Mobile Home Foundation Certifications
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Yes, we certify foundations for manufactured homes for FHA/HUD, and VA loans, including other requirements of lenders and mortgage companies.      ^ top

For all FHA/HUD certifications, the HUD Permanent Foundations Guide for Manufactured Homes (PFGMH), dated 1996 must be followed. This is a 405 page design standards manual issued by HUD for the manufactured housing industry as it pertains to permanent foundations.      ^ top

Although your home was constructed to the Federal Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards (CFR 3280), that does not necessarily mean that it was installed on a permanent foundation. The Federal Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards pertain to the home itself (the walls, windows, heating and air conditioning, electrical, roof, etc.) and how it was constructed at the factory, but it does not pertain to the foundation; the foundation and the home superstructure are two separate animals. Manufactured homes can be placed on non-permanent foundations, or either permanent ones. What determines if it is permanent or not is the HUD's Permanent Foundation Guide for Manufactured Homes, dated 1996 (HUD Publication 7584, PFGMH).

All Manufactured Homes receive an overall HUD certificate of approval direct from the factory; they install a little red metal tag on the outside of the home to state this fact. However, since not all manufactured homes involve an FHA or VA loan to be sold, many are not installed on a permanent foundation (according to the PFGMH), and therefore, not all manufactured homes need a foundation certification. Many manufactured home dealerships do their own financing so they don't necessarily involve installing the home on a permanent foundation. Some dealerships install permanent foundations for all their homes they sell and some do not.      ^ top

An Engineer Foundation Certification involves several actions on our part. At a minimum:

• We perform an on-site inspection of the foundation where the home is located. We observe features and components of the foundation as it pertains to the permanent foundation standards of HUD.
• We review and verify compliance as it pertains to the HUD guidelines.
• If the foundation is in compliance to HUD standards, we issue the certification compliance letter. If the foundation is non-compliant to HUD standards, we issue a non-compliant letter with recommendations on how to bring the foundation into HUD compliance.      ^ top

We are currently licensed engineers and able to perform work in Alabama (AL), Arizona (AZ), Arkansas (AR), California (CA), Colorado (CO), Connecticut (CT), Florida (FL), Georgia (GA), Idaho (ID), Illinois (IL), Indiana (IN), Iowa (IA), Kansas (KS), Kentucky (KY), Louisiana (LA), Maine (ME), Maryland (MD), Michigan (MI), Minnesota (MN), Mississippi (MS), Missouri (MO), Montana (MT), Nebraska (NE), Nevada (NV), New Hampshire (NH), New Mexico (NM), North Carolina (NC), North Dakota (ND), Ohio (OH), Oklahoma (OK), Oregon (OR), Pennsylvania (PA), South Carolina (SC), Tennessee (TN), Texas (TX), Utah (UT), Vermont (VT), Virginia (VA), Washington (WA), West Virginia (WV), Wisconsin (WI), and Wyoming (WY); with Massachusetts (MA), New York (NY), Rhode Island (RI), and South Dakota (SD) pending.      ^ top

It can be confusing to tell the difference between a manufactured home, mobile home, and/or modular home. They can be very similar in appearance, and on top of that, many people use the terms interchangeably. So let's try to clear it all up and get a better definition.

What are Manufactured Homes?
A manufactured home is any factory-built home in the United States that is built conforming to HUD Title 6 construction standards (commonly known as "the HUD-code"). The HUD-code was implemented and took effect starting June 15, 1976. A HUD-coded home will display documentation called the HUD Certification Label and the Data Plate. The red HUD Certification Label (sometimes called the "HUD Label") can be located on the tail end of each transportable section of the home (as shown here to the right). The Data Plate will be located inside of the home. A manufactured home is also built on a permanent chassis to ensure transportability. However, typically a manufactured home is not moved from its initial installed site. The home can then be placed on HUD permanent foundation. This is what we (Foundation Certifications) inspects and certifies when we visit your home-site.

What are Mobile Homes?
A mobile home is similar to a manfuctured home, in that it is a factory-built home. However, it differs in that it is: 1) built before June 15, 1976, and 2) not built to any uniform construction code, including HUD, since the HUD code didn't come out until June 15, 1976.

