Senate committee hears bill to speed replacement titles for manufactured homes

Senate Bill 370, a measure to streamline replacement ownership certificates for manufactured homes, was heard Friday by the Nevada Senate Committee on Commerce and Labor. Sponsor Sen. Angie Taylor, R‑District 15, and industry representatives described long waits for replacement titles and urged the committee to approve deadlines and an optional expedited process.

The bill requires the Nevada Housing Division to issue or deny a replacement certificate of ownership within 45 days of a complete application and to provide notice of denial with reasons within 10 days. SB 370 also directs the division to adopt regulations during the interim to create an optional expedited title‑recovery pathway for applicants who pay a voluntary fee.

Supporters, including dealer Jeff Veasley and Manufactured Home Community Owners Association representatives, said the current process can take “up to three months or more,” halting sales and jeopardizing financing. “Homes cannot be sold without a title,” Veasley said, describing cases in which buyers lost financing while waiting for a replacement document. Mackenzie Warren Kaye of the Manufactured Home Community Owners Association said the bill “shaves weeks or even perhaps months off the process” by setting a timeline for decisions and creating a fee‑based faster option.

Sen. Taylor told the committee many mobile homes in her district are passed down through generations and that owners frequently misplace titles or have worn serial numbers. She said the bill standardizes the existing two procedures for obtaining a replacement certificate — the division’s standard review and a bonded process — and requires the division to apply the same 45‑day deadline to both pathways.

Housing division staff said they worked with proponents on the draft and signaled willingness to help implement an expedited process during the interim. Administrator Steve Acroft (Housing Division) told the committee the division needs to work with industry on what “expedited” should mean — for example, whether it is 48 hours or several business days — and on the level of any fee charged. Division staff also noted the bill will be limited by existing statutory fee schedules and inspection requirements.

Committee members asked procedural questions about inspections and timelines. Veasley said in his experience inspections are normally scheduled within a week and inspectors typically respond within 48 hours of inspection. Witnesses and staff emphasized the expedited option is voluntary and intended to improve customer service for homeowners and dealers.

The committee took testimony from manufactured housing trade groups and the Nevada Housing Alliance in support. No formal vote on SB 370 was recorded at the hearing.

If enacted, SB 370 would not change the existing right of a person with an unexpired title to retain it; it applies to owners who lack a title and seek a new certificate.