Senate passes substitute bill to clarify manufactured-home titling and inspections

The Senate passed substitute Senate Bill 81, a package of changes aimed at clarifying state regulation of manufactured housing and preserving homeowners’ ability to obtain titles and secured loans. The floor sponsor said the substitute restores title requirements for manufactured homes, travel trailers and similar units that had been inadvertently repealed, requires state-registered dealers, imposes a $75 fee per factory-built home to fund program administration, and retains local building inspectors’ authority for setup and modification.

Sponsor remarks emphasized that the substitute requires manufactured homes built in the state to meet the Uniform Building Code and federal manufactured-housing construction and safety standards where the federal law preempts state construction inspection authority. The sponsor also described a small state inspection staff role to assist local regulators and noted the department of commerce and industry groups support the measure.

Senators asked whether the substitute included a sales-tax exemption; the sponsor clarified it did not and said fiscal impacts would be managed by restricted funds. After questions, the Senate called the question and the clerk reported the tally (a roll-call recorded 26 ayes), and the bill passed to be transmitted to the House for further action.

The bill’s passage restores statutory language intended to preserve title and lendingability for factory-built housing and formalizes dealer registration and modest fees to fund the division’s work.