Buyer Guide/
HUD Code: Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards

Standard

HUD Code: Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards

24 CFR Part 3280 (enforced under 24 CFR Part 3282)
US
Federal
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Office of Manufactured Housing Programs

The federal building code for manufactured homes, often called the HUD Code. It sets rules for design, construction, transportation, fire safety, plumbing, heating and electrical systems. Each finished home section gets a HUD certification label.

Covers federal design, construction and safety rules plus the HUD label and data plate for manufactured homes; does not cover zoning, installation and foundations, site and utility work, financing, insurance, or condition after manufacture.

Applies to

No matching home types are listed on ModelTown yet.

Who checks it

A design approval agency (DAPIA) approves the home's design. A production inspection agency (IPIA) inspects homes in the factory and supplies labels. HUD oversees the program, directly or through state agencies.

When it matters

When you buy a new or used manufactured home. The label and data plate show the home was built to the federal code in effect on its date of manufacture. Lenders, insurers, installers and local officials may ask for the label numbers.

What this establishes

  • Minimum federal rules for design, construction, fire safety, plumbing, heating and electrical systems of manufactured homes.
  • A metal certification label (HUD label) on each transportable section, in which the maker certifies the home was inspected and built to the code.
  • A data plate inside the home listing the plant, serial number, model, date made, label numbers, and the roof load and wind zones it was designed for.
  • Factory oversight: approved designs, quality control, and in-plant inspection before a label goes on.

What it does not establish

  • Whether a home may be placed on a lot. Local zoning and permits decide placement.
  • Installation, foundation and anchoring. These fall under separate HUD installation rules (24 CFR Part 3285) and state installation programs.
  • Site work, utility hookups outside the home, financing or insurance.
  • The home's condition today. The label covers the code in effect when the home was made, not later damage, moves or changes.

How to verify it yourself

  1. Find the HUD label: a small metal plate on the outside of each section, usually at the rear (taillight) end, about 1 foot up and 1 foot in from one side.
  2. Find the data plate inside, near the main electrical panel, or in a kitchen cabinet or bedroom closet. It lists the label numbers.
  3. If labels are missing, request a Letter of Label Verification from IBTS, which HUD uses. HUD does not reissue labels.

Your next step

Ask the seller for the HUD label numbers and data plate, then confirm them with IBTS or HUD's Office of Manufactured Housing Programs (202-708-6423).

Take the next step

United States

Which homes count. Under the code, a manufactured home is built on a permanent chassis and designed as a dwelling, with or without a permanent foundation. In travel mode it is 8 body feet or more wide or 40 body feet or more long, or it is 320 square feet or more when set up. Self-propelled RVs are excluded.

Start date. The enforcement rules apply to homes that entered production on or after June 15, 1976. Arizona's housing agency notes that homes built before that date cannot be label-verified.

Reading the label. Each label number starts with a 3-letter code that identifies the in-plant inspection agency, followed by a 6-digit number.

Reading the data plate. It names the agency that approved the design. It says whether the home can carry loads from an attached porch or other structure. It also says whether storm shutters were provided for high-wind zones.

Help with defects. HUD runs a dispute resolution program for defects among manufacturers, retailers and installers. Per HUD, defects must be reported within one year of installation to qualify.

  • A replacement data plate comes from the in-plant inspection agency and the manufacturer, not HUD.
  • If labels are lost, HUD suggests checking old loan papers, which may list the label numbers.

Canada

Questions to ask

No items found.

Confirm requirements for your property

Confirm with your local building and planning department.

Explore property questions

Sources

Edition:

Amendments are published in the Federal Register and compiled in the eCFR. As of October 21, 2026, the eCFR shows Part 3280's latest amendments dated Sept. 15, 2025.

Last reviewed

October 26, 2026