What are Modular Homes?
A modular home is any factory-built home that is constructed to a local (City or County), or state building code. In most cases, a state will have adopted one of the uniform construction codes (i.e. UBC, IRC, etc.). Modular homes will not have the red HUD Certification Label, but will have a different label (ofted called a "UBC Label", or similar) attached to the home stating the code it complies with (as shown here to the right). A modular home can be built as an "on-frame" or "off-frame" modular. On-frame will be built on a permanent chassis, whereas, the off-frame modular will be built with removal of the chassis frame in mind. An off-frame modular will usually require additional cranes to assist with home placement. Modular homes are, usually, only attached to private land, and not typically installed in manfactured (mobile) home parks.      ^ top

Without a proper assessment, we generally can not tell you if the foundation is HUD compliant. All certifications require an inspection to determine compliance. Many times, an initial inspection may be required to determine if the foundation is HUD compliant, or if retrofits need to be done. Each foundation is unique due to geography, and sometimes local codes if they are more demanding than the national standards.      ^ top

Most engineer foundation certifications can be issued within 3 to 5 days - sometimes even faster. We do have a 24 to 48 RUSH service also available.      ^ top

Standard fees vary based on geographical location; in many areas across the country our standard fee can be as low as $397 for an on-site inspection and the engineer's certification (compliance letter). Please contact us for a price quote for your local area.      ^ top

To be eligible for FHA insurance, your manufactured (mobile) home must be on an FHA-approved permanent foundation. We, the registered professional engineers must certify that the foundation complies with the Permanent Foundations Guide for Manufactured Housing.      ^ top

The manufactured unit must not have been installed or occupied previously at any other site or location. Manufactured units may be moved only from the manufacturer's or dealer's lot to the site on which the unit will be insured. If a permanent foundation is to be constructed under an existing eligible unit, the unit may be jacked up in order to install a new foundation.      ^ top

If one of our inspectors performs an inspection and the foundation is non-compliant to HUD standards, we will follow this general procedure:

1. Issue a non-compliance letter listing issues that need to be resolved and recommend if a small retrofit or completely new design needs to be completed.
2. If required, after a local contractor installs components to bring the foundation into compliance
3. We will need to perform a post-retrofit review of the installed components. Many times this will incude an on-site re-inspection by one of our local inspectors.
4. If all the components have been installed according to our recommendations, we will then issue a letter from the engineer certifying that the foundation is in compliance and meets HUD standards.

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One of the most common errors that we find causing a delay in the engineer's foundation certification is:

1. The lack of anchors or tie-downs.

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Depending on what is required, a local contractor (licensed in your state) should install the components for an upgrade. We keep a list of local contractors that may be able to help you.      ^ top

After the retrofit and upgrades are performed, we will need to perform a post-retrofit review on the installed components. Many times we will have one of our local inspectors perform an onsite re-inspection. The complete fee for the foundation certification is not charged, however a small fee is charged to cover this additional extra work.      ^ top

Many contractors will allow you to pay for the upgrades at closing. You will have to ask your local contractor about this option.      ^ top

Engineering foundation certifications are generally emailed directly to you in PDF format. This is our standard form of delivery unless a hard copy is requested. If a hard copy is requested, several more days for delivery are required via United States Postal Service.      ^ top

We have 4 different payment options, these are:

1. Engineer will invoice Lender. Title Company will pay engineer at closing by check. (If loan fails to fund, home owner guarantees payment by credit card.)
2. Home Owner can pre-pay by Credit/Debit Card.
3. Home Owner can pre-pay by Cashier's Check.
4. Home Owner can pre-pay by sending us a Personal Check.

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To become an on-going customer is very simple. Simple contact us via our online form, or call us at and we can get you setup in our database so that you can place orders on an on-going basis.      ^ top

Orders are placed on our secure website. Our online order process was created to save you time. There are no paper forms to fill out, and no faxes to send. If you have an Internet connection, you can place an order - it's that simple.      ^ top

Without a proper assessment, we generally can not tell you if your foundation is HUD compliant. All certifications require an inspection to determine compliance. An initial onsite inspection is required to determine if the foundation is HUD compliant, or if retrofits need to be done. Each foundation is unique due to geography, and local codes.

We are bound by a 405 page engineering manual, however at a minimum, several compliance issues that must be met; these are:

1. A permanent skirting around the perimeter to protect the foundation from vermin and water intrusion.
2. Proper piers to support the structure, including frost protection of those piers.
3. Anchorage to resist loads caused by wind and earthquake forces.

