In Michigan a “Mobile Home” is a structure manufactured prior to June 15, 1976, that was not required to be constructed in accordance with the National Manufactured Housing Construction in Safety Standards Act, that is transportable in one (1) or more sections, that, in the traveling mode is eight (8) body feet or more in width and forty (40) body feet or more in length, or when erected on site, four hundred (400) or more square feet, and that is built on a permanent chassis and designed to be used as a dwelling on a temporary or permanent foundation, when connected with the permanent required utilities, including plumbing, heating, air conditioning, and electrical systems
According to the Michigan Revised Statutes, a “manufactured home” is a single-family residential dwelling constructed in accordance with the National Manufactured Housing Construction in Safety Standards Act, manufactured after June 15, 1976, and designed to be used as a single-family residential dwelling with or without a permanent foundation when connected to the required utilities, and including plumbing, heating, air conditioning, and electrical systems.
In Michigan, a “Modular Home” is not specifically defined but means factory-built structures or components which are intended for use as a dwelling. The big difference is that a Modular Home is generally built in compliance with the site-built home standards for the regional , state, or local building code used by the government unit in which the house is to be located. Commonly, this is the IRC code.
The only definitive way to tell the difference between a HUD code or a modular is the labeling. Someone may tell you that there are tricks to the trade, such as if there is a chassis then it is a HUD code home. This is not necessarily true. Some modulars are built on a metal frame and some HUD code homes built in the 1980s do not have a metal frame. So be sure to check the labels, because looks can be deceiving.
