PCS Prohibited List 2026: What Military Movers Won't Pack
The items a DoD household goods shipment cannot include, the firearm and ammunition rules that trip families up, and what changed in the military moving program this year.
Military movers will not pack ammunition, hazardous materials, cars and similar vehicles, live animals, perishables and plants, cordwood or building materials, or property for resale. Firearms can ship if they are unloaded, made inoperable, and listed by make, model, and serial number, but any firearm made after 1968 without a serial number is prohibited. Keep orders, IDs, medications, and valuables with you, and confirm anything unusual with your installation transportation office before pack day.
Key takeaways
- Ammunition never ships. Shipment and storage of privately owned ammunition is prohibited in household goods.
- Firearms need paperwork. Unloaded, inoperable, serial numbered, and on the inventory.
- Hazmat is the same as a civilian move. Propane, fuel, paint, aerosols, and chemicals stay behind.
- Declare your PBP&E. Professional books, papers, and equipment are weighed separately from your allowance.
- The program changed. DoD ended the HomeSafe Alliance contract in 2025, and a new Personal Property Activity took over in May 2026.
What changed for PCS moves in 2026
If you last moved a few years ago, the system behind your shipment is different now. The Department of Defense terminated its Global Household Goods Contract with HomeSafe Alliance on June 18, 2025, citing missed pickup and delivery dates and poor communication with service members. Moves shifted back to the legacy Tender of Service program, run through the Defense Personal Property System, while a PCS Joint Task Force worked on a permanent fix. That task force became the permanent Personal Property Activity on May 1, 2026.
What that means for you: start with your installation transportation office, and use the Personal Property System response center (800-462-2176) if you get stuck. The prohibited items list itself did not change, because it comes from federal law and DoD transportation rules, not the contractor.
The PCS prohibited list
DoD guidance for household goods shipments has long excluded the same core categories. Your transportation office has the final word, so treat this as the standard list and ask about anything that falls in a gray area.
| Category | In your HHG shipment? | What to do instead |
|---|---|---|
| Privately owned ammunition, powder, primers | Prohibited | Carry it yourself where legal, sell it, or dispose of it properly |
| Explosives, flammables, corrosives, poisons | Prohibited | Use up, give away, or take to hazardous waste collection |
| Cars, trucks, vans, campers, airplanes | Prohibited | Drive it, or use a POV shipment if you are authorized one |
| Live animals | Prohibited | Pets travel with you or with a pet shipper |
| Perishable food and live plants | Prohibited | Eat down, donate, or carry in your own vehicle |
| Cordwood and building materials | Prohibited | Sell, give away, or leave for the next occupant |
| Property for resale or commercial use | Prohibited | Ship commercially at your own cost |
| Firearms | With conditions | Unloaded, inoperable, and listed by serial number |
| Motorcycles, boats, utility trailers | Ask | Often allowed within weight and size limits; confirm with your TO |
| Mowers and fuel powered tools | Drained only | Remove all fuel before pack day |
| Orders, IDs, medications, valuables | Keep with you | Pack a hand carry bag |
| Professional books, papers, equipment | Yes, declared | Set aside and identify so it is weighed separately |
Overseas (OCONUS) moves add host country rules on top of this list. Ask your transportation office for the country specific guidance for your new duty station.
Firearms and ammunition rules
This is the category most military families ask about, and the rules are specific.
Ammunition
The rule is short: shipment and storage of privately owned ammunition is prohibited. That includes loose rounds, boxed ammunition, reloading powder, and primers. Check range bags, gun cases, and pockets of hunting jackets before the crew arrives.
Firearms
Privately owned firearms can ship with your household goods when you follow these steps:
- Unload and disable. Remove all ammunition and make each firearm inoperable by removing the bolt, firing pin, trigger assembly, or other arming parts.
- List every firearm. Record the make, model, serial number, caliber or gauge, and any unique features on the descriptive and high value inventories.
- Check the serial number rule. Any firearm manufactured after 1968 without a serial number cannot be shipped or stored.
- Check the destination. The firearm and its paperwork must meet the laws of your new state or host country.
- Plan the return trip. Bringing firearms back into the U.S. from overseas requires an approved ATF Form 6, Part 1, which can take up to six weeks.
