The HUD Tag: How to Verify a Manufactured Home Before You Buy It

This guide shows you how to check, on site, that a used manufactured home was built to the federal HUD Code. You will know where to find its two labels, what each one should show, and what to do, pay and wait for if one is missing.

It matters because a home without its labels is not eligible for FHA financing until a lender accepts a substitute. That can slow or block a loan for the person who buys it from you later.

This is general information, not legal or financing advice. Rules and lender requirements vary by state and by lender.

Two labels, not one

People say "the HUD tag" as if there were one. There are two, and the federal rules treat them as separate requirements.

• The data plate is a paper sheet inside the home. It is required by 24 CFR 3280.5 (current federal regulation, nationwide).
• The certification label is a small metal plate on the outside. It is required by 24 CFR 3280.11, which says it "shall be separate and distinct from the data plate."

A home made of more than one section has a certification label on each section.

Where to find the data plate (inside)

The regulation says the data plate must be fixed "near the main electrical panel or other readily accessible and visible location" (24 CFR 3280.5; wording also summarized by Inspectapedia). So start at the electrical panel. If it is not there, open the cabinets and closets near it.

What it shows:

• The manufacturer
• The serial number
• The HUD certification label numbers for each section
• The roof load zone and wind zone the home was built for, with copies of the zone maps (24 CFR 3280.5)

The thermal (insulation) zone is on a separate heating and cooling certificate. The rule lets a manufacturer combine that certificate with the data plate, so on some homes you will find it on the data plate and on others as a separate sheet (24 CFR 3280.5).

Where to find the certification label (outside)

Go to the back of the home, the end where the tail lights were when it was towed. The label is "located at the taillight end of each transportable section... approximately 1 ft up from the floor and 1 ft in from the road side, or as near that location... as practicable" (HUD knowledge base, KA-04978; 24 CFR 3280.11).

What it looks like: an etched aluminum plate about 2 by 4 inches, held on with rivets or drive screws (24 CFR 3280.11). A paper or vinyl sticker from a dealer or a state is not the HUD label.

The on-site checklist

Take a clear photo of every label and of the data plate. You will need the numbers for the title check, for a lender and for your own records. For the rest of the inspection, see the property filter in The Flipper's Filter.

Can you buy or resell a home with a missing label?

It depends on your state and on how the buyer pays. Some states have their own rules on labels, insignia and titles, so ask your state's manufactured housing agency before you buy.

The bigger problem is financing:

• FHA loans. Without its labels, the home is not eligible for FHA financing until a substitute the lender accepts is in the file.
• Fannie Mae loans. For an existing home, Fannie Mae's Selling Guide, B2-3-02 (section dated February 4, 2026) asks for photos of either the data plate or the certification label(s). If both are missing, it accepts replacement documents such as those from IBTS below. If none can be obtained, the loan is not eligible.
• Each lender can add stricter rules of its own.

So a missing label does not have to mean a cash-only sale. But it adds a cost, a wait and a risk that the buyer's loan falls through. Why financing hinges on this is covered in Key Differences Beginners Must Know About Mobile Homes.

Some states have their own insignia programs. They are not a way around a missing HUD label. California's housing agency says HUD told states that replacing a lost HUD label with a state insignia to qualify for FHA financing is not permitted (California HCD, current guidance).

If a label is missing: what you can get instead

HUD does not reissue lost or missing labels. It issues a Letter of Label Verification instead (HUD, Manufactured Home Labels). Requests go to the Institute for Building Technology and Safety (IBTS), HUD's contractor, not to HUD. You can order from IBTS directly.

There are two documents, one for each label:

• Label Verification Letter, for a missing or unreadable exterior label. It confirms the information that was on the certification label. It does not include wind, roof load or thermal zone information (IBTS).
• Data Plate/Performance Certificate, for a missing interior data plate. If a copy of the original data plate is not available, IBTS issues a substitute Performance Verification Certificate based on where the home was first shipped (IBTS).

Fees, as listed on the IBTS order form (Form 2022 v2, checked September 29, 2026; IBTS serves homes nationwide):

Each price includes a $50 research fee that IBTS keeps if the home was not reported to it or you gave too little information (IBTS order form). One paper order must be all Regular or all Urgent. The form says faster tiers are not available on paper; ask IBTS about ordering online, and about current prices and wait times, before you order. Older copies of the form found online show lower prices. Give IBTS the certification label number if you have it.

IBTS has no service for modular homes, tiny homes, park model homes, RVs, or homes built before June 15, 1976 (IBTS order form).

The one date that matters: June 15, 1976

HUD's rules for enforcing the HUD Code, 24 CFR Part 3282, apply to manufactured homes that entered the first stage of production on or after June 15, 1976 (24 CFR 3282.8). For the used homes covered by that rule, look for both labels before you buy.

Section 3282.8 still cross-references 24 CFR 3282.205(d) for a historical transition case. The current text of section 3282.205(d) does not state that transition rule, so do not use that cross-reference to decide whether an older home qualifies. For a pre-June 15, 1976 home, ask the state manufactured-housing agency and any lender which records it requires.

IBTS does not verify homes built before June 15, 1976. So for a pre-1976 home with no label, the IBTS route described above is not available. Ask your state's manufactured housing agency and any lender what records, if any, they accept for such a home.

Worked example (hypothetical)

This is an invented example to show the steps and the arithmetic. It is not a real home or deal.

You are looking at a single-section home. The exterior certification label is readable. The data plate inside is gone. Your buyer will likely need a loan, and the lender wants a data plate or a replacement document in the file, so you want it before closing.

1. Photograph the exterior label and write down its number.
2. Order a Data Plate/Performance Certificate from IBTS.
3. Choose a tier, using the order-form prices above (checked September 29, 2026). Regular costs $125. Urgent costs $150. So Urgent costs $25 more (150 minus 125). Ask IBTS for the current wait for each tier when you order, and do not assume a date until they give you one.
4. Put it in your offer. Ask for an inspection or financing contingency that covers the IBTS wait plus time for the lender to review the certificate.
5. Budget $125 to $150 for the document. If the number turns out to be wrong, $50 of that is a research fee you do not get back.
6. Give the certificate to the lender before closing.

If IBTS cannot supply a copy of the original plate, expect the substitute Performance Verification Certificate. Ask the lender in advance whether it accepts that.

Where this fits in your inspection

Check the labels first, before you spend time on the roof, floors and systems. If a label is missing, IBTS can issue a replacement document for a fee, but only when it can find a record of the home (HUD). A home built before June 15, 1976 is a different deal. For the basics of your first purchase, start with 5 Essential Steps Every First-Time Mobile Home Flipper Must Know.