U-Haul Coupons Houston, TX

Houston is a huge, spread-out city, so even local moves can cover real distance. Heat, humidity and summer storms are the main things to plan around.

Moving tips for Houston

• Load early in the day during summer to avoid the worst heat and afternoon thunderstorms.
• Hurricane season runs June to November — keep a flexible moving date and watch the forecast.
• Because Houston is so spread out, compare in-town mileage costs with a one-way rental for longer cross-town moves.

Parking a moving truck in Houston

Most Houston moves load from a driveway or apartment lot, but in metered areas such as Downtown the curb belongs to ParkHouston, the city’s parking division. To hold metered spaces for a truck, request a meter bagging permit, which the city lists for construction, special events and moving. Requests need 48 hours’ notice. The application is on ParkHouston’s Buy a Permit page and is submitted by fax (832-393-8646) or by mail to Parking Management, 2020 McKinney, Houston, TX 77003. The page does not list a per-meter fee, so call ParkHouston at 832-393-8690 or email parking@houstontx.gov for current rates.

High-rise buildings commonly require a reserved freight elevator, a loading dock time and a certificate of insurance, so ask the building’s management office before booking the truck.

Best time of year to move in Houston

Heat is the main constraint. National Weather Service 1991–2020 normals for Bush Intercontinental Airport put the average August high at 94.9°F with a low of 75.4°F, so even dawn loading is warm, and August averages 4.84 inches of rain. January is far milder, with a normal high of 63.8°F per the January normals. Summer also overlaps the Atlantic hurricane season that the National Hurricane Center tracks from June 1 to November 30. Late fall through early spring is the most comfortable stretch for heavy lifting.

Moving trends in and out of Houston

Houston jumped from 9th to 2nd on U-Haul’s 2025 growth metros list, behind only Dallas, and Texas reclaimed No. 1 on the state index. The Census Bureau’s Vintage 2025 estimates show the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands metro adding 126,720 people between July 2024 and July 2025, to 7,904,627. Harris County gained 48,695 and Fort Bend County grew 2.5 percent.

Houston moving tips

• Allow 48 hours for meter bagging and at least a few extra days for mailed or faxed applications to be processed.
• New Texas residents have 30 days to register a vehicle and 90 days to get a Texas driver license, according to TxDMV. Harris County is an emissions county, so pass the emissions test first.
• On summer moves, bring water and schedule breaks; the inside of a closed cargo box can get hotter than the air outside.

Sources: ParkHouston, National Weather Service Houston, National Hurricane Center, U-Haul, U.S. Census Bureau, TxDMV.