The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) published a proposed rule in the Federal Register on June 12 that would update the definition of a manufactured home and support innovative opportunities for multi-story manufactured housing.

Under the proposed rule, the new definition of a manufactured home — as noted in the Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards (HUD Code) — would allow upper floor sections to be transported and constructed without a permanent chassis.

“America needs more housing, and manufactured housing is part of the solution,” HUD Secretary Scott Turner said in a release. “We are removing unnecessary barriers, encouraging innovation and helping American manufacturers deliver more affordable housing options for American families.”

The proposed expanded definition would support multi-story construction of manufactured homes and empower manufacturers with greater flexibility to design and construct homes to meet growing consumer demand while lowering production costs. The proposed rule would also make corresponding updates to the definition in the Model Manufactured Home Installation Standards and the Manufactured Home Installation Program regulations.

More than 20 million Americans across the country reside in manufactured homes, and the manufactured home industry employs tens of thousands of Americans nationwide.

Under the proposed rule, HUD would continue to require a permanent chassis for each transportable section that is designed to serve as part of the lowest floor of a manufactured home.

HUD is seeking comment on an alternative approach that it is considering under which a manufactured home would be required to have a permanent chassis under only one transportable section of the lowest floor, which would apply to both multi-section, single-story manufactured homes and multi-story manufactured homes.

Specifically, HUD is seeking comments on the following questions:

• Would multi-section, single-story manufactured homes realize production or installation cost savings if only one section of the lowest floor were required to be built on a permanent chassis? If so, what types of savings would be expected?
• What construction, safety and installation standards would be implicated and/or potentially require revision to support this alternative?
• Would this alternative create any additional costs, risks, benefits, or other implementation considerations which HUD should take into account?
• Are there engineering, design, construction, transportation and/or installation challenges that manufacturers, transporters and installers would need to consider and adjust in order to leverage this alternative?
• Are there any additional installation standards or set-up requirements that should be considered for multistory manufactured homes that are not already addressed in the Model Manufactured Home Installation Standards?
• Should manufactured home manufacturers be required to identify lift points and provide lifting instructions for the placement and installation of upper floors of multi-section manufactured homes?
• Would the transportation requirements, as amended by the proposed rule, be sufficient to ensure that manufactured homes could be transported in a manner that would not take a home out of compliance with the HUD Code?
• Are there reliance interests that would be implicated by this rule? If so, how significant are these interests and would a transition period for implementation be appropriate to mitigate the effect of this proposed rule on these interests?

Comments are due Aug. 11.