Mobile home title and registration in California

In California, manufactured homes and mobilehomes are titled and registered as personal property through the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD), not through the Department of Motor Vehicles (which handled the function before 1980). A home that is placed on a permanent foundation on land the owner owns or is purchasing may be converted to real property. The description below is general; the specifics of any title transaction, lien, or conversion are best reviewed with a licensed attorney or HCD-licensed dealer in California.

What the statute says

Health and Safety Code §18075(a) establishes HCD's jurisdiction:

All manufactured homes, mobilehomes, commercial coaches, truck campers, and floating homes shall be subject to the provisions of this code for titling and registration.

The department has authority to adopt regulations, set fees, and issue and transfer titles. Prior DMV registrations remain valid until renewed, replaced, transferred, suspended, or revoked.

For affixture to real property, §18551(a) provides:

Once installed on a foundation system in compliance with this subdivision, a manufactured home...shall be deemed a fixture and a real property improvement.

That conversion requires a building permit from the local enforcement agency, written evidence that the owner owns or is purchasing the land, foundation system plans, and the manufacturer's installation instructions.

How it works in general

As long as a manufactured home is on a rented lot in a park, it is typically titled as personal property with HCD. The title records the registered owner and any legal owner (lender). When a home is sold, §18100.5 requires that the department be notified within 20 days and that any lienholders release their interests as part of the transfer.

Conversion to real property under §18551 is a separate process that applies primarily when a homeowner both owns the underlying land and installs the home on a HCD-approved permanent foundation. Homes in rental parks generally remain personal property.

Common scenarios

General examples California homeowners commonly encounter:

• A homeowner wants to refinance or sell. The HCD title record — showing the registered owner, any legal owner (lender), and any junior lienholders — determines what documentation and releases are needed.
• A homeowner purchases land and wants to make the manufactured home part of the real property. The affixture process under §18551 requires a building permit and compliance with HCD's permanent-foundation regulations.
• A home changes hands and the new owner discovers an old lien on the title. Section 18100.5 sets the lien-release and notification procedures that apply.

Other authorities that may apply

Beyond the Health and Safety Code title provisions, California's Mobilehome Residency Law (Civil Code §§798–799.11) governs the lot tenancy itself and interacts with title when a home is sold within a park. Real property recording laws apply once a home has been converted to a fixture under §18551. Federal lending regulations, including those of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, can govern financing. HCD's regulations in Title 25 of the California Code of Regulations contain the detailed procedural requirements.