Sell Your Mobile Home in Michigan
In Michigan, check your title status and the park's written rules before signing over the home.
At a glance
Michigan mobile homes at a glance
Mobile homes in Michigan
231,755
5% of all homes in the state
Who titles the home
Michigan Department of State, Secretary of State branch offices
State agency source
Ownership document
Certificate of Manufactured Home Ownership or Certificate of Mobile Home Title
What proves you own it source
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (2020-2024).
Selling steps
How a sale works in Michigan
If your Michigan home was ever attached to land, its title may have been canceled. Check the buyer and home against park rules first.
- 1
Check for a canceled title
If the home was tied to your land, ask the county whether your title was canceled.
- 2
Ask before removing the home
If the title was canceled, get a new title before taking the home off its foundation.
- 3
Gather your ownership papers
Find your current ownership certificate and any lender release needed for a separately titled home.
- 4
Read the park's written rules
Check that the buyer qualifies to live there and the home meets the park's written rules.
- 5
Sign and file the title
Sign the title for the buyer to take to a Secretary of State office.
Park or land
In a park, or on your own land
Before selling your Michigan home separately, check its title, county land papers and the park's written rules.
In a mobile home park
Michigan protects a sale at your chosen price when the buyer qualifies and the home meets written park rules, with limits. Seasonal parks are not covered.
- Age alone cannot block the sale
- Same condition rules for every home
- Limits on park inspection charges
Read more
The pre-sale inspection fee cap is $30 or the municipality's building-permit inspection charge, whichever is higher. Other charges related to the sale are restricted, apart from a fee or commission for an engaged dealer. Check inspection charges and written standards with your park office.
Leaving the home in a park does not settle its ownership records. Secretary of State guidance allows the owner to assign an abandoned home's title to the park. Without an assigned title, a court order establishing ownership may be needed before a title can issue. The Census Bureau's 2020-2024 ACS counts 231,755 mobile homes in Michigan, or 5.0% of housing units.
On land you own
If the sale excludes land, you can send a Michigan request. Replace a canceled title before taking the home off its foundation.
- To join home and land: state OK
- New title before leaving the foundation
- Lien clearance or lender consent may apply
Read more
The attachment process includes ownership records, applicable lienholder consent, Department of State approval and county recording. Detachment requires a recorded affidavit and documentation of lien clearance or consent. Michigan generally assesses the home with its taxable land, whether permanently attached or not. The park-specific tax is an exception. That tax treatment differs from title cancellation through the affidavit process.
A Michigan home sold along with its land is a real estate transaction, typically handled by a title company, real estate agent or closing attorney. We do not send combined home-and-land requests to a buyer.
The rules, with sources
Michigan rules for selling a mobile home
Check the Michigan ownership, tax and park rules against the papers you have, including any county records that link the home to land.