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A HUD compliant foundation is a foundation that has been certified by a professional licensed engineer that it complies to the HUD Permanent Foundations Guide for Manufactured Homes (PFGMH), dated 1996. This is what we at Foundation Certifications do for our customers.      ^ top

Your manufactured unit must not have been installed or occupied previously at any other site or location. Manufactured units may be moved only from the manufacturer's or dealer's lot to the site on which the unit will be insured. If a permanent foundation is to be constructed under an existing eligible unit, the unit may be jacked up in order to install a new foundation.      ^ top

An Engineer Foundation Certification involves several actions on our part. At a minimum:

• We perform an on-site inspection of the foundation where the home is located. We observe features and components of the foundation as it pertains to the permanent foundation standards of HUD.
• We review the inspection report and verify compliance as it pertains to the HUD guidelines.
• If the foundation is in compliance to HUD standards, we issue the certification compliance letter. If the foundation is non-compliant to HUD standards, we issue a non-compliant letter with recommendations on how to bring the foundation into HUD compliance.      ^ top

Anyone applying for an FHA secured loans. According to HUD-FHA Single Family Housing, Homeownership Center Reference Guide Revised October 31, 2005, "All foundation systems, new and existing, must meet the guidelines published in the Permanent Foundations Guide for Manufactured Housing, (HUD-7584), dated September 1996. A certification attesting to compliance with this handbook must be obtained from a licensed professional engineer and included in the insuring file."      ^ top

To be eligible for FHA insurance, your manufactured (mobile) home must be on an FHA-approved permanent foundation. A registered professional engineer must inspect and certify that the foundation complies with the Permanent Foundations Guide for Manufactured Housing.      ^ top

There are two types of FHA-insured loans available to purchase a manufactured home.
A Title I loan for a manufactured home requires one of the following:

• A certification label attached to the home, or
• A label verification letter. Obtain a label verification letter by visiting the website of the HUD-approved contractor, the Institute for Building Technology and Safety (IBTS), or at (703) 481-2010.

Title II insures mortgages on qualifying manufactured homes sold with land and meeting other requirements including all of the following:

• A certification label or label verification letter.
• The placement of the home on a permanent foundation that complies with the Permanent Foundations Guide for Manufactured Housing (PFGMH).
• A certification from a licensed professional engineer (like our engineers at Foundation Certifications) verifying compliance with the PFGMH.

Note: You may wish to consult with private lending institutions to see if additional financial options are available to you.      ^ top

According to federal regulations, in order to meet the requirements for a manufactured home permanent foundation you must comply with the Permanent Foundations Guide for Manufactured Housing, (HUD-7584), dated September 1996. Generally speaking, this means we (Foundation Certifications) must inspect your foundation to see if it complies with this code. If it does comply, then we will issue an engineer certification. If it does not comply, then we will recommend a retrofit and/or upgrade to bring it into compliance.

All certifications require an inspection to determine compliance. Many times, an initial inspection may be required to determine if the foundation is HUD compliant, or if retrofits need to be done. Each foundation is unique due to geography, and local codes.

At a minimum, there are several compliance issues that must be met; these are:

1. A permanent skirting around the perimeter to protect the foundation from vermin and weather.
2. Proper piers to support the structure, including frost protection of those piers.
3. Anchorage to aid in resisting lateral loads caused by wind and earthquake forces.

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Although your home was constructed to the Federal Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards (CFR 3280), that does not necessarily mean that it was installed on a permanent foundation. The Federal Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards pertain to the home itself (the walls, windows, heating and air conditioning, electrical, roof, etc.) and how it was constructed at the factory, but it does not pertain to the foundation; the foundation and the home superstructure are two separate animals. Manufactured homes can be placed on non-permanent foundations, or either permanent ones. What determines if it is permanent or not is the HUD's Permanent Foundation Guide for Manufactured Homes, dated 1996 (HUD Publication 7584, PFGMH).

All Manufactured Homes receive an overall HUD certificate of approval direct from the factory; they install a little red metal tag on the outside of the home to state this fact. However, since not all manufactured homes involve an FHA or VA loan to be sold, many are not installed on a permanent foundation (according to the PFGMH), and therefore, not all manufactured homes need a foundation certification. Many manufactured home dealerships do their own financing so they don't necessarily involve installing the home on a permanent foundation. Some dealerships install permanent foundations for all their homes they sell and some do not.      ^ top

Foundation systems for any home is a complex engineering design process. In order to safeguard, life, health and property, to promote the public welfare, and to establish and maintain a high standard of integrity and practice, a professional licensed engineer like Foundation Certifications is required.      ^ top

