Manufactured home
A factory-built home constructed to the federal HUD Code, in effect since June 15, 1976; the current term for what was once called a mobile home.
Published May 31, 2026
A manufactured home is a factory-built dwelling constructed to the federal HUD Code — the national construction and safety standard that took effect on June 15, 1976. It is the current term for the kind of factory-built home once commonly called a "mobile home."
The defining feature is the standard, not the look of the home. Homes built to the HUD Code on or after the 1976 effective date are manufactured homes; homes built before it are generally called mobile homes; and a modular home, though also factory-built, is constructed to state or local building codes instead. Because the HUD Code is federal, it applies the same way across states.
A manufactured home is often treated as personal property with its own certificate of title, especially when it sits on a rented lot. It can become real property if it is permanently affixed to land the owner owns and the title is retired.
This is general information, not legal advice.