HOUSTON-AREA FIELD NOTES / 03
“Katy” on the mailing label is a start, not the whole story. Before you pack the kettle, find out who serves your new address and what needs to be ready before the keys change hands. Then make room for the good part: your next pad.
STRAIGHT TO THE USEFUL STUFF
01 / BEFORE THE FIRST BIN
The useful Katy question comes before the packing question: is your address served by the city, or do you need a different provider?
The City of Katy’s Water & Garbage Services page links an “Am I A Resident?” map. The city explains that a Katy mailing address does not necessarily put a property inside the City of Katy.
Use that check to guide your next question about utility service. Do not submit a city application just because the address says Katy. Confirm the provider for the property, and keep that answer with your move checklist.
For a new city residential utility account, review the current application and the required identification and residency or ownership documents. Follow the official page’s current submission instructions.
Deposits and processing cutoffs can change. Check them directly before relying on a particular activation date. Make sure your intended start date works with the handover of the property, rather than assuming it matches your bin rental dates. Keep your utility request reference and the provider’s contact details in the checklist you carry with you.
Put the everyday dishes, charger, bedding and next morning’s essentials in a clearly marked group. Keep keys and important documents with you. The point is to find what you need before every cupboard is unpacked.
If your closing, lease or utility start changes, update your move checklist first. Ask about any rental-date change before the scheduled pickup, and wait for confirmation rather than assuming the equipment can stay longer.
02 / BOTH ENDS OF THE MOVE
Houston-area coverage is measured from the Hockley origin. Each delivery and pickup address must independently be within 75 road miles. A city name or ZIP code alone does not confirm eligibility.
Road miles follow the driving route, not a straight line. This is not the distance between your old home and your new one.
A distance-charge allowance is not a delivery-fee waiver. The calculator combines rental, additional weeks and standard transport. Extra distance, applicable access fees and tax are additional. Read the distance details and the transport-rate explanation.
03 / PACK YOUR ACTUAL LIFE
Walk the rooms and include the less obvious storage: laundry shelves, work supplies and the cupboard under the stairs. Use Large for the roomier loads and Small for dense little essentials. A bedroom count is a starting point, not a guarantee that your whole home will fit.
ROOMIER LOADS
$5
BASE / FIRST WEEK / USD
94 litres · 24 × 20 × 12 inches
HEAVIER LITTLE THINGS
$4
BASE / FIRST WEEK / USD
46 litres · 21 × 15 × 9 inches
$119 minimum for one week with standard delivery and pickup. Choose 1–150 bins, Large, Small or both. The base rates use everyday volume pricing, with a $69 first-week rental minimum. Additional-week rates plus extra distance, applicable access fees and tax are additional. Dollies are coming soon at $20 each for the first week. There is no XL bin.
04 / QUICK ANSWERS
Not necessarily. The city says its boundaries do not cover every Katy mailing address. Start with the “Am I A Resident?” map linked from its Water & Garbage Services page, then confirm the utility provider for your property.
Review the current city application for the required identification and residency or ownership documents. Check the official deposit and submission requirements rather than relying on an old moving checklist. Only use this process if the address is served by the city.
No. Each exact delivery and pickup address must independently be within 75 road miles of the Hockley origin. Road miles are not straight-line miles, and the distance between your two homes is not the eligibility calculation.
Start with your bin mix, rental length and preferred dates. Keep those details together, and check your booking confirmation for the agreed delivery and pickup arrangements.
05 / KEEP THESE HANDY
Official resources reviewed October 22, 2026. Requirements and conditions may change. These links help with your own move planning; they do not establish Frogbox coverage or imply an affiliation.