PPQ Form 377 at a glance
What it is: PPQ Form 377 is the Spongy Moth Checklist and Record of Your Self-Inspection of the United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
Where and when to file: You must inspect your outdoor household items for the spongy moth and remove all life stages before you move. If you are moving between April and August, you should complete the inspection on moving day, if possible. Make sure this checklist goes with your outdoor household items when you move.
If you are moving from a spongy moth quarantine area to a non-quarantine area, you must inspect your outdoor household items for the spongy moth and remove all life stages of this destructive insect before you move.
If you live in a quarantine area and are moving to a non-quarantine area, use the self-inspection checklist or hire a qualified certified applicator to inspect your outdoor household articles.
Visit www.YourMoveSpongyMothFree.com and click on the U.S. map to find out if you live in a quarantine area.
What to bring and attach to PPQ Form 377
Make sure this checklist goes with your outdoor household items when you move.
This completed checklist is an official certificate that will satisfy the requirements of all non-infested States.
A filled-in PPQ Form 377 example: a household inspects its own outdoor items
How to fill out PPQ Form 377, box by box
1. Originating Property Address and 2. Date
Enter the Originating Property Address and the Date.
3. Recreational or Camping Items
3. Recreational or Camping Items: Backpacks; Ice Chests; Tarps; Basketball Backboards; Motorcycles; Tents; Bicycles; Motor Homes; Waders or Boots; Boats; Recreational Vehicles; Other; Boat Trailers; Snowmobiles; None; Campers; Sports Equipment.
4. Household Items
4. Household Items: Air Conditioners; Ladders; Tanks for Propane and Oil; Barrels; Outdoor Doormats; Television Antennas; Cardboard and Wooden Boxes; Outdoor Thermometers; Trash Cans; Clothesline Poles; Refrigerators; Washing Machines; Clothespin Bags; Sheets of Plastic; Water Hoses; Empty Plant Containers; Shutters; Weather Vanes; Firewood*; Storage Sheds; Window Awnings; House Plants (taken outside during the summer); Storm/screen Doors and Windows; Other; None.
Firewood*: To avoid spreading other tree pests, move only USDA- or State-certified, treated, and labeled firewood.
5. Building Materials
5. Building Materials: Bricks; Roofing Materials; Welding Equipment; Cement Mixing Tubs; Sewer Pipes; Workbenches; Cinder Blocks; Tools and Toolboxes; Other; Lumber; Water Pipes; None.
6. Yard and Garden Items
6. Yard and Garden Items: Animal Houses (doghouses, rabbit hutches, etc.); Fertilizer Spreaders; Storage Sheds; Barbecue Grills; Flagpoles; Swimming Pools; Birdbaths; Garden Tillers; Tractors and Trailers; Bird Feeders; Garden Tools; Trees, Shrubs, and Plants; Bird Houses; Lawnmowers; Trellises; Bug lights; Mailboxes; Wheelbarrows; Carts; Picnic Tables; Yard Decorations; Cold Frames; Porch or Patio Furniture; Other; Driftwood; Signs and Posts; None; Fencing; Snow-blowers.
7. Children's Playthings
7. Children's Playthings: Bicycles, tricycles; Swing sets; Other Outside Toys (like trucks or sand molds); Playhouses; Tire Swings; Other; Sandboxes; Wagons; None; Sleds, Toboggans.
8. Other Items
8. Other Items: Cars or Trucks; Farm Implements; None; Car Parts; Stored Tires (snow tires); Car Ramps; Other.
Signature, Phone Number, Printed Name and Company Name (if applicable)
By signing in box 9, you agree that you are legally signing this document and affirming that you have inspected all outdoor household articles, whether included on this checklist or not, for all life stages of spongy moth in accordance with the procedures on this form, as required by Title 7, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 301.45-4(a).
Enter the Phone Number and the Printed Name. Enter the Company Name (if applicable).
More rules for PPQ Form 377
Once your move is completed, you may want to keep the checklist filed with your moving materials for at least 5 years in case you need it in the future.
If your situation is different
For self-inspection, follow these steps
Carefully inspect all surfaces and crevices of your outdoor household articles such as patio furniture, lawn equipment, toys, grills, trailers, and vehicles for spongy moth egg masses.
Remove and destroy any egg masses you find. Scrape them off with a putty knife, stiff brush, or similar hand tool. Dispose of egg masses and other life stages in a container of hot, soapy water, or place them in a plastic bag, seal it, and set it in the sun.
Check each item off on your checklist as you go, and complete the requested information.
Inspect anything that was stored outside.
A qualified certified applicator performs the inspection
If a qualified certified applicator performs the inspection, be sure you get a copy of the completed, signed checklist.
During your move
During your move, keep a copy of the completed checklist in the vehicle moving the goods in case a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) or State official requests it at any point during your trip. If you are not driving, provide a copy to the driver.
Before you go
If you are moving between April and August, you should complete the inspection on moving day, if possible.
If you cannot complete the inspection on moving day, you must protect the items from the possibility of infestation by sealing them under a tarp or keeping them indoors or in a closed moving truck.
Common questions about PPQ Form 377
Is there a deadline?
You must inspect your outdoor household items for the spongy moth and remove all life stages before you move.
Is there a penalty?
You may face penalties if you are required to inspect but fail to do so.
When is this form not the right one?
If you do not live in a quarantine area, this law does not apply to you.
Where to get help with PPQ Form 377
Contact your State department of agriculture or nearest USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) office (www.aphis.usda.gov/planthealth/sphd).
Sources
[1] PPQ Form 377 (Revised September 2023; checklist printed APR 2023), Spongy Moth Checklist and Record of Your Self-Inspection, U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (the Official source link on this page).
