Mobile home storm rules in Massachusetts

Massachusetts addresses storm and disaster safety for manufactured homes through the federal HUD construction standards, local board-of-health licensing and oversight of the community, and strong protection for residents who report code violations. The information below describes how the law generally works; anyone dealing with a specific situation should consider consulting a licensed attorney in Massachusetts.

What the statute says

How the home is built is fixed by M.G.L. c.140 §32Q, which defines a "manufactured home" as a structure "built in conformance to the National Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards" — the federal HUD code. The community itself is licensed: §32F provides that "no lot or tract of land may be used for a manufactured housing community unless the owner or occupant ... is the holder of a license," and the "board of health of a city or town" grants that license, giving it oversight of conditions.

Residents are protected when they report problems. Section 32N makes a park liable for reprisals against a resident "for reporting a violation or suspected violation ... [of] any applicable building or health code to the board of health ... the department of public health, the department of the attorney general or any other appropriate government agency," with damages of "not ... less than one month's rent or more than five months' rent, or the actual damages ... whichever is greater," plus costs and fees; a termination notice within six months of such a report is presumed retaliatory. And §32J allows termination for a "violation of any laws or ordinances which protect the health or safety of other ... residents."

How it works in general

Two layers protect storm safety. For the home, its wind-zone construction comes from the federal HUD code that every manufactured home must meet (§32Q). For the community, a local board of health licenses the park and oversees its sanitary and safety conditions, and applicable building and health codes apply. A resident who spots a building- or health-code problem — including storm damage to the community — can report it to the board of health, the Department of Public Health, or the Attorney General without fear of reprisal, and a retaliatory eviction notice within six months is presumed unlawful. Disaster assistance is handled through federal and state emergency-management programs.

Common scenarios

General examples Massachusetts park residents commonly encounter:

• Questions arise about how a home is built or anchored. The home is HUD-code construction under §32Q, with anchoring under the federal installation standards.
• A community condition becomes unsafe after a storm. It can be reported to the local board of health, which licenses and oversees the community (§32F).
• A resident fears retaliation for reporting a code problem. Section 32N bars reprisals and presumes a six-month-window termination is retaliatory.

Other authorities that may apply

Title 32F–32S supplies the home definition, the licensing/oversight structure, and the anti-reprisal protection; a violation is an unfair or deceptive practice under c.93A (§32L(7)). The federal HUD code (24 C.F.R. Parts 3280 and 3285) governs home construction and installation, and the Massachusetts State Building Code and local board of health rules apply to the community. The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency and FEMA administer disaster assistance, and a homeowner's insurance policy — not statute — usually governs storm-damage claims.