COVID-19 Impact on Business Operations

The Manufactured Housing & Building Division continues to operate without interruption during the pandemic. Manufacturing and construction are deemed essential business and operations continue with minimal modification.

Plant inspections continue to be performed on a daily basis, however inspector presence during those inspections has reduced in an effort to practice social distancing measures. Installation inspections are not impacted as homes and buildings continue to be installed and inspected as required. As for licensing, permitting and plan review, requests for service remain a priority are being processed as complete submittals are received by the Department. The Department continues to provide expeditious service while adapting to the impact of the coronavirus and the recommended safety precautions.

As we move forward and push through this pandemic, highly critical projects continue to be evaluated and monitored by the Manufactured Housing & Building Division. A sample of some recent factory built building plan approvals include projects for the Douglas Border Wall, Valley Metro, Lucid Motors, George Washington Academy and the Tucson Airport Authority.

Manufactured Housing & Building Division Initiatives

Progress has been made with the Department’s initiative in updating rules pertaining to the Manufactured Housing & Building Division. The Governor’s Regulatory Review Council (GRRC) approved a proposed rule package on July 7, 2020. The newly approved rules will go into effect on August 5, 2020. A draft of the rule changes is posted on the Department’s website. 

An installation process review is underway as the Department intends to draft standardized installation practices. These practices and procedures will be shared among the installation industry, to include installers and inspectors, in an effort to apply as much uniformity as possible while installing mobile homes, manufactured homes and factory built buildings.

In April 2020, the Board of Manufactured Housing reviewed the fee schedule and opted not to make any changes to existing fee rates for licensing, permitting, plan review, inspections and insignia. The fee schedule for fiscal year 2021 is posted on the Department’s website.

Housing Matters | Summer 2020