A safe is built to be hard to move. That’s the point of it. The steel walls, the fire lining and the locking bolts that make it secure also make it one of the heaviest single objects most people own, packed into a footprint the size of a bar fridge. People who try to move one with a couple of friends and a rented hand truck usually find out what it weighs halfway down the stairs.
Moving Co. moves gun safes, home safes and office safes in Toronto, the GTA and across Ontario. We plan the route, bring the straps, heavy duty dolly and stair equipment the job needs, send enough people to control the weight, and protect the floors and stairs on the way. Safe moves are quoted on request, because every safe and every staircase is different.
Call 905-752-7787 or request a free quote. Tell us the make and model, or the weight if you know it, and send a photo of the safe and the route.
What kinds of safes we move
- Gun safes and gun cabinets: from tall single door safes to wide double door models.
- Home and fire safes: the heavy fire resistant units people keep documents, jewellery and cash in.
- Office safes: safes from small businesses, clinics, shops and offices, moved as part of an office relocation or on their own.
- Freestanding floor safes: heavy units that sit on the floor and are bolted down. Safes that are built into concrete are a different job, and we’ll tell you honestly if yours needs a specialist.
Very large or very heavy safes sometimes need equipment beyond what a moving crew carries. When you send the make, model and a photo, we’ll tell you straight whether it’s a job for us, and if it isn’t, we’ll say so rather than guess.
How heavy is your safe?
The weight decides almost everything about a safe move: how many people, what equipment, and whether the route is realistic. Most owners don’t know the number offhand, but it’s usually easy to find:
- Check the label. Many safes have a plate or sticker inside the door or on the back with the model and sometimes the weight.
- Look up the model. The manufacturer’s spec sheet or manual almost always lists the empty weight.
- Find the receipt. The store’s listing or invoice often includes the weight, because it mattered for delivery.
- Measure it. If nothing else works, send us the height, width and depth and a few photos, and tell us about any fire rating. Fire lining adds a lot of weight.
Be careful with the size labels on gun safes. A safe sold as holding a certain number of long guns says nothing reliable about its weight, and two safes with the same capacity can weigh very different amounts.
Why safes need a different plan
Most heavy furniture is heavy and big. A safe is heavy and small, which is what makes it dangerous. All of that weight sits on a small footprint, so it puts real pressure on floors, stair treads and the dolly underneath it. It’s top heavy when it’s tilted. And unlike a dresser, it doesn’t give if it hits a wall. It goes through the drywall.
That’s why we treat a safe as a planned lift rather than a carry:
- The route comes first. We look at every doorway, turn, stair and threshold between the safe and the truck before anything moves.
- Enough people. The crew size is set by the weight and the stairs, not by what’s convenient.
- The right equipment. Straps, a heavy duty dolly and stair gear, so the safe is controlled on every step instead of muscled down.
- Floor protection. We protect floors, stair nosings and door frames along the path, because a safe’s weight on a small area marks floors that a sofa wouldn’t.
Before moving a gun safe: take the firearms out
Plan on moving the firearms yourself. Before moving day, take all firearms and ammunition out of the safe and transport them separately under the federal rules. Those rules apply to whoever is carrying the firearms, and an empty safe is lighter and much easier to control on the stairs.
Here’s what the federal Storage, Display, Transportation and Handling of Firearms by Individuals Regulations say, in short:
- Non-restricted firearms have to be unloaded when transported, and if they’re left in an unattended vehicle, they must be out of sight in a locked trunk or locked vehicle.
- Restricted firearms have to be unloaded, fitted with a secure locking device, and carried in a locked opaque container that can’t easily be broken into.
- Prohibited firearms follow the same rules, with extra requirements for some types.
Moving house also brings a couple of steps people forget. According to the RCMP, if you own a restricted or prohibited firearm and you’re moving to a new address, you need an Authorization to Transport from the Chief Firearms Officer, which you can apply for online or by phone. And firearms owners have to tell the Canadian Firearms Program about an address change within 30 days. If you own firearms covered by the federal prohibitions and amnesty, the rules on when they can be moved are narrower, so check the current federal guidance before moving them.
None of this is legal advice. It’s a reminder to sort out the firearms side before the movers arrive, so the safe is empty when the crew gets there.
Why moving a safe yourself is risky
We get calls from people halfway through a do it yourself safe move more often than you’d think. The same mistakes come up again and again:
- A regular hand truck. Light duty dollies and furniture dollies aren’t built for a safe’s weight on a small footprint. Wheels fold, frames bend, and the load ends up on someone’s foot.
