MANUFACTURED AND MOBILE HOMES IN MARYLAND
What is the difference between a manufactured home and a mobile home in Maryland?
The short answer is that these terms are essentially the same. Both refer to factory-built homes, with “mobile home” being the older, more colloquial terminology. In modern parlance, “manufactured home” is gradually replacing “mobile home.”
Similarly, the term “manufactured housing community” is replacing the older term “mobile home park” when referring to a community in which multiple lots (at least 2) are leased to owners of manufactured/mobiles homes.
Terminology Used in the Maryland Mobile Home Parks Act
This trend toward the term “manufactured home” is reflected in the Maryland Manufactured Housing Modernization Act of 2023 “(MHMA”), which amends the Maryland Mobile Home Parks Act of 1980 (“Mobile Home Park Act”). For an article discussing MHMA, see “Purchasing Mobile Home Parks In Maryland Under the Manufactured Housing Modernization Act of 2023.”
The Maryland Mobile Home Park Act continues to use the term “mobile home,” but the new provisions added by MHMA incorporate and use the term “manufactured home.” The definition of “manufactured home” under the Act is broad enough to encompass the definition of “mobile home.” See, Maryland Mobile Home Park Act § 8A-1801(e) (incorporating the definition of “manufactured home” at Commercial Law Article § 9-102(a)(54) by way of Real Property Article § 8B-101(g)). Compare, definition of “mobile home” at Maryland Mobile Home Park Act § 8A–101(c)(1).
Industry Differences
Although manufactured homes and mobile homes are both factory-built, movable residential housing structures, they have some key industry differences, especially in how they are constructed and regulated.
Manufactured Home:
A manufactured home is a type of prefabricated dwelling that is built in a factory and then transported to its final location. These homes are constructed in compliance with strict federal building codes set by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) under the National Manufactured Housing Construction and Safety Standards Act of 1974, codified as the “Manufactured Home Construction And Safety Standards,” Title 42 U.S. Code Chapter 70 § 5401, et. seq. The Maryland definition of manufactured home tracks the HUD definition. Compare Commercial Law Article § 9-102(a)(54) and Title 42 U.S. Code Chapter 70 § 5402(6).
Key features of a manufactured home include:
Construction: Manufactured homes are built entirely in a factory setting, allowing for better quality control and faster construction compared to traditional on-site building methods.
Use: Manufactured homes are designed to be used as a residential dwelling.
Transportation: Manufactured homes are built on a permanent chassis typically consisting of steel beams and crossmembers which is fitted with axles, suspension, and wheels as well as a steel hitch assembly for transportation . Once built, the home is transported to a home site, typically a manufactured housing community (a/k/a “mobile home park”) containing multiple lots that are leased for residential purposes. However, increasingly, manufactured homes delivered to individual lots belonging to the owner of the manufactured home.
Foundation: Once located, the axles and wheels are removed, and the manufactured homes is supported by piers (often concrete cinder blocks on structural pads with straps that tie the steel frame to the pier and the ground beneath). After utilities are connected, the opening beneath the home is covered at the perimeter with a “skirt,” often made of vinyl siding or other durable material which creates the appearance of a foundation. As an alternative to installing the home on piers, a manufactured home can be installed on to a more permanent foundation such as a concrete slab, crawl space foundation, or basement foundation.
Utilities: Once located, manufactured homes are connected to on-site utilities, which include plumbing, heating, air-conditioning, and electrical systems contained within the manufactured home.
Mobility: Although manufactured homes are designed to be transportable from the original homesite, they are not intended to be moved frequently. Once installed, they usually stay in place. However, in some instances, a manufactured home home will be towed on a flat-bed trailer from one manufactured housing community to another or from one individual lot to another.
Mobile Home:
In the mobile home park industry, the term “mobile home” technically refers to factory-built homes constructed before the implementation of the HUD Manufactured Home Construction And Safety Standards on June 15, 1976. This law created new uniform building code standards for factory-built homes in the United States, and in doing so adopted the term “manufactured homes” to which it applies. Thus, although mobile homes are essentially the same thing as manufactured homes discussed above, the term “mobile homes” technically refers to factory-built homes constructed before June 15, 1976, when the HUD Code was not in effect. As such, “mobile homes” were subject to less stringent construction and safety standards compared to today’s “manufactured homes.” However, the term “mobile home” continues to be used to refer to manufactured homes and the terms are used interchangeably, even though, technically, they have very different building standards.
Key features of a mobile home include:
Age: Mobile homes were built before the implementation of the HUD Code on June 15, 1976.
Building Standards: Mobile homes were constructed under earlier, less stringent, and sometimes inconsistent state and local building codes.
Mobility: As the name suggests, mobile homes built before 1976 were typically more easily moved from one location to another compared to modern manufactured homes.
Conclusion
In summary, the primary difference between a manufactured home and a mobile home lies in their construction standards and when they were built. Manufactured homes are constructed to meet the strict Federal building code standards, while mobile homes were built before the HUD Code’s implementation and adhered to less standardized regulations. Today, the term “mobile home” is less commonly used in the industry, and most factory-built homes are referred to by manufacturers and sellers as “manufactured homes” to reflect the higher quality and safety standards that now apply to these dwellings. Manufactured homes have become popular because they offer more space or amenities for the money in today’s high priced housing market.
Note About Author: Nicholas D. Cowie is a member of Cowie Law Group, P.C., a Maryland mobile home park law firm with Mobile home park attorneys and manufactured home community lawyers that can assist with the purchase and acquisition of mobile home parks in Maryland and provide legal advice regarding the operation of mobile home parks and manufactured housing communities throughout the State of Maryland (see below for more details on our manufactured housing legal services).
Maryland Mobile Home Park & Manufactured Housing Legal Services
Cowie Law Group, P.C. practices mobile home park and manufactured housing law in the State of Maryland. If you are a manufactured housing community owner (a/k/a “mobile home park owner”) or a manufactured housing community investor and developer thinking of purchasing or selling a manufactured housing community or have legal questions about operating and managing mobile home park, please CONTACT US for a free legal consultation. We look forward to assisting you.
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MARYLAND MANUFACTURED HOUSING COMMUNITY LAWYERS
410-327-3800 | 301-830-8315
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