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Office Move Timeline by Company Size

How far in advance to plan, from a small office to an enterprise-scale relocation — and why complexity matters more than headcount.

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Short answer: Plan 4-6 weeks for a small office (under 20 people), 8-12 weeks for mid-size (20-100), and 3-6 months for enterprise-scale (100+) or complex moves. Building requirements don't scale down with headcount, so complexity — not just size — should set the real timeline.
Why company size changes the timeline, not just the budget

Coordination grows faster than headcount

A ten-person office and a 300-person company aren't simply different scales of the same plan. The coordination problem grows faster than headcount does. More departments means more scheduling dependencies, more IT complexity, and more building-access coordination on both ends. The three scenarios below are rough estimates. Actual timelines still depend on lease dates, building requirements, and how much IT and furniture work is involved.

Timeline by size
Small (<20 people)
4–6 weeks
Mid-size (20–100)
8–12 weeks
Enterprise (100+)
3–6 months+
Building rules
Same regardless of company size
A small modern office with desks near a window
Coordination grows faster than headcount does
Small office (under 20 people)

4–6 weeks

Four to six weeks is usually enough. It calls for a single site survey, a single moving-day schedule, and minimal department sequencing, since a small team is unlikely to need a phased move. IT relocation is typically limited to workstations and a small server closet rather than a dedicated data center. See our small business office move guide for a scaled-down version of the full planning process.

Mid-size company (20 to 100 people)

8–12 weeks

This is usually where a dedicated point of contact for the move, whether an internal employee or a hired project manager, starts paying for itself, since coordinating multiple departments, a real IT cutover, and building-access requirements at two locations is more than one person can track informally alongside their regular job.

Enterprise-scale (100+ people, or complex requirements regardless of headcount) Three to six months, sometimes longer for a multi-floor or multi-building relocation. This scale typically involves phased department moves, a formal IT cutover plan with a rollback strategy, dedicated project management, and coordination with building management at both locations well in advance. Skipping formal project management at this scale is one of the more common causes of a move running significantly over budget or schedule.
What doesn't scale with headcount

Building rules don't shrink with company size

Building-specific requirements such as freight elevator reservations, Certificate of Insurance lead time, and loading dock scheduling don't get easier just because a company is small. A 15-person company moving into a high-rise still needs the same COI and elevator coordination as a 150-person company in the same building, which is why complexity, not just headcount, should set the actual timeline.

What slips, and how much buffer to plan for

Where timelines actually break

Timelines grounded in assumed scope tend to slip. The inventory is larger than the survey suggested. A building-access requirement drags on past expectations. An IT cutover surfaces a dependency no one mapped out. Planning buffer into the schedule from the start, instead of targeting an exact week, soaks up these routine slippages before they become missed deadlines.

Shortening a recommended timeline because of business pressure — a lease deadline, an urgent space need — usually piles risk into the exact spots that produce the worst results: skipped building-requirement verification, an IT cutover with no tested rollback, a vendor booked without enough lead time. When compression is unavoidable, put building requirements and IT planning ahead of cosmetic or low-stakes work.

How much buffer is reasonable No authoritative source pins a single figure on how much schedule buffer an office move requires — the right amount tracks with how much uncertainty the plan carries. Put extra time around the steps with the least certainty (building-access approval, carrier lead time, IT cutover) rather than applying one blanket percentage across the board.
A desk lamp illuminating an open notebook in the evening
Timelines get written down, not just discussed

Frequently asked questions

How long should a small office (under 20 people) plan for?
Four to six weeks — a single site survey, single moving-day schedule, and minimal department sequencing, since IT is typically limited to workstations and a small server closet.
How long for a mid-size company (20-100 people)?
Eight to twelve weeks — this is usually where a dedicated point of contact for the move starts paying for itself.
How long for enterprise-scale moves (100+ people)?
Three to six months, sometimes longer for multi-floor or multi-building relocations, typically involving phased department moves and a formal IT cutover plan.
Does company size affect building requirements?
No — freight elevator reservations, COI lead time, and loading dock scheduling apply the same way regardless of headcount. Complexity, not just size, should set the actual timeline.
What commonly causes a timeline to slip mid-project?
A larger inventory than surveyed, a building-access requirement taking longer than expected, or an IT cutover revealing an unplanned dependency. Building buffer into the original timeline absorbs these without becoming a missed deadline.
Does the timeline change for long-distance moves specifically?
Yes — add transit time and carrier scheduling lead time on top of the base timeline for your company size. A local-move timeline doesn't automatically stretch to cover a long-distance carrier's own booking lead time.
What's the risk of compressing a recommended timeline?
It concentrates risk in the costliest areas — skipped building-requirement verification, an untested IT rollback plan, or a vendor booked without adequate lead time. If compression is unavoidable, prioritize building requirements and IT planning first.
How much schedule buffer should I build in?
There's no single sourced figure — it scales with uncertainty in the plan. Put extra time around the steps with the least certainty (building-access approval, carrier lead time, IT cutover) rather than applying one blanket percentage.

Sources

Published 2026-09-06. Reviewed against sources current as of that date — see how we rate.