Berkeley is a dense, transit-friendly college city with strong renter protections, tight street parking, and a hillside area with its own wildfire rules. Before you move, find out whether your rental falls under the city’s rent control law, reserve curb space for the moving truck with a city permit, and learn your evacuation zone if you are moving into the hills. The sections below cover what new residents most often need to know, from parking rules to trash pickup.
Berkeley’s Layout: Flatlands and Hills
Berkeley sits on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay, and its terrain shapes daily life and move day alike. The western half of the city is mostly flat, running from the bay shoreline inland toward downtown. The University of California, Berkeley campus sits near downtown, and the blocks south of campus hold many student apartments. To the east, the Berkeley Hills rise toward regional parkland on narrow, winding streets.
That split matters when you plan a move. A downtown apartment usually means meters and permit parking zones. A hills home often means limited curb space, tight turns, and streets where parking is not allowed at all.
Renting in Berkeley: Check Whether Your Unit Is Rent Controlled
Berkeley voters passed the city’s rent stabilization law in 1980. According to the Berkeley Rent Board, the ordinance covers most of the city’s roughly 29,000 rental units in some way, and more than 20,000 have regulated rents.
Coverage depends on the building type, when it was built, and other factors. Some units have full rent control, some have eviction protections without rent limits, and some are exempt. For tenancies that began on or after January 1, 1999, owners can set the starting rent at market rate, and rent control applies to increases after that.
Before you sign a lease, take these steps:
- Look up the unit on the Rent Board website to check its registration status.
- Ask the landlord whether the unit is fully covered, partially covered, or exempt.
- Contact the Rent Board’s housing counselors with questions, since counseling is free for tenants and landlords.
- Read the lease section on security deposits, since fully covered units have rules on deposit interest.
Reserving Parking for a Moving Truck
Street parking is the most common move day problem in Berkeley. Without a permit, anyone can park in the space you planned to use for the truck.
The City of Berkeley issues Temporary No Parking permits for moving trucks and moving containers through its Permit Service Center. Key rules from the city’s permit instructions:
- You must post No Parking signs at least 72 hours before the restriction starts.
- Permits do not cover Saturdays, Sundays, or city holidays unless Public Works Engineering approves them.
- Permits do not override street sweeping restrictions.
- Moving vehicle and container permits last at most two weeks.
Because of the 72-hour posting rule and the weekend limit, apply well ahead of a weekend move. Check the Permit Service Center’s current hours before you go in person.
Everyday Parking Rules for New Residents
Many Berkeley neighborhoods use the Residential Preferential Parking program. According to the city’s street parking rules, cars without a permit for that zone can park for two hours, generally from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays, and some areas also enforce this on Saturdays. If you bring a car, apply for a residential permit for your new zone soon after you move in.
A few other rules catch newcomers:
- A car cannot stay in one spot on the street for more than 72 hours.
- Parking is not allowed during scheduled street sweeping.
- Heavy-duty commercial vehicles cannot park on any street between 2 a.m. and 5 a.m. for more than one hour.
- On Cal football game days, only residential permit holders can park on streets north and south of Memorial Stadium.
Moving Into the Berkeley Hills
The Berkeley Hills need extra planning on move day and after. The city keeps several hill streets clear with red curbs and no parking signs so fire trucks can pass. A full-size moving truck may not fit on some of these streets, so ask your moving company to check access before move day.
Much of the hills area falls within Berkeley Fire Zones 2 and 3. The Berkeley Fire Department recommends that residents of these zones plan to leave the hills during Extreme Fire Weather, a rare condition with extremely low humidity and high winds. The department points to narrow, winding roads that make evacuation hard.
If you move into the hills:
- Look up your evacuation zone on the city’s emergency map and write it down.
- Sign up for AC Alert, Alameda County’s emergency notification system.
- Decide where your household will stay if the fire department declares Extreme Fire Weather.
- Avoid scheduling a move on a day with a fire weather warning.
Getting Around Without a Car
Living without a car is practical in much of Berkeley. BART has three stations in the city at Downtown Berkeley, North Berkeley, and Ashby, with trains to Oakland and San Francisco. AC Transit buses cover the rest of the city, and much of the flatland area is walkable and bikeable.
If you plan to live without a car, look for a home within walking distance of a BART station or a frequent bus line. If you keep a car, check whether the building includes off-street parking, since the permit zones and time limits above apply to street parking.
Timing Your Move Around the University Calendar
UC Berkeley’s calendar drives much of the city’s rental turnover. Student move-ins cluster in late summer when the fall semester begins, and move-outs cluster in late spring. Moving trucks and curb space near campus are harder to book during those weeks.
If your schedule is flexible, avoid those windows. If you need to move then, book your moving company and apply for your parking permit earlier than you would at other times of year.
Trash, Recycling and Getting Rid of Bulky Items
Berkeley splits waste service between two providers. The city’s Zero Waste Division collects trash and compost, and the nonprofit Ecology Center has run the city’s curbside recycling program since 1973.
Moving often means getting rid of furniture and boxes. Leaving items on the sidewalk is illegal dumping in Berkeley and can lead to fines. The city offers these options instead:
- Owners of one- to four-unit buildings can schedule one free bulky waste pickup per calendar year, up to 3 cubic yards.
- Renters should ask their landlord or property manager to schedule a pickup, since the service goes to property owners.
- Mattresses go through a separate city pickup and cannot go out with bulky waste.
- Items in good condition can go to reuse stores such as Urban Ore.
- Cardboard boxes can go in the recycling cart or to the Berkeley Recycling Center on Gilman Street.
Berkeley Move Checklist
- Confirm your rental’s rent control status before you sign the lease.
- Apply for a Temporary No Parking permit well before your move date.
- Post the No Parking signs at least 72 hours before the move.
- Book your moving company early if you are moving in late summer or late spring.
- Ask your mover to check access if you are moving into the hills.
- Look up your evacuation zone and sign up for AC Alert.
- Apply for a Residential Preferential Parking permit if you bring a car.
- Plan for bulky items and boxes so nothing ends up on the sidewalk.
Planning a Move to Berkeley?
Johnson & Daly Moving & Storage handles residential moving, apartment moving, packing services, and storage in Berkeley and the East Bay.
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