Sell Your Mobile Home in California
In California, gather your title and registration card, then check your tax decal and park rules.
At a glance
California mobile homes at a glance
Mobile homes in California
513,758
3.5% of all homes in the state
Who titles the home
California Department of Housing and Community Development, Registration and Titling Program
State agency source
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (2020-2024).
Selling steps
How a sale works in California
Your California tax decal tells you which tax papers to get. Bring those papers, your title and registration card to the sale.
- 1
Read your tax decal
For an L decal, get county proof that taxes are paid before the sale.
- 2
Gather title and registration
Find your title and current registration card, then ask HCD which transfer papers your sale needs.
- 3
Tell the park first
Tell management before closing, and ask whether the buyer must apply for permission to live there.
- 4
Check the repair requests
Ask which repairs the park wants, since the law limits required work to certain exterior repairs.
- 5
Send the sale papers
Send HCD the signed title, registration card, transfer form, tax papers and fees for your sale.
Park or land
In a park, or on your own land
Your park's say in the buyer's tenancy differs from your home's title status. Check both before agreeing that the home can stay.
In a mobile home park
You can usually sell your California home on its park lot. The park can reject a buyer only for reasons the law allows.
- Tell management before the sale closes
- Buyer approval may be required
- Age alone cannot force a move
Read more
Tell management before closing a sale on the lot. That notice differs from the 60 days' notice required before vacating the tenancy. The law limits resale repairs to qualifying exterior work supported by specified laws or implementing park rules. Park-home sales also require a transfer disclosure statement, with legal exceptions.
Abandonment also has a formal process. Posted and mailed notices come before a court petition. A judicial declaration precedes the statutory sale or disposal of an abandoned home. Used homes taxed as local property are exempt from sales and use tax.
Approval grounds include financial ability, prior tenancy conduct and application fraud. Management's decision is due within 15 business days after all requested information arrives. For a private sale under vehicle license fees, tax uses the lower of approved-guide retail value or sale price.
On land you own
If you're selling without the land, you can send a California home request. Check county records linking the home and land.
- Foundation inspection before county recording
- Lender claims released before recording
- County records link home to land
Read more
Recording HCD 433A makes the home a fixture improvement, meaning part of the land. The enforcement agency inspects the foundation, checks release of legal owners' interests, and completes and records the form with the county recorder. Check with the titling agency about the recorded HCD 433A before arranging a separate sale.
A California home sold with its land goes through a real estate sale, generally handled by a closing attorney, title company or real estate agent. We do not forward requests that include the land. California's 513,758 mobile homes make up 3.5% of its housing units, according to the Census Bureau's 2020-2024 ACS.
The rules, with sources
California rules for selling a mobile home
Match your California title and tax decal to the sale requirements, then check the park's notice, buyer approval and repair rules.
See all California rules
| Who titles the home | California Department of Housing and Community Development, Registration and Titling Program source |
|---|---|
| Ownership document | Certificate of Title and registration card source |
| Transferring it in a private sale | Submit the released title, current registration card, Multi-Purpose Transfer Form HCD RT 476.6G, applicable tax documents and fees. sourceMoreHCD may require additional documents depending on the ownership and tax category. |
| If the title is lost | Request a duplicate using Application for Duplicate Certificate of Title HCD RT 480.4; a recorded legal owner supersedes the registered owner in requesting replacement. source |
| Tax clearance | Yes. HCD requires a county tax collector's Tax Clearance Certificate for a sale when the home's decal begins with L, indicating local property taxation. sourceMoreIts sale checklist instead requires Certification of Retail Value and Purchase Price HCD RT 476.4 for an A decal. |
| How the home is taxed | Homes first purchased new on or after July 1, 1980 are subject to local property tax. sourceMoreEarlier homes may remain under annual in-lieu license fees unless converted to local taxation or otherwise brought into that system; an approved permanent foundation is also relevant. |
| Sales tax on a used home | Resale of a used home already subject to local property tax is exempt from sales and use tax. sourceMoreIn a private-party sale of a home subject to vehicle license fees, tax applies to the approved-guide retail value or actual sale price, whichever is lower. |
| When it counts as real estate | Under Health and Safety Code Section 18551, the enforcement agency inspects the foundation installation, verifies release of legal owners' interests, and completes and records HCD 433A with the county recorder. sourceMoreRecording changes the home from personal property to a fixture improvement to the land. |
| Selling inside a park | Mobilehome Residency Law, California Civil Code Chapter 2.5; Sections 798.59, 798.73 and 798.74 Management may require prior approval, with rejection limited to statutory grounds including financial ability, prior tenancy conduct or application fraud. sourceMoreA decision is due within 15 business days after all requested information arrives. Notify management before closing an in-place sale; Section 798.59 separately requires 60 days' notice before vacating the tenancy. Section 798.73 generally protects in-place sales, with specified exceptions involving condition or age combined with failed safety standards; age alone is insufficient. |
| A home left in a park | Section 798.61 requires posted and mailed abandonment notices before a court petition. A judicial declaration precedes the statutory sale or disposal process. source |
| Moving the home | CSLB states that only C-47 General Manufactured Housing Contractors may install manufactured homes or prepare them for moving. sourceMoreCaltrans road-permit information is separately recorded under notable. |
| Seller disclosure | Section 798.74.4 subjects park-home sales to transfer-disclosure requirements, including the Manufactured Home and Mobilehome Transfer Disclosure Statement under Section 1102.6d, with applicable statutory exceptions. source |
| Who needs a dealer licence | Dealers and salespersons of manufactured homes and mobilehomes must maintain an active HCD occupational license. source |
- Caltrans accepts single-trip transportation permit applications through CTPS and specifically includes manufactured housing in its towing instructions. source
- HCD's licensing booklet recognizes a Business and Professions Code Section 10131.6 exception allowing licensed real estate brokers to sell qualifying previously registered or foundation-recorded homes. source
- Section 798.73.5 limits resale repairs to qualifying exterior work supported by specified laws or implementing park rules. source
Sell options
Other ways to sell in California
Guides
Read before you sell
Selling a mobile home in California: common questions
Still unsure? Send us a question and we will answer it in plain words.
Does California DMV transfer a mobile home title?
No. The California Department of Housing and Community Development, Registration and Titling Program handles mobile home titles. Its checklist requires the released title, current registration card, HCD RT 476.6G, applicable tax documents and fees.
Does my California mobile home need tax clearance?
An L decal requires a Tax Clearance Certificate from the county tax collector for a sale. The HCD checklist for an A decal instead calls for Certification of Retail Value and Purchase Price, HCD RT 476.4.
Can a California park reject the person buying my home?
Yes, on grounds allowed by the Mobilehome Residency Law. Those include financial ability, prior tenancy conduct and application fraud. Management must decide within 15 business days after all requested information arrives.
What disclosure applies to a California park home sale?
The Manufactured Home and Mobilehome Transfer Disclosure Statement applies to park-home sales, subject to statutory exceptions. Any resale repair demand must fit the law limiting qualifying exterior work.
Which California form replaces a missing mobile home title?
Use Application for Duplicate Certificate of Title HCD RT 480.4. A recorded legal owner takes priority over the registered owner when requesting replacement. HCD handles the duplicate, rather than DMV.
Is Mobile Home Buyer Finder the buyer for my California mobile home?
No. Mobile Home Buyer Finder sends your details to a buyer in our network who buys in your California area. You learn the name before contact. The buyer decides whether to make an offer. You and that buyer handle any sale directly.
Hear from a buyer in California
Tell us where the home is and what shape it is in. One buyer in our network that buys there contacts you.