The short answer is maybe. We have to follow the most stringent of the local code or the national HUD standard. Sometimes local codes are more stringent but not always. More times than not, the HUD national standard is the more stringent code to follow. So, your home may have been installed to local codes, but may not have been installed to the requirements outlined in the HUD Permanent Foundations Guide for Manufactured Homes, dated 1996. If this is the case, a retrofit may need to be performed to bring it up to the HUD national standards. During our engineering review we will determine if your foundation meets the definition of a permanent foundation.      ^ top

HUD compliant manufactured home foundations have some of the highest standards in the industry. If you do not have a HUD compliant foundation, you will most likely be denied a loan that is secured by the Federal governement including HUD, FHA, VA and possibly others. If you live in a home that is non-compliant to HUD standards, and if you decide to sell, you may be required to fulfill this standard. Also, if you decide to refinance with a Federally guaranteed loan, you will most likely be denied.

You benefit by ensuring your home is installed on a HUD compliant permanent foundation from the beginning. We at Foundation Certifications can design a HUD compliant foundation for you if you are having a new home installed. We can also recommend a retrofit to make your manufactured home HUD compliant if it was not originally installed on a permanent foundation. The process is fast and affordable. Just go here to place your order for a foundation certification.      ^ top

Well, a lot of people care; and especially lending companies. The lending company wants to ensure that the foundation can properly support the home and that it will not faulter. Different lending companies have different regulations. Older homes may have been put on grade with blocks or some other home-made device. However, current standards are more stringent and require a safer design. These designs are to safegaurd the home in the event of an earthquake or extreme wind storm (such as a hurricane.) It is the government (HUD) that has set the national standards and codes for manufactured homes.      ^ top

The answer to this is "maybe". It depends on what type of foundation you have. National standards evolve over time and change frequently. If you are in compliance or not, can only be determined by an on-site inspection and a review by our professional engineering staff. One thing to remember is that manufactured home foundations are not adopted automatically into the current standards - each foundation must meet the current standards in order to qualify for most loans.      ^ top

The short answer is, most likely. We have never seen a current HUD compliant foundation not meet all other existing loan requirments from other agencies. If it is HUD compliant, it has one of the highest ranking foundation standards in the industry.      ^ top

First of all, a HUD compliant foundation is not a type of a foundation, but a standard by which the foundation is built. HUD has some of the highest standards concerning permanent foundations for manufactured homes.

Some standards that are allowed by other regulatory agencies (including your local government agencies) might not require the same level of detail and design considerations as a HUD compliant foundation. Some local agencies may. With that said, due to the higher standards, it may cost more money up-front to build a HUD compliant foundation than to build to the minimum standard the industry allows.

However, it costs less to put in a HUD compliant foundation at the beginning, than to find out you need one later, and need to retrofit it. Then you're paying twice. Also, you may find yourself wanting to eventually sell the home but can't find a buyer because the bank won't loan money on it due to it not being HUD compliant. Something to think about.      ^ top

You will want to check with local regulatory agencies, but generally, any licensed contractor that knows something about foundations, concrete work, and/or manufactured homes can most likely perform the work. Depending on your local and state regulations, a certified mobile home installer will be required to perform any retrofit or installation work.

It is very important to involve Foundation Certifications from the beginning in order to ensure that all standards are met. Foundation Certifications will hold your hand throughout the entire process.      ^ top

The first step is to have them contact Foundation Certifications. We work with a multitude of contractors and certified installers and we will recommend a retrofit (or design) the right HUD compliant foundation for your home at the most economical price.      ^ top

If you are a home owner, you may place your order here.      ^ top

We have 4 different payment options, these are:

1. Engineer will invoice Lender. Title Company will pay engineer at closing by check. (If loan fails to fund, home owner guarantees payment by credit card.)
2. Home Owner can pre-pay by Credit/Debit Card.
3. Home Owner can pre-pay by Cashier's Check.
4. Home Owner can pre-pay by sending us a Personal Check.

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In California, the installation of a manufactured (mobile) home on a foundation is classified as one of the following:

(A) Foundation installation – a fixture or improvement to real property, recorded with the county recorder’s office, once recorded it is no longer personal property, and which complies with the requirements of Health and Safety Code section 18551(a); or
(B) Chattel installation – neither a fixture nor an improvement to real property, not recorded with the county recorder’s office, remains personal property, and which complies with the requirements of Health and Safety Code section 18551(b).      ^ top

In California, to convert the manufactured home to real property, Form 433a must be recorded. Generally speaking, the recorded 433A is required by the mortgage lender and/or the Title Company. Form 433A is a California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) Form. It is also known as "Installation of a Manufactured Home on a Foundation System".

