If you own a mobile home, understanding your Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) is essential. More than just a registration number, your VIN contains key details about your home’s origins and specifications.
Get a full market value cash offer on your mobile home
Find a new one at Clayton Homes!
What is a Mobile Home VIN?
Your VIN acts as a unique identifier for your mobile home, providing insight into several important details:
Manufacturer: The first part of your VIN typically includes three letters representing the company that built your home.
State of Manufacture: The next two letters indicate the state where your home was manufactured.
Serial Number: This unique number is assigned to your home by the manufacturer.
Section Code: For multi-section homes, this letter designates each section (e.g., “A” or “B” for double-wide or triple-wide homes). Single-wide homes without sections don’t have a section code.
Your VIN should match the number listed on your ownership title. For homes with multiple sections, each section usually has a separate VIN and title.
Where to Find Your Mobile Home’s VIN
Locating your VIN can be straightforward if you know where to look:
On the data plate inside your home
Stamped onto the steel frame
On the front end-wall or near the main entry door
The front-most cross-member of the steel frame
The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) mandates that every mobile home has a data plate installed during manufacturing. The plate is often located on the closet wall of the master bedroom, under the kitchen sink, or near the HVAC closet or electrical panel. If the data plate has been removed or painted over, you may need to do some searching.
Older mobile homes, especially those manufactured before 1976, may have the VIN located in additional spots, such as:
Near the electrical panel
On the tongue or hitch
Inside the cabinet under the kitchen sink
On a bedroom closet wall
What’s on a Data Plate?
The data plate includes more than just the VIN. It provides additional important details, such as:
The manufacturer’s name and address
A serial number and model designation
The date of manufacture
A HUD-required statement verifying compliance with federal standards
Certification labels for each transportable section
A map detailing wind, snow, and roof load ratings for the home
If you plan to remodel, be sure to protect your data plate by covering it or taking photos to keep the information accessible.
What to Do if Your Data Plate is Missing
If your data plate has been removed or lost, you may need to replace it. Contact the Institute for Building Technology and Safety (IBTS), which can issue a replacement data plate certification.
Understanding the HUD Tag
While locating your VIN and data plate, you may also find a HUD tag, a small metal plate on the back exterior of your mobile home. This tag verifies that your home meets federal safety and construction standards. HUD tags are required on all manufactured homes built after June 1976.
If your HUD tag is missing, HUD won’t reissue it, but IBTS may provide a letter verifying the original HUD certification.
Understanding and locating your VIN, HUD tags, and preserving your data plate are essential steps to maintaining the value and safety compliance of your mobile home.
Did you know that if you are looking to do a trade-in on your mobile or manufactured home, you can use our CashCPO program to do it? Simply enter your details for a full market value cash offer, and use the equity to order your new one within 14 days (or 90 if you need longer!). We can also help you find the land to put your new mobile or traditionally built home on.
Comments