The six structural findings, in checklist order.

F1 is by length and by stakes the largest finding in the certification. The PFGMH establishes that a permanent foundation must transfer all dead, live, wind, and seismic loads from the manufactured home through piers and footings to the underlying soil — and that the connection between the home's steel frame and those piers must resist uplift, lateral, and shear forces under design loads.

2.1.aWhat the PE verifies in the field

• Pier count, spacing, height. PFGMH specifies maximum pier spacing along the main I-beams (typically 6′0″ or 8′0″ depending on the home's design loads); the PE measures actual spacing and verifies pier count matches the home's set-up requirements.
• Pier construction and material. Concrete block, ABS plastic, or steel piers — each has different bearing capacities and stacking limits. PFGMH allows specific configurations; jury-rigged stacks of cinder blocks generally don't pass.
• Footing dimensions and depth. Footings must extend below the local frost line and bear on undisturbed soil with adequate bearing capacity. PE verifies dimensions where visible; soil bearing is assessed against the regional soil-bearing assumption stated in the PFGMH default tables.
• Pier-to-frame contact. Each pier must make positive contact with the home's main I-beam through an appropriately sized cap plate. Crushed or missing cap plates, gaps, or shims indicate movement.
• Anchoring system. Ground anchors (helical or driven) per PFGMH spacing and strap configuration. PE verifies anchor type, embedment depth where evident, strap angles, and strap-to-frame attachment.

2.1.bMost common F1 failures

• Insufficient pier count. Pier spacing exceeded PFGMH maximum — usually because piers settled or were never installed at corner and intermediate locations.
• Pier-to-frame gap. Visible gap between pier cap and I-beam, indicating either settlement of the pier or upward movement of the home (typically wind events on under-anchored homes).
• Strap geometry. Ground anchor straps installed at angles outside PFGMH's allowed range — usually because the original installer guessed.
• Footing on disturbed soil. Pier set on fill that wasn't compacted, or directly on grass with no footing. Recoverable by adding properly bedded footings.

2.1.cRemediation path

F1 failures are usually fixable by a manufactured-home installer or qualified general contractor. Add piers, replace cap plates, re-set ground anchors, add footings. Re-inspection after remediation is billed at $185 if the original field visit was within 90 days.

F2 confirms that the home's utility connections are permanent rather than temporary — and that each utility is properly terminated at the home and the site. The underlying logic is consistent with F1: a "permanent" foundation requires permanent utility infrastructure as well.

2.2.aWhat the PE verifies

• Electrical service entrance. Service drop or underground entrance to a permanent meter base; meter base properly grounded; service panel inside or appropriately mounted on the exterior; no temporary distribution boxes.
• Water connection. Hard-piped to municipal supply or to an on-site well casing; copper, PEX, or PVC as appropriate to the climate zone. Garden-hose connections, even buried, are not permanent.
• Sewer connection. Hard-piped to municipal sewer or septic tank inlet; no above-grade flex hose; appropriate slope and cleanout access where visible.
• Gas service if applicable. Hard pipe from meter to home, sediment trap, shutoff at exterior, proper venting for combustion appliances.
• HVAC connections. Condenser pad, electrical disconnect within sight, refrigerant lines properly terminated, duct connections sealed to the home.

2.2.bMost common F2 failures

• Garden-hose water supply. Especially on homes that have been in place for years without a hard-piped replacement.
• Above-grade flex sewer hose. Common when a septic tie-in was deferred during install and never completed.
• Temporary electrical via extension cord run from a separate structure. Almost always indicates the home was set without a permanent service connection.
• Missing HVAC pad or unsecured condenser. Condensers sitting on dirt or on uneven blocks are flagged.

The HUD data plate is the interior label installed at the factory before the home leaves the production line. It carries the home's serial number, manufacturer name and plant location, model designation, date of manufacture, wind zone (I, II, or III), roof load zone (North, Middle, or South), and the home's design loads.

2.3.aWhere the data plate lives

• Interior of master bedroom closet door — the most common location.
• Inside an upper kitchen cabinet — second most common.
• Inside the electrical service panel — common on older units.
• Sometimes on the rear of the water-heater closet door — varies by manufacturer.

