The major difference between manufactured, mobile, and modular homes is the way that they are constructed.
Manufactured homes A structure constructed on or after June 15, 1976, according to the rules of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, 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. The term does not include a recreational vehicle as that term is defined by 24 Code of Federal Regulations, Section 3282.8(g).
Modular homes A structure or building module that is manufactured at a location other than the location where it is installed and used as a residence by a consumer, transportable in one or more sections on a temporary chassis or other conveyance device, and designed to be used as a permanent dwelling when installed and placed upon a permanent foundation system. The term includes the plumbing, heating, air conditioning, and electrical systems contained on the structure. The term does not include a manufactured home or mobile home as defined in this Ordinance; nor does it include building modules incorporating concrete or masonry as [a] primary structural component.
Mobile homes A structure that was constructed before June 15, 1976, 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.
Recreational vehicle or RV means a vehicular-type unit primarily designed as temporary living quarters for recreational, camping, travel or seasonal use that either has its own motive power or is mounted on, or towed by, another vehicle. The basic types of RV entities are: camping trailer, fifth-wheel trailer, motor home, park trailer, travel trailer, truck camper, and tiny house trailer which are individually defined as follows:
1. “Camping trailer” is a vehicular portable unit mounted on wheels and constructed with collapsible partial sidewalls that fold for towing by another vehicle and unfold at the campsite to provide temporary living quarters for recreational, camping or travel use.
2. “Fifth wheel trailer” is a vehicular unit, mounted on wheels, designed to provide temporary living quarters for recreational, camping or travel use, of such size or weight as not to require special highway movement permit(s), of gross trailer area not to exceed four hundred (400) square feet (37.2m2) in the set-up mode, designed to be towed by a motorized vehicle that contains a towing mechanism that is mounted above or forward of the tow vehicle’s rear axle.
3. “Motor home” is a vehicular unit designed to provide temporary living quarters for recreational, camping or travel use, built on or permanently attached to a self-propelled motor vehicle chassis or on a chassis cab or van that is an integral part of the completed vehicle.
4. “Park trailer” is a recreational vehicle that meets the following criteria:
a. Built on a single chassis mounted on wheels;
b. Having a gross trailer area not exceeding four hundred (400) square feet in the set-up mode;
c. Certified by the manufacturer as complying with ANSI A119.5.
5. “Travel trailer” is a vehicular unit, mounted on wheels, designed to provide temporary living quarters for recreational, camping or travel use, of such size or weight as not to require special highway movement permits when towed by a motorized vehicle, and of gross trailer area less than three hundred twenty (320) square feet (29.7m2).
6. “Truck camper” is a portable unit constructed to provide temporary living quarters for recreational, travel or camping use, consisting of a roof, floor and sides, designed to be loaded onto and unloaded from the bed of a pickup truck.
7. “Tiny house trailer” is a portable housing unit built on or permanently attached to a single chassis mounted on wheels or on a trailer and constructed to provide temporary living quarters for recreational, travel or seasonal use, consisting of a roof, floor and sides.
City of Navasota Codes & Ordinanaces
Additional References:
Texas Department of Licensing Regulation
What You Need to Know Before Purchasing an Industrialized Home or Building
