Many MindedRepeal of steel chassis mandate may cut manufactured home costs
The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act repealed a 1974 federal requirement that manufactured homes be built on a permanent, nonremovable steel chassis. These homes are built in factories to U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development codes and then moved to the site. Housing experts estimate that dropping the chassis rule could save $5,000 to $10,000 per home and make two-story and multifamily construction more practical.
The starting point matters. The Manufactured Housing Institute says these homes cost about 50% less per square foot than site-built ones, and about 20 million people live in them. But Census survey data show the average price of a new manufactured home rose from $81,900 in 2019 to $127,200 in 2025, so the cheapest tier of unsubsidized housing has been getting less cheap.
The abundance case is straightforward: factory building is one of the few proven ways to lower the cost of a home, and removing a design constraint widens what factories can produce and where those homes can sit. The gains, though, run through the states. Pew Charitable Trusts estimates regulations in about 30 states must be updated to match the federal law. States have until July 11, 2027 to certify equal treatment of homes with and without a chassis, and states with biennial legislatures have until 2028.
Watch local rules and financing. A National Zoning Atlas analysis found 33% of Texas localities explicitly restrict manufactured housing, and another 11% allow it only by special hearing or permit. Many states treat these homes as personal property, like cars, which can block traditional mortgages. Pew estimates a $100,000 standard mortgage could save a borrower about $49,000 over the loan's life versus home-only personal property loans. Georgia, Maine and New York have eased conversion to real property. The savings figures are expert estimates, and the outcome depends on state zoning and titling changes.
Source: Google News