If you’re selling, buying, or transferring title on a manufactured home in a California mobilehome park, the park is almost always going to want a Title 25 inspection first. It gets treated like a mystery — some kind of government test the home either passes or fails. It isn’t. Here’s what it actually is.
What a Title 25 inspection actually is
This is a private evaluation I do as a licensed C-47 contractor, using the criteria in Title 25 CCR § 1606. The question it answers is narrow but important: does this home have any conditions that would make it a nuisance under California regulations — something that endangers the life, health, safety, or property of the people living there, or the public. Parks lean on this before approving a new buyer and letting the home stay in the park after the sale.
What gets checked
Working through the home against § 1606, I’m looking at:
- Sanitation and plumbing fixtures
- Electrical systems and wiring — including GFCI protection where it’s required (California Electrical Code, Article 210.8)
- Mechanical and HVAC systems — proper venting, and seismic anchoring on water heaters (Title 25 CCR § 4100)
- Structural elements — floors, walls, roof framing
- Fire and life-safety features — smoke detectors (Title 25 CCR § 4049.3), and carbon monoxide detectors where the home has a fossil-fuel appliance or an attached garage (Health & Safety Code § 17926)
- Weather protection and utility connections — this includes roof leaks or damage, since that’s a weather/structural hazard under § 1606
- Anything else that creates a health or safety hazard
Most of this needs interior access, with the owner’s OK, since a lot of § 1606 lives inside the home.
The three items that get certified at title transfer
Because this inspection usually happens around a park sale, three specific items also get certified to HCD when title changes hands: a working smoke detector, carbon monoxide alarm(s), and a seismically braced water heater (for gas units). These go on HCD Form 476.6A. I verify the physical condition of all three during the inspection — the actual certification paperwork gets handled as part of HCD’s titling process.
What this inspection isn’t
A few things worth being clear on:
- It’s a private inspection by a licensed contractor, not an official inspection by HCD or a local enforcement agency.
- It’s not the same as a Mobilehome Park Maintenance (MPM) inspection, which covers the park itself — common areas, park utilities, roads — not an individual home. (That’s a separate service we offer, if you’re a park owner rather than a homeowner.)
- It’s not a full home inspection. Cosmetic issues, how much life is left in the roof, or foundation engineering calculations are outside its scope.
- A clean report doesn’t guarantee the park will approve the sale. That decision is the park’s to make.
- For older or run-down homes, this doesn’t replace whatever official enforcement-agency inspection may be required separately.
How the process works
- We schedule a time — utilities need to be on, and I’ll need interior access with the owner’s OK.
- I go through the home against the § 1606 checklist.
- I put together a written report with photos and findings.
- The report goes to whoever’s requesting it — usually the seller, the realtor, and/or the park.
- If repairs are needed, a re-inspection can follow (quoted separately, once you know what’s needed).
If something comes up
If the inspection finds a substandard condition, I can put together a separate repair estimate — no pressure either way. You’re always welcome to get bids from other contractors too. I’ll give you the inspection report first; pricing on any repairs only comes up if you ask for it.
Worth keeping in mind
This is a private service, not an official certification from HCD or any government agency. Whether the report is accepted is up to the park, escrow, and whoever else is part of the transaction — for anything specific to your sale, your realtor, escrow officer, or attorney is the right person to ask.
If you’ve got a sale coming up and need a Title 25 inspection scheduled, call (661) 339-8050 and we’ll get it on the calendar.