Manufactured homes are single family and multi-section homes that are constructed under the federal Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards. These homes are built in a controlled factory environment and then transported to their site for installation. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's enforces its guidelines by conducting intermittent checks of manufacturer plants and investigating consumer complaints.
Exterior Regulations
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development supplies specific guidelines and regulations for manufactured homes. These guidelines include minimum measurement requirements and hazard guidelines for the home. The manufactured home requires a minimum of 320 square feet in size. The unit must have a permanent chassis that will permit the "initial and continued" ability to transport the home. All homes are subject to quality verification and will be marked with a red label upon meeting the HUD Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards.
Interior Regulations
HUD has also provided requirements on each room's dimensions. Common areas, bedrooms and bathrooms are required to have a minimum ceiling height of 7 feet. The minimum ceiling height for hallways and foyers is s 6 feet, 6 inches. Bedrooms and common areas are required to have windows that provide natural light into the home. Kitchens, bathrooms and laundry areas permit artificial light in the place of windows. The appropriate ventilation requirements must be provided by a mechanical system or a combination of windows and mechanical systems (central air, ventilation systems, etc). All manufactured homes must have at least two exterior exit doors that are in different rooms and ends of the unit. The home must have at least one living area. This area must be a minimum size of 150 square feet. All bedrooms must have a minimum of 50 square feet of floor area. Bedrooms that are planned for two people must have a minimum floor area of 70 square feet and should include another 50 square feet for each additional person. HUD requires that all bathrooms be at least 30 inches in width. The exception to this rule only applies if the toilet is next to the short dimension of the tub. If this is the case, the distance from the tub to the toilet cannot be less than 12 inches. In both instances, there must be at least 21 inches of clear space in front of the toilet. The home's construction and varnishes must include flame retardant materials. This is especially regulated in the kitchen areas that require flame retardant trimmings and metal cooking range hoods. The range hoods must be factory installed and provide a vertical clearance of at least 24 inches to the range's potential clearance. The range is generally purchased by the owner after the home is installed.
