as Full Moving Service, with no packing or unpacking.

Moving Labor Only

Want to hire movers to load a rental truck in Summerville? That’s Moving Labor Only: you rent the truck or a portable container, and our crew loads or unloads it. We load your rental truck here; you drive it. Our labor-only guide explains where a crew’s responsibility stops. The same crews handle packing and unpacking labor, and inside labor, such as a move inside one building.

Packing and unpacking

With Full Moving Service, packing is its own crew, booked and billed for its own hours on a different day from the move, and it’s available as labor through a Moving Labor Only crew; a Truck + Labor Crew doesn’t pack. Packing supplies cost extra, and on Full Moving Service the supplies fee is added upon completion. Specialty items such as pianos and gun safes carry an additional charge, and we quote upright pianos by phone.

Moving an office? Office moves aren’t priced from our hourly rates; each one is scoped at a walkthrough, and our office move guide explains how.

3. Our published rates

Crew size sets the hourly rate; your home and its access (stairs, elevators, walk distance, parking) set how many hours the job takes. These rates cover residential and labor-only moves.

Every crew carries a two-hour minimum, billed even if the job finishes sooner. Additional fees may apply; on Full Moving Service, the packing supplies fee is added upon completion. We often need 7 to 10 days’ notice to schedule your move. Our local move cost guide covers what drives the hours, and current Full Moving Service and Labor Only rates are printed on our service rates page.

4. Licensed for the tri-county, rated by customers

Our South Carolina Public Service Commission Class E certificate covers moves between points in Charleston, Berkeley and Dorchester counties. We’re locally owned and operating in the Charleston tri-county area, our crews are background-checked and trained, and our estimates come in writing. Customers rate us 4.7 stars on more than 480 Google reviews.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do movers in Summerville, SC cost? For a household move, our published rates run $135 to $225 an hour for Full Moving Service or a Truck + Labor Crew and $115 to $195 for Moving Labor Only, by crew size, with a two-hour minimum. Additional fees may apply; on Full Moving Service, the packing supplies fee is added upon completion.

Can I hire movers to load my rental truck in Summerville, SC? Yes. That’s our Moving Labor Only service: we load your rental truck here; you drive it. A crew of two to six movers runs $115 to $195 an hour, two-hour minimum; additional fees may apply.

Do I need a permit for a portable storage container in Summerville? Plan on one. Town Staff issue temporary use permits for portable storage containers used for loading or unloading, for up to 30 days, and the Town’s fee schedule lists the permit at $25.00. Plan the container’s spot on the property: Town code bars obstructions in streets and rights-of-way.

Can a moving truck park on the street in Summerville? For loading and unloading, within limits. A truck longer than 20 feet can’t stay stopped or parked on a street for more than two hours, except for as long as it takes to load, unload or deliver. The Town’s heavy-vehicle rule, which names box trucks, sets a two-hour limit in residential areas without limiting the temporary loading and unloading of service vehicles. If the truck has to wait overnight, confirm a lawful spot with the Town first: the heavy-vehicle rule covers any part of a residential area, not only the street.

What do I do with moving boxes and old furniture in Summerville? Inside the town limits, boxes can go in the 65-gallon blue-lid recycling cart, and under the Town code, flattened, emptied boxes also count as bulk household debris, which can’t go to the curb more than seven days before collection. Furniture and appliances go out for the monthly bulk pickup; the Town doesn’t collect electronics, televisions or paint.

Ready to Move in Summerville?

Moving into, out of or within Summerville, inside the tri-county? Get a free, no-obligation estimate, in-home or virtual, and we’ll size the crew, flag the access issues and put the estimate in writing.

Call (843) 737-1279 or contact your local mover. Or book online through our booking page.

See our current service rates or browse more moving tips.

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This page summarizes Town of Summerville, utility, community, SCDOT and Census information as we read it on October 20, 2026, and is not legal advice. Rules and fees change; confirm them with the Town or your provider before move day.