Manufactured Home

The following guidance outlines how manufactured home listings should be entered, along with applicable definitions, best practices, and relevant regulatory resources.

NorthstarMLS allows listings that include manufactured homes on real property or that are for sale on leased land. The MLS may not be used for the sale of manufactured homes that are not currently placed on a property, including those sold by a manufactured home dealer or intended to be moved.

If the land is leased and not included in the sale, the manufactured home on the property will be owned by the buyer, while the land itself must remain leased. This allows for the sale of manufactured homes affixed to leased land, such as those located in mobile home parks. It is recommended to add TBD to the Property ID field for manufactured homes on leased land.

Definition

A manufactured home must meet the criteria outlined in Minnesota law, which is defined as follows: 

“Manufactured home” means a structure, transportable in one or more sections, which in the traveling mode, is eight body feet or more in width or 40 body feet or more in length, or, when erected on site, is 320 or more square feet, and which is built on a permanent chassis and designed to be used as a dwelling with or without a permanent foundation when connected to the required utilities, and includes the plumbing, heating, air conditioning, and electrical systems contained therein.

For NorthstarMLS, a manufactured home is defined as the original, primary structure built entirely in the factory and constructed according to HUD codes, not local building codes of its destination. A manufactured home does not include modular homes built to local codes.

Tip: A manufactured home should have a small red metal identification plate on the exterior of each transportable section (or holes where the plates may have been removed). Additionally, inside the door of the electrical box may have a data plate. The presence of this plate is not required for the structure to be classified as a manufactured home.

Resources

NorthstarMLS does not enforce state licensing and transaction laws regarding the sale of manufactured homes. The laws that govern the sale of manufactured homes are different.  Here are some helpful resources to understand the differences:

• The regulation of manufactured homes, including definitions and standards, can be found in Minnesota Statutes Section 273.125.
• Chapter 327B provides additional regulatory information but is not directly related to manufactured homes.
• Rule Chapter 1350 includes rules regarding manufactured homes, including standards and regulations.
• The Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry offers information on the regulations and standards for manufactured homes in Minnesota.