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Witnesses and one member press to ease rules for manufactured housing; bill to remove permanent chassis cited
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Summary
Witnesses and members urged reducing regulatory and zoning barriers for manufactured housing and supported a bill to remove the statutory permanent steel‑chassis requirement for some factory‑built homes to cut costs.
Representative Andrew S. (Rose) told the subcommittee he will reintroduce legislation to remove the federal permanent steel chassis requirement for manufactured housing, arguing the change would reduce unit costs and expand use of factory‑built homes.
Dr. Emily Hamilton, senior research fellow at the Mercatus Center, testified that the chassis requirement “adds several thousand dollars to the cost of each manufactured home,” and that removing it could cut per‑unit costs and make manufactured housing more flexible for placement on foundations or owner‑occupied lots. She also said minimum lot‑size rules and explicit local bans remain common barriers to siting manufactured homes in many jurisdictions.
Tara Vasacek, city administrator for Columbus, Nebraska, told the committee Columbus allows manufactured and modular homes in all zones, eliminated minimum lot‑size and lot‑width requirements, and removed per‑unit site‑area rules. Vasacek said those changes have increased manufactured and modular housing development in Columbus.
Why it matters: witnesses and members described manufactured housing as one of the least expensive ways to add new homes if local zoning and state law allow it. Dr. Hamilton cited state examples where lawmakers have required localities to permit manufactured housing on lots allowed for site‑built houses and where states have banned unnecessarily burdensome aesthetic requirements. Supporters cautioned that zoning reform and infrastructure remain necessary accompaniments to make manufactured units viable at scale.
What was proposed: options discussed included federal encouragement for state and local reforms (model policies from HUD), targeted changes to HUD statutory rules that affect manufactured housing codes, and removing the permanent chassis requirement to reduce cost and improve flexibility in siting and foundation attachment.
No formal action was taken on a chassis bill during the hearing; Representative Rose said he plans to reintroduce the measure. Witnesses were asked to submit written follow‑up.