2.3.bWhat the PE verifies

The PE locates the data plate, photographs it in full, transcribes the serial number and the design loads into the report's cover sheet, and confirms the wind and roof zones are appropriate for the home's installation location. If the home is installed in a wind zone more severe than its plate-rated zone, the certification cannot be issued for FHA — the home is in a zone its design loads weren't engineered for.

2.3.cMissing data plate

If the data plate is missing, illegible, or painted over, the resolution path is a Letter of Plate Verification (LOPV) from the original manufacturer (or its successor entity, since many original manufacturers have consolidated). The LOPV re-issues the data-plate content based on factory build records using the home's exterior certification label number. This usually adds 1–3 weeks to the timeline. Full process detail on the Data Plate page.

The HUD certification label — commonly called the "red label" — is the exterior metal placard installed on each transportable section of the home at the factory, certifying that the section meets the HUD Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards (HUD Code) in effect at the date of manufacture.

2.4.aWhere the cert labels live

• Single-section home: one red label, typically on the rear-corner exterior wall, roughly four feet above grade.
• Double-section (double-wide): two red labels, one on each section's rear-corner exterior wall.
• Triple- or quad-section units: one label per section.

2.4.bWhat the PE verifies

The PE photographs each label in full, transcribes the label number(s) into the cover sheet, and confirms count matches the home's section count. Missing labels are a more serious problem than missing data plates because the cert label is the home's HUD-code-compliance evidence — without it, FHA's eligibility is at question.

2.4.cMissing cert label

The resolution path is more complex than a missing data plate. The label can sometimes be re-issued through the Institute for Building Technology and Safety (IBTS), which administers HUD's manufactured-housing labeling program, if the home's factory records can be reconstructed. This can add 2–6 weeks, and resolution is not guaranteed — older homes with no remaining factory records may not be eligible. Full process on the Data Plate page.

F5 captures the site conditions that affect the home's structural integrity over time: drainage away from the unit, perimeter skirting, vapor barrier on the ground beneath the home, and crawl space access for future inspection. This is where local-jurisdiction quirks most often surface.

2.5.aWhat the PE verifies

• Site grading. The ground slopes away from the home perimeter so water does not pond against the skirting or against the piers. Six inches of fall in the first ten feet is the standard target; less is conditionally acceptable on dry sites.
• Drainage. No standing water under the home; gutters and downspouts (if installed) direct water away from the foundation; site drainage swales where appropriate.
• Perimeter skirting. Continuous around the home perimeter, ventilated per PFGMH, made of durable materials (vinyl, hardboard, masonry — not bare plywood or sheet metal that will rust).
• Vapor barrier. A polyethylene sheet (6-mil minimum, typically) covering the ground inside the skirting perimeter to limit moisture migration into the crawl space.
• Access opening. A removable skirting panel allowing future inspection access — the PE has to be able to get under the home, and so does the next inspector.

2.5.bMost common F5 failures

• Drainage toward the home rather than away. Common when the home was set in a low spot or after grade changes upstream.
• Incomplete skirting. A panel missing or never installed, leaving a hole in the perimeter enclosure.
• Torn or missing vapor barrier. Animal damage, sun degradation on the exposed edges, or just never installed.
• No access opening. Often present but located behind a deck or under a porch.

F6 is conceptually the simplest finding and the most often debated. PFGMH § 3.5 requires that the running gear (axles, wheels, tires, hitch assembly) be removed from the home as part of the permanent-foundation conversion — or, at minimum, stored off-site rather than under or alongside the home.

2.6.aWhy it matters

The logic is that a "permanent" foundation cannot have ready means of re-mobilizing the unit. If the axles and wheels are still in place, the home can theoretically be towed. HUD's view is that's inconsistent with permanence. The PFGMH wording requires "removal" but most underwriters will accept documentation that the running gear has been transported off-site.

2.6.bWhat the PE verifies

• No axles or wheels visible under the home or on the lot.
• No hitch assembly attached to the home's frame. Hitches are sometimes welded on; documentation of removal or storage required.
• If retained for storage, photo documentation of the components at an off-site location, or in a clearly bounded storage area separate from the home.

2.6.cMost common F6 failures

• Wheels stored under the home — sometimes for replacement parts — visible during inspection.
• Hitch still attached to the frame, even if the wheels are gone. Hitches must be removed or photo-documented as removed.
• Axles propped against the rear of the home. Common in rural placements; resolves by relocating to off-site storage.