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Today, Tuesday, January 14, 2025, at noon CST, the 114th General Assembly of the State of Tennessee will convene for its first session. The session will center on key topics such as education, healthcare, economic growth, and infrastructure, reflecting the priorities and needs of the Volunteer State.
During this first session of a two year session of the 114th General Assembly, THA will focus on introducing legislation to change the definition of a manufactured home in Tennessee statutes, to mirror the definition within the federal code, specifically 42 U.S.C. ยง 5402(6). THA will open the following Tennessee statutes:
- TCA 47-9, Finance
- TCA 55-1, Transportation; and
- TCA 68-126, Manufactured Homes
Why is THA seeking this change?
Currently, HUD is seeking a change to the definition of a manufactured home (MH) which would allow the industry to build homes with or without a chassis. This will not change the way homes are currently built, but will allow an additional option for future factory-built homes and broaden the market for offerings in many regions which currently zone out current products..
States across the nation are preparing now by addressing their respective state definitions and referring back to the federal definition, so when that federal definition changes, states will be ready. States whose definition of a manufactured home do not mirror the federal definition (when changed in the federal statute) will be unable to accept homes built without a chassis.
Here is a LINK to a short article published in 2024 by the Federation of American Scientists, entitled, "Eliminating the Chassis Requirement to Free Manufactured Homes from Local Discrimination and Regulatory Dead Weight", which gives a nice overview of why this change is being pursued and what will need to happen before any homes built without a chassis can make their way to market in the future.
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