Moving companies in San Rafael, CA.

Local services and rules

Moving to San Rafael: who to call and what the city asks.

Bulky Item Days at Pickleweed Park, 50 Canal Street, are held on the last Saturday of each month, and bulky waste can be dropped off for free. Apartment residents in San Rafael can get free bulky item disposal through a program run by the City of San Rafael and Marin Sanitary Service, and are told to ask the property manager to arrange it.

Parking a moving truck and placing a container

"No Parking" signs and meter bags from the Parking Services office reserve parking space for residential moves. For unmetered areas, No Parking signs can be obtained at the Parking Services office, 1400 Fifth Ave. Temporary signs and meter bags do not override existing parking and traffic rules such as street cleaning signs, No Stopping signs or red curb zones.

A Minor Temporary Encroachment Permit is required for a debris box or storage container (such as a PODS unit) placed on the street. It is not required when the container sits on private property such as a driveway without reaching the sidewalk or right of way.

Under the oversized vehicle rule, oversized or commercial vehicles may not park on public streets citywide for more than one hour, unless they are actively loading or unloading.

Street sweeping days

The city street sweeping page has an address lookup map for sweeping schedules, and reminds residents to move their car on street sweeping day. Schedules can change because of storms, emergencies, maintenance or personnel issues.

Marin Water and Marin Sanitary Service

Marin Water takes new service requests through an online form for people in its service area. New accounts may be charged a new account service charge or be required to pay a security deposit.

Marin Sanitary Service provides weekly garbage, recycling and compostables collection for residential customers (households of fewer than four units) in San Rafael and other Central Marin communities. Customer support is available Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. at (415) 456-2601.

Disposal sites on Jacoby Street

The City of San Rafael says it is illegal to dump furniture, mattresses or garbage on streets, sidewalks or parks.

The Marin Household Hazardous Waste Facility at 565 Jacoby Street, San Rafael, takes chemicals, oils and batteries, Tuesday to Saturday. Containers larger than 5 gallons or 50 pounds are not accepted. The Marin Resource Recovery Center at the same address takes furniture and mattresses; fees apply and it can be reached at (415) 456-2601.

The city Moving page, schools and the library

A city Moving page helps plan a moving day, covering voter registration and mailing address updates, schools, parking permits, and trash and utility providers.

The San Rafael City Schools Student Enrollment & Family Center handles enrollment, at (415) 492-3236 or (415) 492-3226.

San Rafael Public Library staff can be reached at library@cityofsanrafael.org or through Virtual Chat.

Dog licenses

Dog licenses are required by law for all dogs over four months old who live in San Rafael. Licensing needs a copy of the rabies vaccination, proof of spay or neuter if applicable, and a check or credit card.

Transit and neighborhoods

Marin Transit is the local transit provider for Marin County, with offices at 711 Grand Ave in San Rafael. SMART passenger rail has stations in San Rafael, one at the Civic Center and one in central San Rafael.

The City of San Rafael neighborhoods map shows its many neighborhoods, including Terra Linda, Gerstle Park, Santa Venetia, Peacock Gap, Sun Valley and Lucas Valley.