HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 5164        FILED ON: 6/2/2022

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 4913

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_________________

PRESENTED BY:

Sally P. Kerans and Joan B. Lovely

_________________

To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act relative to the inspection and certification of modular homes.

_______________

PETITION OF:

HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 5164        FILED ON: 6/2/2022

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 4913

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_______________

In the One Hundred and Ninety-Second General Court
(2021-2022)

_______________

An Act relative to the inspection and certification of modular homes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

SECTION 1.  Chapter 143 of the General Laws is hereby amended by adding the following new section:-

Section xx.  (a) For the purposes of this section, the following words shall, unless the context clearly requires otherwise, have the following meanings:

“Modular home”, a single or multiple, single family residential manufactured building.

“Modular Homes Dealer”, any individual, organization or firm engaged in the retail selling, or offering for sale, brokering, or distribution of modular homes, primarily to a person who in good faith, purchases or leases such home for purposes other than resale. Such individual, organization or firm shall be registered with the board of building regulations and standards in accordance with policies established therefore.

(b) Any modular home or components thereof which arrives for installation to the purchaser’s property from the manufacturer with a pre-affixed label indicating “inspected” or “approved” or otherwise certified by the manufacturer to be of sound construction and conforming to all requirements of the Massachusetts State Building Code shall have been inspected by a qualified building inspection professional who has been licensed in the commonwealth through the division of occupational licensure, having completed all the requirements of said license in the commonwealth, whether employed or retained by the manufacturer or by a third-party inspection agency licensed to operate in the commonwealth.

(c) All such products shall arrive for installation with the name and Massachusetts license number of the inspector retained by or employed by the manufacturer or third-party inspection agency and who approved said product clearly written on the certificate of inspection and shall be clearly visible to the purchaser of the product and to the local building inspector, as defined in section 3.

(d) Photographs shall be taken of all plumbing and electrical work during the manufacturing process in the factory showing that the home is built to Massachusetts building code and is acceptable to the local building inspector. These photographs shall be made available for inspection prior to the issuance of a certificate of occupancy by the local building inspector.

(e) If a certificate of occupancy is not granted after 30 days, the modular home shall be considered property of the modular homes dealer for tax assessment purposes.