See all Michigan rules
| Who titles the home | Michigan Department of State, Secretary of State branch offices source |
|---|---|
| Ownership document | Certificate of Manufactured Home Ownership or Certificate of Mobile Home Title source |
| Transferring it in a private sale | The seller assigns the title to the buyer, who takes it to a Secretary of State office. sourceMoreThe office processes S-110L, Application for Certificate of Manufactured Home Ownership; submit any required lien discharge and applicable fee and tax. |
| If the title is lost | The owner named on the title may order a duplicate through Secretary of State Online Services or apply at a branch office. source |
| How the home is taxed | MCL 211.2a assesses a home as part of its taxable land, whether permanently affixed or not, unless covered by the trailer-coach-park specific tax. sourceMoreMCL 125.1041 generally requires park licensees to collect and remit $3 per month or major fraction per occupied trailer coach. |
| Sales tax on a used home | Treasury's RAB 2017-26 explains 6% use tax on purchase price and equalization tax on any excess of retail dollar value over that price for taxable manufactured-home transfers. sourceMoreCredit is given for use tax paid, and applicable exemptions remain available. |
| When it counts as real estate | Under MCL 125.2330i, an owner with a qualifying land interest submits an affidavit of affixture, ownership documentation, applicable lienholder consent and the fee to the Department of State for title cancellation, then records the approved affidavit with the county register of deeds. sourceMoreAffixture requires removal of wheels, towing hitches and running gear and attachment to a foundation or support system. After the department receives the completed affidavit, the home may be conveyed only as part of the real property to which it is affixed. |
| Selling inside a park | The Mobile Home Commission Act, 1987 PA 96, MCL 125.2301 et seq., especially 125.2328 and 125.2328a MCL 125.2328(1)(h) protects a resident's sale at the resident's chosen price when the buyer qualifies for tenancy and the home meets written park rules, subject to section 28a. sourceMoreThis protection does not apply to seasonal mobile-home parks. Under MCL 125.2328a, age or size alone cannot justify rejecting an in-park sale or refusing to let the home remain; written physical-condition standards must apply equally. |
| A home left in a park | Secretary of State guidance says an owner can assign an abandoned home's title to the park. sourceMoreIf an assigned title is unavailable, a court order establishing ownership may be needed before a title can issue. |
| Moving the home | MDOT requires transport permits for loads exceeding legal dimensions or weights on state highways, with single-trip and extended mobile-home permits available. sourceMoreLARA licenses installers/repairers for previously occupied homes and distinguishes the HUD license for new homes' initial installation. |
| Seller disclosure | MCL 125.2327 prohibits a person selling a mobile home from making material misstatements or omitting a material fact needed to keep a statement from being misleading. source |
| Who needs a dealer licence | MCL 125.2321 requires a license for a mobile-home dealer's retail sales. The Act's definition covers persons other than manufacturers in the business of buying for resale, exchange, lease or rent, or offering homes to customers. source |
- MCL 125.2328a permits a reasonable pre-sale park inspection fee capped at $30 or the municipality's building-permit inspection charge, whichever is higher; other sale-related charges are restricted apart from an engaged licensed dealer's commission or fee. source
- An affixed home cannot be physically detached until a new title issues; source
More
MCL 125.2330i also requires recording an affidavit of detachment and documenting lien clearance or consent.
Sell options
Other ways to sell in Michigan
Guides
Read before you sell
Selling a mobile home in Michigan: common questions
Still unsure? Send us a question and we will answer it in plain words.
Who transfers mobile home ownership in Michigan?
Michigan Department of State, Secretary of State branch offices process the transfer. The seller assigns the ownership title, and the buyer brings it to a branch. The office processes S-110L, Application for Certificate of Manufactured Home Ownership, with required lien discharge, tax and fee.
Can my Michigan park require removal just because the home is old?
No. Age or size alone cannot justify rejecting an in-park sale or refusing to let the home stay. Written physical-condition standards must apply equally. The separate rule letting you sell at your own price has legal conditions and skips seasonal parks.
What tax applies when a Michigan mobile home changes owners?
Michigan Treasury describes 6% use tax on the purchase price for taxable transfers, plus equalization tax on any excess of retail dollar value over that price. Credit for use tax paid and applicable exemptions affect the calculation.
Can I pull an affixed Michigan home off its foundation before selling?
No. A new title must issue before physical detachment. You also need a recorded affidavit of detachment and documentation showing lien clearance or consent. Settle those records before scheduling removal.
How much can a Michigan park charge for a pre-sale inspection?
A reasonable inspection fee is capped at $30 or the municipality's building-permit inspection charge, whichever is higher. Other sale-related charges are restricted, apart from a fee or commission for a dealer you engaged.
Does Mobile Home Buyer Finder buy my Michigan mobile home?
No. One of our local buyers in your Michigan area receives your request from Mobile Home Buyer Finder. We identify the buyer before contact. The buyer can make an offer or decline. You decide on any offer and arrange a sale directly with that buyer.
Hear from a buyer in Michigan
Tell us where the home is and what shape it is in. One buyer in our network that buys there contacts you.