Moving in Louisville has its own rhythm. Leases in the Highlands and around the University of Louisville turn over hard at the start of August, the summers are humid enough to warp anything you leave in a hot truck, and half the charm of neighborhoods like Old Louisville is also the reason move-in day is hard: narrow Victorian staircases, tight street parking, and front doors that were not built for a sectional sofa.
This is the checklist we wish someone had handed us — written for two people merging two homes into one, not a corporate relocation. Work backward from move-in day and you will spend the week after your move unpacking instead of hunting for the coffee maker.
In this guide
Four weeks out: decide where things actually live
Before a single box is taped, the two of you should agree on what the new place is for. Whose desk goes in the spare room? Which kitchen gear is a duplicate that one of you should sell or donate? Couples merging households almost always own two of everything — two toasters, two sets of pots, two routers — and the move is the cheapest moment to thin it out.
If you are moving into an older Louisville home — a shotgun house in Germantown, a Victorian in Old Louisville, a Crescent Hill four-square — measure your big furniture against the doorways and the turn at the top of the stairs now. It is far better to learn the couch won't make the landing this week than with two movers and a dolly stuck on the staircase.
Three weeks out: set up Louisville utilities and your address
Get the essentials scheduled so the lights and water are on the day you arrive, not three days later.
- Gas and electric: set up service with LG&E (Louisville Gas and Electric). Schedule the start date for the day before move-in.
- Water: transfer or start service with the Louisville Water Company.
- Internet: book the install window early — providers in dense neighborhoods like the Highlands and NuLu book out weeks ahead during the August lease-turnover crush.
- Mail: file a change of address with USPS, and update your Kentucky driver's license address at Drive.ky.gov.
- Trash and recycling: confirm pickup day and bin rules with Louisville Metro for your specific neighborhood.
Two weeks out: pack room by room — and label as you go
This is the step that decides whether the week after your move is calm or chaotic. Pack one room at a time, and the moment a box is taped shut, label it. Not 'misc.' Not 'kitchen 1 of 6.' Label what is inside and where it is going: 'kitchen — everyday plates and mugs — goes in the kitchen.'
A photo-based system makes this almost effortless. With Kept, you snap a photo of the open box, give it a name, and you're done in about five seconds — then months later you can ask 'where did we put the Christmas lights?' and get a plain answer back: which room, which box, which shelf. For a two-person move where you are both packing different rooms, the win is that you can both find what the other one packed.
The one rule
Every box gets a room, a destination, and a few words about what's inside. "Kitchen — everyday plates and mugs — goes in the kitchen."
Move-in day: park smart and protect against the heat
If you are moving in or near downtown, Old Louisville, or the Highlands, street parking for a truck is the real bottleneck — scout it the night before and, if your building manages it, reserve the closest spots. Most Louisville residential streets don't require a moving permit, but tight one-ways and permit-zone blocks near campus are the exception, so check.
Louisville summers are hot and humid. Don't leave candles, electronics, vinyl records, or anything wax- or screen-based baking in a closed truck. Load those last and unload them first, and keep a cooler of water for the two of you and anyone helping.
The first week: unpack by priority, not by proximity
Open the boxes you labeled 'first night' and 'kitchen' first, regardless of which ones happen to be on top. This is where good labels pay you back: instead of cutting open six boxes to find the shower curtain, you go straight to the one that says so.
Leave the seasonal and sentimental boxes — holiday decorations, keepsakes, the gear you only need twice a year — sealed and labeled in the basement or a closet. The whole point of a household memory is that 'sealed in the basement' doesn't mean 'lost.' Next December, you ask where the lights are, and you actually know.
Frequently asked
- When is the best time to move in Louisville?
- Late spring and early summer have the best weather, but the end of July and start of August are the busiest because most Highlands and University of Louisville leases turn over August 1. If you can avoid that window, movers and trucks are cheaper and easier to book. Whenever you move, schedule utilities and internet installs two to three weeks ahead.
- Which utilities do I need to set up when moving to Louisville?
- Set up gas and electric with LG&E (Louisville Gas and Electric) and water with the Louisville Water Company, book your internet install early, file a USPS change of address, and confirm your trash and recycling pickup day with Louisville Metro. Update your Kentucky driver's license address at Drive.ky.gov.
- How should couples label boxes when merging two homes?
- Label each box by what's inside it and the room it's going to, not a vague number. A photo-based tool like Kept lets both partners snap and name boxes as they pack, so either of you can find what the other one packed — and so seasonal boxes you store away stay findable months later.
Label it once. Find it forever.
Try Kept on your move