Manufactured housing Definitions

Mobile Homes

A pre-constructed home built prior to the enactment of the HUD Code on June 15, 1976.

Manufactured Homes

According to the Wisconsin Revised Statutes, a “manufactured home” means a structure that is designed to be used as a dwelling with or without a permanent foundation and that is certified by the federal department of housing and urban development as complying with the standards established under 42 USC 5401 to 5425. This federal law is the Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards Act referenced and is commonly called the HUD Code, which went into effect June 15, 1976.

Factory-Built (Modular) Homes

In Wisconsin, a “Modular home” means any structure or component thereof which is intended for use as a dwelling, and:

Is of closed construction and fabricated or assembled on-site or off-site in manufacturing facilities for installation, connection, or assembly and installation, at the building site; or
Is a building of open construction which is made or assembled in manufacturing facilities away from the building site for installation, connection, or assembly and installation, on the building site and for which certification is sought by the manufacturer.

A Modular Home is generally built in compliance with the site-built home standards for the regional , state, or local building code used by the government unit which the house is to be located. Commonly, this is the IRC code.

How can you tell the difference?

The only definitive way to tell the difference between a HUD code or a modular is the labeling. Someone may tell you that there are tricks to the trade, such as if there is a chassis then it is a HUD code home. This is not necessarily true. Some modulars are built on a metal frame and some HUD code homes built in the 1980s do not have a metal frame. So be sure to check the labels, because looks can be deceiving.