Residency checklists for your move
Moving states, or into or out of a city or territory? Choose where you are leaving and where you are going. You get one checklist for your exact move: the steps that show you moved and cut ties with the old place, their deadlines, the records to keep, and the official government source for each step.
Every step has a source
Each item links to the official state, county or city page it comes from, so you can check it.
Deadlines in plain English
What is required, what is smart but optional, and by when.
Records to keep as proof
What to save for each step, so the move holds up if your old state asks.
Browse by place
Each page lists what to do when you move there and what to wind down when you leave.
States
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- District of Columbia
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
Cities
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Residency change FAQ
Changing state residency requires both physical relocation and a clear demonstration of intent to make the new state your permanent home. Key steps: obtain a new driver's license, register to vote, update vehicle registration, file a Declaration of Domicile (if available), and, critically, reduce your physical presence and ties in your former state.
Legally, domicile changes the moment you establish a new home with the intent to remain there permanently. Practically, most states give you 30 to 90 days to update your license, registration, and other documents. The critical period is the first 1 to 2 years after the move, when your former state is most likely to challenge the change.
The biggest mistakes: (1) keeping property in your former state available for your use, (2) not updating your driver's license and voter registration promptly, (3) spending too many days in your former state after the move, (4) leaving your spouse or family in the former state, and (5) not tracking your days with contemporaneous records.
You don't have to sell, but maintaining a home available for your use in your former state is typically one of the most significant factors in a residency audit. If you keep the property, consider subleasing it to an unrelated party with a bona fide lease so it's no longer 'available for your use.'
It's a formal legal document filed with your new state's county clerk declaring your intent to make that state your permanent home. Florida, South Dakota, and several other states offer them. Filing one creates strong evidence of your intent to change domicile, and it's typically free.
If you're a high-income taxpayer moving from a high-tax state (New York, California, New Jersey, Connecticut, Minnesota) to a no-tax state (Florida, Texas, Nevada), the probability of a residency audit is significant. Use our Audit Risk Score tool to assess your specific exposure.
Yes. The full checklist for any move is free to read on this site with no sign-up, and you can print it from your browser.
iReside uses GPS to automatically log which state you're in every day. From day one of your move, you're building a contemporaneous record that's widely considered the gold standard for audit defense. iReside also alerts you before you hit your former state's day-count threshold.