- Too few people. Two people can sometimes get a safe across a flat floor. Stairs are a different story, and once the weight starts moving down a step, it’s very hard to stop.
- No plan for the turn. The safe gets halfway down the stairs and won’t make the corner at the landing, and now it can’t easily go back up either.
- Unprotected floors. Pivoting a safe on hardwood or tile without protection leaves a mark that’s expensive to fix.
- A loaded safe. Contents add weight and shift as the safe tilts, which makes it harder to balance.
A safe is one of the few things in a house that can seriously injure someone during a move. Paying for the right crew is cheaper than a hospital visit or a new staircase.
Empty the safe, keep it locked
Whatever kind of safe it is, take the contents out before we move it. That goes for documents, cash, jewellery, hard drives, passports and anything else that matters. You should carry those yourself. Contents also add weight and shift around inside, which makes the safe harder to control.
Once it’s empty, close and lock the door. A safe door swinging open while it’s tilted on a dolly is a serious hazard. Keep the combination or keys with you, not taped to the safe.
Bolted down safes
Many safes are bolted to the floor, which is good security and an extra step on moving day. The bolts have to come out before the safe can move, and the bolt holes in the floor will need patching after. Tell us when you book if your safe is bolted down so we can plan the time, and check the safe’s manual for the manufacturer’s guidance on unbolting.
At the new home, think about where the safe is going before the truck arrives. Some people want it bolted down again right away. If so, have the location chosen and know what kind of floor it’s going on.
Stairs, floors and condo buildings
Stairs are where safe moves go wrong. Every step is a small drop, and with that much weight on a dolly, the crew has to control each one. We plan the number of people and the equipment around the stairs at both homes, and we’ll ask about them when you book: how many flights, whether they turn, and what they’re made of.
For upper floors and condos, it’s worth thinking about where a very heavy safe will sit. We can’t give you a floor load rating, and you shouldn’t take one from a mover. If you’re putting a very heavy safe on an upper floor, a raised floor or a balcony, ask your building management, and for very heavy units, consider asking a structural engineer.
Condo buildings add their own rules. Service elevators have weight limits, and the building may want to know about a very heavy item before it goes in the elevator. Most buildings also want the elevator booked and a certificate of insurance on file. You book the elevator with your building, and we help with what to ask for. Our crews are insured, and we send the certificate ahead of the date.
Choosing the spot in the new home
It’s worth deciding where the safe will live before moving day, because moving it again later is a whole new job. A few things to think about:
- Weight. Ground floors and basements on a concrete slab are the easiest places for a very heavy safe. Upper floors need more thought, as above.
- Moisture. Basements can be damp, and humidity isn’t good for firearms, documents or electronics stored in a safe. Many owners use a dehumidifier in the room or a moisture control product inside the safe.
- Access. Leave enough room for the door to swing fully open, and think about whether the safe could get out again someday without taking the room apart.
- Anchoring. If you want it bolted down, choose a location where that’s possible and know what the floor is made of.
- Privacy. A safe that can be seen from a front window or a busy hallway attracts attention. Most people prefer a closet, a basement room or an office.
Winter safe moves
Toronto winters add a hazard most people don’t think about: the outside steps and the driveway. Ice on a front step or a sloped driveway is dangerous with a heavy load on a dolly. If your move is in winter, clear and salt the path from the door to the street ahead of time at both homes, including any back or side entrance we might use. If conditions on the day aren’t safe, we’ll talk to you about the options rather than gamble with a few hundred pounds of steel on an icy step.
How safe moving is priced
Safe moves are quoted on request. There’s no honest flat price for “a safe,” because a small fire safe on a ground floor and a large gun safe going down two flights of stairs are completely different jobs. The price depends on:
- The weight and size of the safe, which is why the make and model matter.
- The stairs and access at both ends: how many steps, how tight the turns, how far from the truck.
- How many people and how much equipment the job needs.
- Whether the safe is bolted down.
- Whether it’s part of a full move or a single item move on its own.
Send us what you know about the safe, along with photos of it and the way out, and you’ll have a real quote before you book.
Moving a safe as part of a full move
Most safes move as part of a house or condo move. In that case, we plan the safe into the day. It usually makes sense to place the safe early at the new home, before furniture and boxes fill the room it’s going into. Tell us about the safe when you book the move, not on moving day, because it changes how many people we send.
