According to federal regulations, any manufactured or mobile home built in the United States on or after June 15, 1976, must have a data plate. This sheet from the manufacturer provides standardized information about the home, such as when and where it was made and what kinds of equipment it includes.
Mobile home data plates are not the same as HUD tags, although both are essential documents required by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Read on to learn what each one is for, where to find it, and what to do if one goes missing.
The Basics of a Manufactured Home Data Plate
Anyone in the business of building manufactured homes will need to provide each unit they construct with a manufactured home data plate and the appropriate metal HUD tag (or tags).
A manufactured home data plate is not actually a plate but a printed sheet of paper or foil. It can be found somewhere inside the mobile home, often in one of the following places:
- Inside a kitchen cabinet door
- Inside a cabinet in the main bedroom
- Near the electrical breaker box
- Inside the utility or laundry room
The information on a data plate is crucial for those purchasing a manufactured home. It includes the following:
- The home’s manufacturer and their location
- Performance verification certificate numbers (also called HUD tag numbers, and these should also appear on an etched metal HUD label attached to the home) that identify the federal housing code that was in effect when the home was constructed
- The date of construction
- Serial and model numbers (also called a mobile home’s vehicle identification number or VIN)
- A factory-installed equipment table (this itemizes the major factory-installed equipment and appliances that came with the home along with their manufacturers and serial numbers)
- Roof load zone (the box checked here is meant to be cross-checked against a small adjacent map of the U.S. to confirm that the home has been built to account for the likely weight of snow in the installation location)
- Wind load zone (states are designated as zone I, II or III for the purpose of building to withstand different levels of extreme winds; again, cross-checking the designation with a small map will indicate whether the home is rated to withstand winds in the installation location)
- Comfort cooling (if air conditioning came factory-installed)
- A heating and cooling thermal map (indicates what temperature zone the manufactured home was designed for, with zone 1 being the warmest and zone III being the coldest)
Finally, a data plate carries the information of the inspection agency that certified the manufactured home as being up to code. There are only a few such agencies, identified by specific codes, and they are required not to have any connection to the manufacturer.
The manufactured home data plate is required by HUD to be permanently affixed and should not be removed.
Why Is the Data Plate Important?
A data plate helps confirm that a manufactured home meets federal construction and safety standards. It’s often required when:
- Applying for financing or refinancing
- Getting insurance coverage
- Verifying local code compliance
- Planning home improvements or upgrades
- Preparing to move the home to a new location
If the data plate is missing or unreadable, these processes may be delayed or rejected. Most lenders, inspectors, and permitting offices will need the information on the data plate before moving forward.
What Are HUD Tags?
HUD tags, also known as certification labels, are metal plates that confirm a manufactured home was built in accordance with the federal standards set by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
Each manufactured home HUD tag is:
- Made of metal, typically measuring 2 inches by 4 inches
- Attached to the exterior of the home, usually on the rear section just above the bottom edge
- Permanently marked with a unique certification label number assigned to that specific home section
Each transportable section of a manufactured home, like both halves of a double-wide, has its own HUD tag attached to the exterior.
HUD tags carry a standard message:
“The manufacturer certifies to the best of the manufacturer’s knowledge and belief that this manufactured home has been inspected in accordance with the requirements of Department of Housing and Urban Development and is constructed in conformance with the federal manufactured home construction and safety standards in effect on the date of manufacture. See data plate.”
Why Are HUD Tags Important?
HUD tags are just as important for mobile or manufactured home financing or sale as the data plate. Its basic function is to verify that the unit passed inspection in keeping with federal housing codes when it was made. Keeping the HUD tag on a mobile home secure and readable is critical for proving compliance.
How to Deal With a Lost or Missing Data Plate
It’s generally recommended that you protect your manufactured home’s data plate by all necessary means — it’s a necessity of financing, insuring, improving or selling the unit. If it’s posted in a cabinet that’s going to be renovated, for example, you’ll need to remove and reattach it well out of the way.
In the event a data plate does go missing, or simply becomes illegible over the course of time, you’ll need to reach out to the Institute for Building Technology and Safety (IBTS). This HUD subcontractor handles requests for missing manufactured home data plates, and getting a new one means contacting and paying them directly.
The base fee is $50 for a request that takes two to three weeks to process. An expedited request, processed in 2-3 days, is $100.
Dealing With a Lost or Missing HUD Tag
Unlike with a data plate, there’s no easy way to reissue HUD tags if they go missing. They are designed to be permanent and cannot be replaced if removed or lost.
However, the HUD tag’s label numbers should also appear on the home’s data plate. With this information, you can seek a Letter of Label Verification from the Institute for Building Technology and Safety (IBTS) that confirms the home’s original certification. It’s used in place of a missing mobile home HUD tag for things like financing, appraisal, or resale.
How Does the Data Plate Affect Property Value and Safety?
The data plate helps confirm the home meets safety standards and is suitable for its environment. The details it includes, like wind zone, roof load, and thermal rating, are needed for local code compliance.
It also matters for resale. A missing or illegible data plate or HUD tag creates uncertainty about the home’s construction and compliance. That can lead to lenders denying financing, appraisers being unable to verify value, and buyers backing out or lowering their offers.
Keeping the data plate intact protects safety and market value, preventing delays and complications during a sale or move.
Wrap-Up
Anyone buying a used mobile or manufactured home, or looking to sell one, needs to pay careful attention to the presence and legibility of its data plate and HUD tags. These are the most basic tools provided to show certification and compliance with federal housing codes.
If you’re a buyer, be sure to check and make sure that the data plate is easy to find and read and that HUD tags are posted where they should be. If these things are missing, it won’t be possible to transfer the title to your new unit or get financing for it. Be sure to give yourself plenty of lead time in case one of these articles should turn up missing so you don’t find yourself racing the clock to get replacement certification or verification letters.