Manufactured Housing
HUD floats a way to cut costs on multistory manufactured homes
The proposal would let an upper-floor section avoid the permanent-chassis requirement now used for some manufactured homes. HUD says only 20 to 25 homes a year would likely qualify, and comments are due Aug. 11, 2026.
HUD wants to loosen one construction rule for a small slice of manufactured housing. The change would apply to upper-floor sections in multistory homes, and the agency says it could trim costs for a limited number of projects each year.
- HUD wants to loosen one rule for upper floors in multistory manufactured homes.
- The change would affect only about 20 to 25 homes a year, by HUD’s estimate.
- A narrower alternative would keep a chassis under only one lowest-floor section.
- Comments are due Aug. 11, 2026.
- In Washington, HUD is trying to shave one design cost off a narrow corner of the manufactured-housing market
In Washington, HUD is trying to shave one design cost off a narrow corner of the manufactured-housing market. The agency proposes revising the definition of “manufactured home” so a transportable section used as part of an upper floor would not have to be built or shipped on a permanent chassis, the rigid base used to move the home.
A small cut with a specific target
HUD’s own impact analysis suggests the change would reach only 20 to 25 multistory manufactured homes a year. That is a sliver of the market, especially compared with the roughly 60,000 newly produced manufactured homes a year that are multi-section, single-story designs.
The agency is also asking about a narrower alternative. Under that version, a manufactured home would need a permanent chassis under only one transportable section of the lowest floor, instead of under each lowest-floor section.
Why builders would notice
The proposal does not erase chassis requirements across manufactured housing. It would change the standards, installation rules and program rules that define the homes, but only for the specific multistory designs HUD is trying to encourage.
For developers and buyers, the question is whether removing one costly design requirement can make factory-built multistory housing more workable in some higher-density projects. HUD is taking comments through Aug. 11, 2026.