Hazardous materials
Hazardous material rules are the same on a military move as on a civilian one, because they come from federal transportation law. The crew will set aside anything labeled flammable, corrosive, poisonous, or pressurized. The usual finds:
- Propane tanks, camp fuel, and other compressed gas
- Gasoline, oil, and other automotive fluids
- Paint, thinner, stain, and varnish
- Aerosols, bleach, and household cleaners
- Pool chemicals, pesticides, and fertilizer
- Charcoal lighter fluid, matches, and fireworks
Large lithium battery packs (e-bikes, scooters, portable power stations) are commonly restricted in household goods shipments. Ask your transportation office before you pack them. For the full civilian version of this list, see what movers won't move.
Professional books, papers, and equipment (PBP&E)
PBP&E is not a prohibited item. It is the reverse: gear you need for your job that does not count against your weight allowance, as long as it is identified. Uniforms, field gear, reference books, and work tools can qualify. Set these items apart before pack day, tell your transportation office and the crew, and make sure they are packed, marked, and weighed separately. Anything not declared goes into your regular weight.
What to keep with you
A household goods shipment can take weeks on a cross country PCS, and longer overseas. Keep these items in a hand carry bag that never goes on the truck:
- Copies of your PCS orders and move paperwork
- Military IDs, passports, birth certificates, and Social Security cards
- Prescription medications and medical and school records
- Cash, checkbooks, jewelry, and small heirlooms
- Laptops, chargers, and hard drives
- A few days of clothes and basic kitchen items for arrival
If you do a PPM
With a Personally Procured Move (the program formerly called DITY), you or a company you hire moves your goods, and DoD reimburses you. That gives you more flexibility: plants, a cooler of food, and personally carried firearms can ride in your own vehicle. It does not change the law. Hazardous materials still need to be handled safely, and firearms and ammunition must follow the laws of every state you drive through and your destination.
If you hire a civilian mover for part of a PPM, or for a move after you separate or retire, their standard non-allowables list applies. Compare licensed interstate carriers on our moving company directory.
A prep timeline for pack day
- Orders in handContact your transportation office, confirm your weight allowance, and ask for the prohibited items guidance for your move type and destination.
- 4 weeks outWalk the house, garage, and storage unit. Pull every hazardous item, ammunition, and perishable into one spot. Start using up food and chemicals.
- 2 weeks outInventory firearms by make, model, and serial number. Set aside PBP&E. Drain fuel from mowers and tools.
- 1 week outGive away or dispose of what is left from the prohibited pile. Pack your hand carry bag and label it "DO NOT PACK."
- Pack dayPut the hand carry bag and prohibited items in a locked car or a closed room. Walk the crew through PBP&E and high value items before they start.
Frequently asked questions
What will military movers not pack?
Military movers will not pack privately owned ammunition, hazardous materials such as propane, fuel, paint, and aerosols, cars and similar vehicles, live animals, perishable food and plants, cordwood and building materials, or property for resale. Firearms can ship only when unloaded, inoperable, and listed by serial number.
Can I ship ammunition in my PCS household goods?
No. Shipment and storage of privately owned ammunition is prohibited in DoD household goods shipments. You can transport it yourself where state and local law allows, sell it, or dispose of it properly.
Can I ship firearms on a PCS move?
Yes, with conditions. Firearms must be unloaded and made inoperable, and each must be listed with make, model, serial number, and caliber on the inventory. Firearms made after 1968 without a serial number are prohibited, and the firearm must be legal at your destination.
Does PBP&E count against my weight allowance?
No, as long as it is declared. Professional books, papers, and equipment should be set aside, identified to your transportation office and the crew, and weighed separately. Undeclared items count toward your regular allowance.
Can military movers pack my plants or food?
No. Live plants and perishable food are not allowed in household goods shipments. On a PPM you can carry them in your own vehicle, subject to your destination state's agriculture rules.
Who handles military household goods moves in 2026?
DoD ended its contract with HomeSafe Alliance in June 2025 and returned moves to the legacy Tender of Service program. On May 1, 2026, the PCS Joint Task Force became the permanent Personal Property Activity. Start with your installation transportation office.
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Sources
- HomeSafe Alliance, Privately Owned Firearms: Can Firearms Be Shipped With Household Goods?
- Department of Defense, It's Your Move (NAVMC 2668)
- MyBaseGuide, DoD Terminates Contract With HomeSafe Alliance
- Aerotech News, Mechanism for PCS moves has changed (May 27, 2026)
- 49 CFR Appendix A to Part 375, Your Rights and Responsibilities When You Move