Ohio Department of Commerce — Manufactured Homes Program
License verification guide · Last reviewed September 2026 · By the OhioLicenseCheck.com team
Ohio’s Manufactured Homes Program, under the Department of Commerce, licenses the dealers who sell manufactured homes and the installers who set them. Buyers and park operators use these records to keep a major purchase from going wrong.
License types under this board
- Manufactured Home Dealer
- Manufactured Home Installer
About this board
A manufactured home is many families’ largest purchase, and Ohio regulates both ends of the transaction: dealers must be licensed to sell, and installation — the foundation work, anchoring, and utility connections that make the home safe — must be performed by licensed installers and inspected. Improper installation is the source of a large share of manufactured-housing problems, which is why installer licensing exists.
Community (park) operators also interact with this program: homes moving into a community need properly licensed installation, and operators frequently maintain lists of verified installers for residents.
Dept of Commerce Manufactured Homes by the numbers
These figures are ours, not the board's — we computed them from the full State of Ohio licence file so you can see this board in context rather than one record at a time. Data as of September 2026.
2,411
licences on record
22.9%
currently active
0.08%
carry a board action
98.4%
licensed on first application
Only 22.9% of the 2,411 licences this board has on record are currently active — the other 77.1% belong to people who retired, moved, changed careers, or simply let a credential lapse. That gap is the single best reason to verify a licence rather than assume a name in a database means somebody may practise today.
Most common licence types
| Licence type | On record |
|---|---|
| Manufactured Home Sales Person | 1,469 |
| Installer | 651 |
| Inspector | 291 |
When a licence from this board is not active, the most common reason recorded is lapsed (658 records), followed by suspended (512). Our status dictionary explains what each label actually means.
0.08% of this board's licences carry a recorded board action (2 of 2,411), against about 1.6% across all Ohio professions. A board action covers everything from an administrative consent agreement to revocation, and it is cumulative over a licence's whole life — see how we measured that before reading much into it.
Computed by OhioLicenseCheck from the State of Ohio eLicense dataset (issued licences only; application records excluded). Refreshed daily.
Who verifies these licenses?
- •Home buyers confirming a dealer’s license before signing
- •Manufactured-home community operators vetting installers
- •Lenders financing manufactured-home purchases
- •County officials processing installation permits
Verification tips
- Verify the dealer before deposit — unlicensed sales leave buyers with little recourse.
- Installation is separately licensed; a dealer’s license does not itself authorize installation work.
- Keep records of the installer’s license and final inspection with your home documents.
Renewals and expiration
Dealer and installer licenses renew on regular cycles set by the Department of Commerce. Dealers managing multiple locations and installers working across counties both benefit from tracking renewal dates centrally.
Frequently asked questions
Why does installer licensing matter so much?
Because most serious manufactured-home defects trace to improper installation — anchoring, leveling, and utility connections. The licensed-installer requirement puts a qualified, accountable professional on that work.
Is a mobile home the same as a manufactured home?
Homes built after the 1976 federal HUD code are "manufactured homes"; older units are "mobile homes". Ohio’s program covers the modern manufactured-home market, including dealers and installers.
Want to earn this license?
Our career guide: Manufactured Housing Careers in Ohio (Dealer & Installer) covers the education path, exams, typical pay, and Ohio schools.
Verify a MFH license now
Search the official state record for any Ohio Department of Commerce — Manufactured Homes Program credential — status, expiration date, and disciplinary flags in seconds. Free for individual lookups.
Run a Free License CheckSources: license data is retrieved from the official State of Ohio eLicense system (elicense.ohio.gov) and board information is published by the board at com.ohio.gov. Renewal rules and fees change; always confirm current requirements with the board. This guide is general information, not legal advice.