Industry leaders say zoning, local placement rules limit manufactured homes; chassis removal could ease siting

Dr. Leslie Gu told the panel that local exclusionary zoning and negative perceptions are the primary obstacles to wider placement of HUD‑code manufactured homes, despite federal standards. She argued that the HUD label sometimes operates like a stigma at the local level and that state and local policymakers must see modern HUD‑code models to change attitudes.

Gu described a statutory change she said Congress approved removing the requirement that a manufactured home be built on a permanent chassis, and she urged HUD and its Office of Policy Development and Research to help local leaders understand new design options. "Now that the chassis removal language has been approved by Congress, we really believe that localities around the country will embrace us and welcome us," she said, highlighting duplexes and accessible design updates that she said were enabled by recent HUD code updates.