The form can be downloaded from http://www.hcd.ca.gov/codes/mhp/433A.pdf

The California Department of Housing and Community Development requires manufactured housing owners who affix their units to foundation systems to record a form known as Form 433A with HCD. The form is to be completed at the time a building permit is issued. After installation has been approved and on the sameday the certificate of occupancy has been issued, HCD shall record Form 433A with the county recorder’s office. Thus, a preliminary title report should reveal whether a Form 433A was recorded.      ^ top

When completed by the governing building division and recorded by the City/County Recorder, the form certifies that the manufactured home was installed on a California-approved permanent foundation or foundation system and acts as an investment instrument (security) to the mortgage lender, the Title Company and even the homeowner. Once recorded it ensures that:

• the manufactured home has been placed on an appropriate foundation. After this, it is no longer personal property, but real property subject to real property taxes.
• a professional engineer, licensed in the State of California, has certified that the foundation has been installed according to the appropriate standards.

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In general terms, it means: 1) applying for a permit, 2) installing an engineered retrofit, 3) obtaining an engineer's certificate of compliance, 4) inspection by the governing building department, and finally 5) recording the 433a document.

To be more complete, prior to installation of the manufactured home on the foundation system, the owner or a licensed contractor shall obtain a building permit from the appropriate enforcement agency (city, county, etc.). To obtain a permit, the owner or contractor shall first provide the following:

1. Written evidence that owner owns, holds title to, or is purchasing the real property where the mobilehome is to be installed on a foundation system.
2. Written evidence acceptable to the enforcement agency that the registered owner owns the manufactured home.
3. If it is a new manufactured home on a new foundation, then required plans and specifications need to be designed by us (Foundation Certifications). If it is an older manufactured home on an existing foundation, then an engineer's certification by us (Foundation Certifications) will be required; this may require the design of a retrofit to meet appropriate standards.
4. Applicable permitting fees.

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Generally speaking, the owner (or their representatives) completes the Owner Information Section and the Unit Description section, and the Building Division generally completes the remaining sections. The manufacturer’s name, date of manufacture, model name/number, and serial number can be found on the Manufacturer Data Plate usually located on the base cabinet under the kitchen sink. The insignia (State of California) numbers can be located on each unit section, usually at the back end of each unit section (Two insignia numbers are required for a double-wide and three insignia numbers for a triple-wide).      ^ top

Generally, the form can be submitted for processing after all the required building foundation and home attachment inspections have been completed and approved by the governing building division.      ^ top

A recorded copy is sent to the California Housing and Community Development and to the property owner in conjunction with a final Certificate of Occupancy.      ^ top

The certificate of occupancy shall be provided for a manufactured (mobile) home installed on foundation system pursuant to section 18551(a) of the Health and Safety Code. California State Health and Safety Code §18551 requires that a Certificate of Occupancy be issued for the occupancy of a manufactured home as a fixture on real property. Form 513c is used for recording. Once recorded, the dwelling becomes taxable as real property by the County and is removed from the State personal property tax roll. To complete this process, the State documents must be completed including form 433a. After form 513c is issued (in the field), the building department is required to record HCD Form 433a immeidiately thereafter.      ^ top

The manufactured (mobile) home unit installation acceptance shall be provided for mobile homes installed pursuant to section 18551(b) or 18613 of the Health and Safety Code.      ^ top

The enforcement agency (county, city, building official, etc.) provides copies of the statement of manufactured home installation acceptance or certificate of occupancy for the manufactred home to the installer or other person holding the permit to install and the buyer or registered owner or their representative.      ^ top

A "Mobilehome Installation Acceptance" or "Certificate of Occupancy" shall not be issued until it is determined that the manufactured (mobile) home unit installation complies with the provisions of chapter 1366 of Title 25 of the California Mobilehome Parks and Installations Regulations.      ^ top

The California HCD Form 413 was replaced by HCD Form 433a in 1986.      ^ top

The California HCD Form 433c can only be recorded by an escrow agent. It gives public notice that the "Registered Owner" elects to convert their home from personal property to a fixture on the land (real property).

Also, it is the only exception in California when a manufactured home can be converted to a fixture without being on a "Foundation System" as outlined in California Code 18551. The requirements for this are:

1. The manufactured (mobile) home must be on land in a manufactured home park.
2. The manufactured (mobile) home land (park) was (or will) be converted to a resident-owned subdivision, cooperateiv, condominium, or nonprofit coporation pursant to California Code 11010.8.
3. The "Registered Owner" is a participant in the resident ownership of the park.

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