Manufactured Home Dealers NAICS 459930

May 30, 2025 - Department of Energy Extends Industry Regulation Deadline

• In April, the US Department of Energy (DOE) announced it would extend the deadline for energy-conservation standards for new multi-section manufactured housing. Under a Biden-era DOE rulemaking, multi-section housing manufacturers were required to comply with new energy-conservation regulations by July 25, 2025. The DOE is amending that ruling to give multi-section manufacturers 180 days to comply after the publication of enforcement procedures. The compliance period for manufacturers of single-section homes remains unchanged at 60 days. A spokesperson for DOE said the agency’s move was part of the Trump Administration’s efforts to unwind cumbersome manufactured home energy-conservation regulations imposed by the previous administration.
• US shipments of manufactured homes increased by 8.9% month-over-month in March 2025, according to the US Census Bureau. On a year-over-year basis, March’s sales were also up 8.9% compared to March 2024. Manufactured housing has tended to be countercyclical during tough economic times because it is one of the lowest-cost options for housing in the US. High interest rates, a lack of affordability in the single-family housing market, and high multifamily rents could boost manufactured home demand.

• Tariffs imposed by the Trump administration are expected to drive up costs for building materials, which could increase production costs for manufactured homes. The National Association of Home Builders estimates that tariffs could increase the costs of building a single-family home by $7,500 to $10,000. Producers of manufactured homes could face similar cost increases, some of which might be passed on to dealers and consumers. On April 9, the Trump administration paused its reciprocal tariff agenda for 90 days for most countries but left in place a baseline 10% import duty on all countries except China, which faced total tariffs of 145%. Canada and Mexico are not subject to the 10% baseline tariffs, and goods trading under the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) will remain duty-free. On May 12, 2025, the US and China declared a 90-day reduction in the tariffs each country imposes on the other amid further negotiations. The US tariff on imports from China was reduced from 145% to 30%, while China dropped its duty on US imports from 125% to 10%. On May 29, the US Court of International Trade (CIT) ruled that the Trump Administration overstepped its authority in levying widespread tariffs and voided most of them, according to the Wall Street Journal. The following day, the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit paused the CIT ruling pending further arguments. The 25% tariff on all US steel and aluminum imports that Trump imposed on March 12 was not affected by the CIT ruling.
• In February, the Pew Charitable Trusts convened lenders, manufactured housing industry experts, and other stakeholders to discuss how federal and state policy changes could modernize manufactured home financing to open homeownership to more Americans. Suggested policy changes included an update to titling practices. Mortgages are the most affordable means of financing manufactured homes due to relatively low interest rates and longer repayment terms. However, in most jurisdictions, manufactured homes face hurdles in being titled as real estate, which makes them eligible for mortgage loans. In most cases, manufactured homes are titled as personal property – like a motor vehicle – leading borrowers to rely on riskier contract loans instead of mortgages. Pew suggests state reforms to titling regulations could open up manufactured home purchases to a broader pool of potential buyers.