Senators Gallego and Tillis Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Remove Permanent Chassis Requirement for Manufactured Housing
Jul 28, 2025
By Libby O’Neill, NLIHC Senior Policy Analyst
Senators Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) and Thom Tillis (R-NC) introduced the “Housing Supply Expansion Act of 2025” (S. 2414) on July 23, which would remove a HUD requirement that manufactured homes be constructed with a permanent chassis “to assure the initial and continued transportability of the home.” A chassis is a steel frame at the foundation of a manufactured home that allows the home to be transported, but manufactured homes are rarely moved after they are attached to the land. The bill would amend language in the “National Manufactured Housing Construction and Safety Standards Act of 1974” to make the permanent chassis optional. NLIHC has endorsed the bill.
Manufactured homes are an essential source of affordable housing, especially in rural areas. In removing the requirement for a permanent chassis on manufactured homes, the bill would further reduce cost and expand design and location possibilities for manufactured housing. Our nation is facing a housing supply shortage for both renters and homeowners with the lowest incomes, and this common-sense reform is an important piece of addressing this crisis.
In some communities, additional reforms are needed to expand location options for manufactured housing. Local zoning codes may ban manufactured housing in certain areas, and other regulations such as minimum lot size and density rules may preclude smaller homes. These laws restrict where manufactured housing can be sited, limiting possibilities for homebuyers, many of whom have lower incomes. According to American Housing Survey data reported by the National Association of Home Builders, the median income for a manufactured homeowner household was $41,500 compared to $93,000 for owners of site-built homes.
Renters with the lowest incomes continue to have the most severe housing needs, as shown in NLIHC’s The Gap Report. NLIHC will continue to push Congress to fully fund and expand housing programs that assist renters with the greatest needs.
Read Senator Gallego’s press release here.
Read the bill text here.