A Pro-Tech Specialty
Manufactured Home Structural Engineer Inspections
Buying, selling, or refinancing a manufactured home with an FHA, VA, USDA, or many conventional loans usually requires more than a standard home inspection. Lenders need a site-specific structural certification that the home is on a permanent foundation and that loads are transferred safely to the ground.
In our markets, some lenders also require the same engineer review for additions - decks, steps, porches, garages, sunrooms, and other attached structures. Others only ask for the foundation itself. We document what is on site so the report matches what your underwriter actually wants.
Coverage, Pricing and Scheduling
Pro-Tech Home Inspection Services provides manufactured home structural engineering inspections and certifications in North Dakota, Minnesota, and eastern South Dakota. Core coverage includes the Red River Valley, Fargo-Moorhead and lakes country. In eastern South Dakota we provide this certification only - the professional engineer we partner with is licensed in South Dakota, and we generally take SD files that sit within a couple of hours of us. We do not perform standard home inspections in South Dakota. Travel farther in ND, MN, or SD is considered case by case. Certifications start at $550; a travel fee may apply depending on distance. Additions can often be included in the same visit. If you would like a standard home inspection as well, ask about bundling these services for a discount. Use the Request Certification button on this page to get started.
What Is a Manufactured Home Structural Engineer Inspection?
It is an on-site evaluation of the foundation, piers, footings, anchorage, marriage line (on multi-section homes), crawl space, and - when required - attached additions. The purpose is to document whether the installation meets HUD's definition of a permanent foundation so the home can be treated as real property for mortgage insurance, and whether added structures are supported without compromising the home.
The governing technical reference is HUD's Permanent Foundations Guide for Manufactured Housing (PFGMH), September 1996 (Handbook 4930.3 / HUD-007487). That guide defines a permanent foundation as site-built of durable materials (concrete, mortared masonry, or treated wood), with attachment points that anchor and stabilize the home and transfer dead, live, wind, and seismic loads to the soil or rock. Screw-in soil anchors alone are not considered permanent anchorage. Footings must be sized for soil bearing capacity and placed below frost depth.
Lenders and HUD 4000.1 generally require the certification to be signed and sealed by a professional engineer or registered architect licensed in the state where the home sits.
Who Needs This Service?
• Buyers using FHA, VA, USDA, or conventional financing on a manufactured home • Sellers or listing agents who want the file ready before underwriting • Refinance or cash-out borrowers (prior certifications usually do not transfer) • Owners converting a manufactured home from personal property to real property • Anyone asked for a "HUD engineering letter," "PFGMH cert," "foundation certification," or "manufactured home structural report" • Files where the lender wants decks, stairs, landings, porches, garages, or other additions reviewed with the foundation
What We Inspect - Foundation and Home (Core PFGMH Items)
• HUD data plate and Certification Label(s) when accessible • Foundation type, materials, and permanence (not vinyl skirting alone) • Pier type, spacing, height, and condition along I-beams, marriage line, perimeter, and ends • Footings relative to frost depth and soil support • Anchorage and tie-down path for wind and seismic loads • Marriage-line connections on multi-section units • Removal of hitch, axles, and running gear • Crawl-space access, ventilation or conditioning, vapor barrier, and drainage • Site grade and all-weather access
What We Inspect - Additions and Attached Structures
When present, or when the lender requires them: • Decks, landings, and exterior steps - support, attachment to the home or independent footings, and load path • Covered porches and entry roofs • Attached or site-built garages and carports • Sunrooms, bump-outs, or other add-ons that bear on or fasten to the manufactured home • Whether the addition is independently supported or relies on the home's frame in a way that needs engineering judgment
If the foundation or an addition does not meet the criteria the lender is using, the report can identify the deficiencies and the typical path to compliance so the loan can proceed after repair and re-inspection.
Do All Lenders Require Additions to Be Certified?
No. In our area it depends on the investor, the loan program, and sometimes the appraiser's comments. Some files close with a foundation-only PFGMH letter. Others will not clear until decks, stairs, or a garage are addressed. Tell us what the lender or title company requested and we will scope the visit so you are not paying for items they did not ask for - or missing the one item that would stall closing. Most of the time we can document what we need on-site and send an updated report with additions should the underwriting team ask for it at the 11th hour.
Why This Is Separate From a Regular Home Inspection
A standard home inspection looks at visible systems and condition for the buyer. A manufactured home structural / PFGMH inspection answers a narrower underwriting question: is this home permanently supported and anchored per HUD's 1996 Permanent Foundations Guide - and are any attached additions acceptable for this loan? Many files need both.
Service Area and Next Step
We regularly serve manufactured homes across North Dakota and Minnesota. In eastern South Dakota we handle the structural certification through our partner engineer, who is licensed in that state, for properties within roughly a two-hour drive - South Dakota coverage is limited to this certification, not standard home inspections. Jobs outside that usual footprint in any of the three states are reviewed case by case for travel time and fee.
Schedule early in the option period - engineer-stamped reports, especially those that include additions, are often the item that delays closing if they are ordered late.
How to Request a Certification
Use the Request Certification button on this page, or contact Pro-Tech Home Inspection Services to book. Please note on your request: 1. Whether the lender asked for foundation only, or foundation plus additions 2. The property city and state, so we can confirm coverage and any travel fee
Order a Certification
Certifications start at $550; a travel fee may apply depending on distance. Tell us whether your lender asked for the foundation only or the foundation plus additions, and the property city and state.
Requests are handled through our verified Mfd. Home Engineering Certifications listing. Prefer to talk it through first? Call (218) 332-7222.
Every Service Includes
- Detailed report via online portal
- Fast report delivery
- No third-party upsells in your report
- Photos & plain-English explanations
- Direct follow-up with your inspector