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Step-by-Step Checklist for Moving a Mobile Home in North Carolina

Updated 2026-10-28. Last verified against the sources below: October 28, 2026. General information, not legal advice; rules and fees change, so it may be out of date. The issuing office's current rules control.

Use this from the day you decide to move until the power comes back on. It works for any NC county; your county's setup permit office may add steps.

1. Before you commit (4-8 weeks out)

• Confirm the new lot allows a manufactured home: call the zoning office of the town or county it's moving to. Many places restrict older or single-wide homes.
• Get 2-3 written quotes from licensed set-up contractors; check each license is Active^search.
• Ask whether an older home needs repairs, axles or tires to travel; costs rise for homes needing reinforcement^HomeGuide.
• Start septic or well permits with the county environmental health office if the lot isn't on public utilities.

2. Permits (2-4 weeks out)

• Tax moving permit from the tax collector of the county the home is leaving; pay any taxes owed, possibly including this year's as a prepayment^{105-316.2105-316.3}. How.
• Zoning and setup (building) permit in the destination jurisdiction, usually pulled by your set-up contractor^160D-1110. How to find the office.
• NCDOT oversize permit: your transporter applies online through PIMS or uses its annual permit^NCDOT. 16 ft homes may also need a route survey^ST-1.

3. Teardown (move week)

• Utilities disconnected by the providers; schedule reconnects at the new site.
• Steps, decks, porches and skirting removed (save skirting panels); tie-downs released; sections split at the marriage line on multi-section homes.
• Doors and windows secured; heavy or loose contents removed or braced.
• Tax permit displayed near the rear license tag^105-316.1.

4. Transport day

• Escorts as the permit requires; banners, flags and amber lights; bill of lading in the truck^ST-1.
• Expect weather holds: no moves when visibility is under 500 ft, and homes over 10 ft wide can't move in wind gusts over 25 mph^{02D .0607}.
• No moves from noon the weekday before to noon the weekday after July 4, Thanksgiving and Christmas^{02D .0607}.

5. Setup

• Set up to the manufacturer's installation manual or the NC Regulations for Manufactured Homes: footings, piers, anchors, marriage line, underpinning^code.
• Licensed electrician, plumber and HVAC contractor for hookups as the permit requires^143-143.11.

6. Inspection and power

Counties publish their own lists. Catawba County's is a good example of what inspectors look for^example:

• Permit card posted; setup manual on site for new homes.
• Crawlspace accessible at every tie-down (a skirting panel off at each).
• Property lines marked for setbacks.
• Steps or landings at all exits, with handrails where required.
• Water and sewer connected; exposed water lines insulated.
• Dryer vent ending outside the skirting.

Power is released after the inspection passes. Some counties also need the septic sign-off first.

Sources

1. Manufactured Building Division Licensee Search (License Type: Setup Contractor, Status: Active). https://apps.ncdoi.net/f?p=119:40
2. HomeGuide, How much does it cost to move a mobile home? (2026). https://homeguide.com/costs/cost-to-move-a-mobile-home
3. N.C. Gen. Stat. 105-316.2, requirements for obtaining permit. https://www.ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/PDF/BySection/Chapter_105/GS_105-316.2.pdf
4. N.C. Gen. Stat. 105-316.3, issuance of permits (without charge; current-year taxes as prepayment). https://www.ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/PDF/BySection/Chapter_105/GS_105-316.3.pdf
5. N.C. Gen. Stat. 160D-1110, building permits (required before moving a building to another site). https://www.ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/PDF/BySection/Chapter_160D/GS_160D-1110.pdf
6. NCDOT, Oversize/Overweight Permits (Permit Unit page: PIMS online system, fax no longer accepted, annual MH forms). https://connect.ncdot.gov/business/trucking/pages/overpermits.aspx
7. NCDOT Oversize/Overweight Permit Unit, Single Trip Permit Publication ST-1 (Rev. 11/19). https://connect.ncdot.gov/business/trucking/Documents/Single%20Trip%20Publication%20(ST-1).pdf
8. N.C. Gen. Stat. 105-316.1, tax permit required to move mobile home. https://www.ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/PDF/BySection/Chapter_105/GS_105-316.1.pdf
9. 19A NCAC 02D .0607, Manufactured homes, modular units and office trailers (travel hours, holidays, weather, speed). https://www.law.cornell.edu/regulations/north-carolina/19A-N-C-Admin-Code-02D-0607
10. NC OSFM, State of NC Regulations for Manufactured Homes, 2019 ed. (rev. 3-2023). https://www.ncosfm.gov/manufactured-homes/state-nc-regs-mfg-homes-2nd-printing-2019-ed-revised-3-2023pdf
11. N.C. Gen. Stat. 143-143.11, license required; licenses expire June 30 each year. https://www.ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/PDF/BySection/Chapter_143/GS_143-143.11.pdf
12. Catawba County, Information Sheet for Manufactured Home Inspections (example county checklist). https://www.catawbacountync.gov/building/_pdfs/manuf.pdf

Sources checked October 28, 2026. Rules change; confirm with the office named before you move.