A home that meets HUD-Code standards and has the red HUD-tag attached to it has one big advantage: it can be installed anywhere in the country where local zoning codes allow manufactured homes. The county or municipal building department has only limited jurisdiction over how the home is installed at the site. It cannot inflict any additional requirements on how the home is built.

     But, to get that HUD-tag, a home has to be designed and manufactured from the ground-up to meet an extensive list of HUD-standards, including a permanent steel chassis, ability to transported on their own wheels, and compliance with numerous life-safety and livability standards. There are no provisions in the HUD-Code (Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards, 24 CFR, Part 3280) for retrofitting an existing structure like a shipping container to meet the standards.

    So the answer is sorry, but no. A shipping container converted to a house would be subject to local building codes. Also, see our blog posts Where can I buy a new mobile home that is only a shell, so I can finish the interior myself? and Can you move an older mobile home in Florida? 

    And our HUD-CODE FOR MOBILE HOMES page has a listing of other HUD-code articles.

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Here’s links to a collection of our blog posts about MOBILE/MANUFACTURED HOMES:

• Where can I file a complaint if I have problems with my new or used manufactured/mobile home in Florida?

• What are the most common defects in mobile/manufactured home foundation piers?

• How do I determine the age of a very old mobile home?

• What is a "HUD label verification letter" for a mobile/manufactured home?  

• When did a ground cover vapor barrier (plastic sheet) become required under a mobile/manufactured home? 

• Is it safe to go under a mobile home? 

• Are older mobile homes unsafe? 

• What do I need to know about buying a foreclosed mobile home? 

• Does it make sense to buy an older mobile home and remodel it? 

• Where do I find the vehicle identification number (VIN) on a mobile home? 

• What size air conditioner is right for my mobile home? 

• Can you move an older mobile home in Florida? 

• What's the differences between a trailer, a mobile home, a manufactured home, and a modular home? 

• What can I do to prevent dampness and mold in my mobile home? 

• How can I tell if a mobile home is well constructed?

• How can I tell the difference between a manufactured home and a modular home?

       Visit our MOBILE/MANUFACTURED HOMES  page for other related blog posts on this subject, or go to the INDEX for a complete listing of all our articles.