What is the difference between a modular home and a manufactured home?

Both are built in a factory. A manufactured home, usually one story, is 90% to 100% completed in the factory and transported in one or two sections to the site; it is built to the federal HUD Code and carries a HUD seal. A modular home is built in components, assembled on the owner's property by a specialized builder, can be one or two stories, and meets state and local agency approval like a site-built home.

Who can sell and install a manufactured home in Delaware?

In Delaware all manufactured homes are sold by a licensed retailer. Once the home is delivered to its site it is installed by a certified installer, who also completes the finishing work on the home.

Associations

First State Manufactured Housing Association

First State Manufactured Housing Association is the Delaware trade association for the factory-built housing industry. It describes itself as the legislative, regulatory, and educational voice of that industry in Delaware for over 20 years, and counts both HUD Code home manufacturers and modular manufacturers among its members.

Its stated mission is to maintain and enhance the climate for sound growth of the manufactured housing market in Delaware and to serve as a primary resource on current and future business issues facing the industry, with progress pursued through the exchange of information, education, and promotion of quality-of-life issues.

The association publishes the industry-facing material owners need most: links to Title 25 of the Delaware Code (Chapters 70, 71, and 57), the Manufactured Homes and Manufactured Home Communities Act, and the Delaware Department of Justice summary of that Act revised in September 2025. Separate sections serve homebuyers and industry members, and a volunteer board of directors is listed publicly. Its office at 1675 S. State Street in Dover is described as near the state legislature and key state agencies.

Membership categories and dues are not published on the site; contact the office for terms.

Best for

Delaware manufactured home community owners, retailers, installers, lenders, and manufacturers who need state statute and regulatory updates, and homebuyers looking for background on manufactured and modular homes.

What they do

Legislative and regulatory representation in Delaware
Industry education for factory-built housing businesses
Delaware Manufactured Homes and Manufactured Home Communities Act resources
Consumer information on manufactured and modular homes
Membership for HUD Code and modular home manufacturers

Details

Attribute	Value
Ownership	Nonprofit

What stands out

Has been the legislative, regulatory, and educational voice of Delaware's factory-built housing industry for over 20 years.
Publishes links to Title 25 of the Delaware Code (Chapters 70, 71, and 57) and the Department of Justice summary of the Manufactured Homes and Manufactured Home Communities Act revised in September 2025.
Offices at 1675 S. State Street in Dover, which the association describes as near the state legislature and key state agencies.

Common questions

What is the difference between a modular home and a manufactured home?: Both are built in a factory. A manufactured home, usually one story, is 90% to 100% completed in the factory and transported in one or two sections to the site; it is built to the federal HUD Code and carries a HUD seal. A modular home is built in components, assembled on the owner's property by a specialized builder, can be one or two stories, and meets state and local agency approval like a site-built home.
Who can sell and install a manufactured home in Delaware?: In Delaware all manufactured homes are sold by a licensed retailer. Once the home is delivered to its site it is installed by a certified installer, who also completes the finishing work on the home.