For moves across Ontario or across Canada, the same crew always loads the truck, drives it and unloads at your new home, so the people who planned the safe’s route out are the ones who bring it in. See our long distance moving page for how we handle longer moves.
Moving a safe on its own
Plenty of safe moves aren’t part of a house move at all. You’ve bought a gun safe from a store or a private seller. You’re moving a safe from the garage to the basement. A business is moving its safe to a new office down the street. Those are single item moves, and we handle them on their own. The same goes for a shop moving its safe from a back room to a new location across the city, or a family passing a safe down to a relative.
If you’re buying a safe, check the delivery terms before you pay. Some stores deliver to the curb only, which leaves you with the hardest part. We can pick it up from the store or the seller, carry it in and put it where you want it.
Getting rid of an old safe
Old safes are hard to dispose of. They’re too heavy for regular garbage, and many cities won’t collect them at the curb. Peel Region, for example, lists home metal safes among the large metal items it doesn’t collect at the curb, which means a trip to a Community Recycling Centre for anyone in Brampton or Mississauga.
We can remove an old safe as part of our junk removal service. Make sure it’s empty and that you’re comfortable with it leaving; if it still works, it may have a second life with someone else.
Offices and businesses
Small businesses, clinics, shops and offices often have a safe that has to move with them. It’s usually the heaviest single item in the office move, and it often has to go through a building with a freight elevator, a loading dock and rules about when heavy items can move. Tell us about the safe when you plan the move, along with the building rules on both ends. We can work evenings or weekends where the building requires it.
For larger office relocations, see our office movers page.
Areas we cover
We move safes across Toronto, including downtown, North York, Scarborough, Etobicoke and East York, and across the GTA in Mississauga, Brampton, Vaughan, Markham, Richmond Hill, Oakville and Burlington. We also handle safe moves to and from Hamilton, Kitchener-Waterloo, Ottawa and the rest of Ontario, and across Canada as part of long distance moves.
How it works
- Send us the details. Make and model or weight, photos of the safe and the route, and the addresses. Call 905-752-7787 or use the quote form.
- Get a quote. We tell you honestly whether it’s a job for us, and what it will cost.
- Prepare the safe. Empty it, remove any firearms and transport them under the rules, lock the door, and tell us if it’s bolted down.
- We move it. The crew protects the route, controls the weight on every step, and places the safe where you want it.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to move a gun safe?
We quote every safe individually. The price depends on the safe’s weight and size, the stairs and access at both ends, the crew needed, and whether it’s bolted down. Send us the details and photos and we’ll give you a real number.
Should the guns stay in the safe during the move?
No. Take the firearms and ammunition out before moving day and transport them yourself under the federal rules. An empty safe is also lighter and easier to control on the stairs.
Do I need a permit to move my guns when I move house?
According to the RCMP, you need an Authorization to Transport from the Chief Firearms Officer if you own a restricted or prohibited firearm and you’re moving to a new address. You also have to tell the Canadian Firearms Program about your new address within 30 days. Check the RCMP’s current guidance for your situation.
How do I find out how much my safe weighs?
Check for a label inside the door or on the back, look up the model’s spec sheet or manual, or find the original receipt. If none of that works, send us the measurements, the fire rating if it has one, and a few photos.
Can you move a safe up or down stairs?
Yes, that’s most of what makes a safe move a specialist job. We plan the crew size and equipment around the stairs, control the safe on each step, and protect the stairs and walls on the way.
Can you move a safe into a condo?
Usually, yes. Check with your building first, because service elevators have weight limits and some buildings want to know about very heavy items. You book the elevator with your building, and we send a certificate of insurance ahead of time if it’s required.
What if my safe is bolted to the floor?
The bolts have to come out before it can move. Tell us when you book so we can plan for it, and check the safe’s manual for the manufacturer’s guidance.
Can you pick up a safe I bought from a store or a private seller?
Yes. We can collect it, carry it into your home and place it where you want it. That’s a single item move, quoted up front.
Can you move a safe within the same house?
Yes. Moving a safe from the garage to the basement, or from one floor to another, is a single item move. The stairs and the route matter as much as they do on a full move, so tell us about both.
Do you take away old safes?
Yes, as part of our junk removal service. Make sure it’s empty first.
Tell us about your safe and we’ll plan it properly: the right crew, the right equipment and a route that protects your home. Request your free quote or call 905-752-7787.