Health & Safety Codes Mobile Homes

 Back in 1957, the California Trailer Coach Association instigated the first health and safety standards for trailers or mobile homes in the entire nation.

First Codes:

Sept 1, 1958 TCA which stands for Trailer Coach Association of California instigated the first health and safety standards for these homes and safety standards covered only plumbing, heating and electrical systems. On this date, every mobile home that was manufactured for sale here in California had to be inspected by the Department of Housing. An insignia had to be attached showing it had been inspected and was built in accordance to the code.

Any 1959 or newer model mobile home must have that inspection insignia on it. A 1958 or older does not require an insignia of any kind in order to be sold in California. We were the first state to have any kind of code standards.  The first code standards did not govern structural design or fire safety.

Sept 15, 1971 meaning a 1972 or newer is when regulations became effective to govern structural design and fire safety. All load bearing walls had to have 2"x4" construction.  In addition, it was the end of louvered windows, which were proven death traps.   Some business began installing escape hatches in mobile homes usually in the master bedroom closet. Now with fire egress windows placed in homes effective Sept 15, 1971, that meant in the event of a fire a person could open the window and egress through the window. The state fire marshal also noted that over 97% of all mobile home fires could have been totally eliminated if they had an operable smoke detector. Sept 1, 1986 requires we sign a statement of facts every time we sell a home stating that there is an operable smoke detector at the time of the sale.

Oct 7, 1973 an additional law passed that required hardwired 110-volt smoke detectors.

In compliance with the law, if it is a 1974 model or newer it has to have a 110-volt

Hard wired smoke detector, 1973 and older can be battery operated.

Oct 7, 1973, all 1974 models and newer are to supposed to have aluminum wiring eliminated. If it has, aluminum wiring in it then pigtails have to be put on that would stop the problem of heat and spark related type problems that do cause fires in aluminum wiring homes.

June 15, 1976, was passed on a federal level.   Actually passed in 1974 but took effect 1976.  The federal HUD label signifies that California and all other states in the nation were preempted by the present federal mobile home construction safety standards act of 1974. Meaning, every state in the nation has the same law and the same code standards to manufacture mobile homes. Federal standard was based entirely upon California standards of 1971 and 1973.  You will find some 1976 models with state insignias and some with federal HUD labels.    When the federal law passed, it meant that the law now preempted all state laws and every state in the nation now was going to be building manufactured homes to the same code.  They could now move homes from state to state without having to be re-inspected by that state.

It is still prudent for a buyer to investigate any current building code standards and requirements