If you are moving from out of state into Tennessee, the calendar matters for two things: your driver’s license and your vehicle tags. Tennessee gives new residents 30 days to take care of both. They are handled at two different offices, and we cover each one below. Everything else on this list, like utilities and voter registration, is best done early but is not on a strict clock.
Moving into the Mississippi suburbs instead? DeSoto County has its own offices and timelines, also covered below.
Who provides your electricity, gas, and water depends on where you land. In most of Shelby County, one call covers all three. In several suburbs and across the state line in Mississippi, water and gas come from the city or a local provider. Here is how it breaks down.
Memphis Light, Gas and Water (MLGW) provides electricity, natural gas, and water for the city of Memphis and most of Shelby County. One call or one online request sets up all three services together.
Good to know. Electric and natural gas rates are the same everywhere in Shelby County, including the suburbs. Only water service differs from one town to the next.
In Bartlett, Collierville, Germantown, and Millington, your electricity and natural gas still come from MLGW (use the number above). Your water, though, is billed by the city, so it takes one extra call or form to set up.
In Millington, about four out of five homes are on city water and the rest are served by MLGW, so it is worth confirming which one covers your street.
Landing in a smaller Shelby County community such as Arlington or Lakeland? MLGW handles electricity and natural gas there too. Confirm your water provider with the town, since arrangements vary.
Many Memphis-area buyers look just south into Mississippi, where Southaven, Olive Branch, Hernando, and Horn Lake offer their own appeal. Providers here are different from the Tennessee side, and the city often bundles water and sewer. Call the city utilities office first; they will point you to anything they do not handle directly.
Good to know. In DeSoto County, the eastern side near Olive Branch is served by Northcentral Electric, while Entergy Mississippi covers Southaven, Horn Lake, and Hernando. If you are unsure, your closing agent or the city office can confirm which one serves your address.
Across the whole metro, the two main providers are AT&T and Xfinity (Comcast). Availability and the type of connection, including fiber, vary street by street, so it is best to check your specific address once you have it. Your neighbors are often the quickest source of honest feedback on what works well locally.
These are two separate errands at two different offices, and you have 30 days for each.
Get your driver’s license at the Mississippi Driver Service Bureau (the DeSoto office is on License Drive in Nesbit), and your car tags at the DeSoto County Tax Collector in Hernando, (662) 429-1335. Bring your current registration, title or lienholder information, and proof of residency, and take care of it soon after you move.
Updating your driver’s license does not automatically update your voter registration, so this is a separate, quick step.
In the city of Memphis, household trash and recycling are handled by City of Memphis Solid Waste; for questions, the sanitation line is (901) 636-6500. In the suburbs and the Mississippi cities, your city’s public works department handles collection, and pickup days are set by neighborhood. When you set up water service, it is a good moment to ask the same office about trash days, recycling, and any city-specific permits.
