Committee advances bill to treat qualified manufactured homes like site‑built houses; local cosmetic control preserved

The House Standing Committee on Local Government voted to advance House Bill 160, sponsored by Representative Susan Whitten, to require that qualified manufactured homes be treated the same as site‑built houses for local planning and zoning purposes, subject to local cosmetic compatibility standards.

Representative Whitten said the bill responds to a statewide shortage of starter and working‑class homes and that the Kentucky Housing Corporation estimates a shortfall of about 206,000 homes; without changes that shortfall could grow. Whitten said manufactured housing can provide lower‑cost homes that meet modern construction and energy standards and that the bill does not override homeowners’ association, deed or historic‑district restrictions.

Logan Haines, executive director of the Kentucky Manufactured Housing Institute, testified that qualified manufactured homes are built to the HUD code and that modern manufactured homes are inspected in the factory and on site. He told the committee that the bill focuses on ‘‘qualified manufactured homes’’ — defined in part as homes built on or after February 2002, set on permanent foundations, at least 20 feet wide (or two stories) and at least 900 square feet — and that these homes can be more affordable because of factory efficiencies and purchasing scale.

Local government associations urged the committee to preserve local land‑use authority and to work with proponents on technical changes. JD Cheney of the Kentucky League of Cities and Shelley Hampton of the Kentucky Association of Counties said local planning, zoning and comprehensive planning are community‑specific processes and asked for adjustments to the bill’s language to avoid unintended constraints on local regulation of property values, foundations and material compatibility.

Versailles Mayor Laura Dake described a local pilot project and said her city’s residents found the example homes acceptable; she said Versailles has drafted cosmetic standards — roof pitch, foundation appearance and facades — to ensure new homes fit neighborhoods.

Committee members debated the bill and several asked the sponsor to work with cities and counties on the statutory language. The committee adopted the bill as amended and gave it a favorable report by roll call; the chair announced the motion carried and the bill will proceed to the House floor.