Free. All 50 states and DC, with the law quoted word for word.
Buy a few homes, fix them and sell them, and at some point the state calls you a dealer. Where that point sits depends entirely on the state, and in most of them it comes sooner than people expect.
In 31 of the 50 states and DC, staying under a number of sales does not protect someone who buys homes to resell them. Only 10 states set a clear number with no business test behind it.
Pick a state for its rule, the agency, the penalty and the law itself.
Not legal advice. This is educational research on state law as of September 12, 2026. Laws change, and the facts of your deals matter. Before you buy and sell homes as an investor, confirm the rule with the state agency and have a local attorney review your plans.
In 31 of 51 jurisdictions, keeping your sales under a number does not protect a buy-fix-resell operation.
3
No state license applies to reselling used homes. Titles, taxes and local rules still do.
10
The law exempts sales under the number, or only defines a dealer from that number up.
Arizona, Delaware, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Texas
11
The count is a ceiling, not a safe zone. Anyone in the business can need a license below it.
Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin
17
Licensing turns on whether you are in the business of buying and selling homes.
Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, West Virginia
7
The rule could not be confirmed from official sources. Ask the agency in writing.
Connecticut, District of Columbia, Hawaii, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont, Wyoming
Select a state for its full rule, the agency, the penalty and the law.
| State | Rule | Homes without a license | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | No safe number | No number | high |
| Alaska | No state dealer license | No license | high |
| Arizona | Up to 2 without a license | 2 | high |
| Arkansas | No safe number | No number | high |
| California | No safe number | No number | high |
| Colorado | No safe number | No number | high |
| Connecticut | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | medium |
| Delaware | Up to 4 without a license | 4 | high |
| District of Columbia | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | medium |
| Florida | License before your first sale | 0 | high |
| Georgia | Up to 2 without a license | 2 | high |
| Hawaii | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | medium |
| Idaho | Up to 2 without a license | 2 | high |
| Illinois | Up to 2, but a business can need one sooner | 2, see note | high |
| Indiana | Up to 2 without a license | 2 | high |
| Iowa | No safe number | No number | high |
| Kansas | No safe number | No number | high |
| Kentucky | Up to 1 without a license | 1 | high |
| Louisiana | Presumed a dealer after 1 | 1, see note | high |
| Maine | No safe number | No number | high |
| Maryland | Presumed a dealer after 2 | 2, see note | medium |
| Massachusetts | No state dealer license | No license | medium |
| Michigan | No safe number | No number | high |
| Minnesota | No safe number | No number | high |
| Mississippi | License before your first sale | 0 | high |
| Missouri | Up to 3 without a license | 3 | high |
| Montana | No state dealer license | No license | high |
| Nebraska | No safe number | No number | high |
| Nevada | No safe number | No number | high |
| New Hampshire | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | medium |
| New Jersey | Up to 3, but a business can need one sooner | 3, see note | high |
| New Mexico | Up to 1 without a license | 1 | high |
| New York | License before your first sale | 0 | high |
| North Carolina | Presumed a dealer after 2 | 2, see note | high |
| North Dakota | No safe number | No number | high |
| Ohio | Up to 5, but a business can need one sooner | 5, see note | high |
| Oklahoma | No safe number | No number | high |
| Oregon | Up to 1, but a business can need one sooner | 1, see note | high |
| Pennsylvania | Up to 4 without a license | 4 | high |
| Rhode Island | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | medium |
| South Carolina | Up to 2, but a business can need one sooner | 2, see note | high |
| South Dakota | No safe number | No number | high |
| Tennessee | No safe number | No number | medium |
| Texas | Up to 3 without a license | 3 | high |
| Utah | No safe number | No number | high |
| Vermont | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | medium |
| Virginia | Presumed a dealer after 2 | 2, see note | high |
| Washington | Up to 4, but a business can need one sooner | 4, see note | high |
| West Virginia | No safe number | No number | high |
| Wisconsin | Up to 1, but a business can need one sooner | 1, see note | high |
| Wyoming | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | low |
Alabama has no free number of sales. If you are in the business of buying manufactured homes and then selling them, you are a dealer and need an Alabama Manufactured Housing Commission retailer license from the first resale, and the Commission's licensing rule says this also applies to anyone who rebuilds or sells rebuilt units.
There is no number. If you buy homes to resell them for profit, plan on needing a license from your first resale.
What the law says
Rule 535-X-10-.02(c) Dealer - Dealer means any person engaged in the business of buying and thereafter selling, displaying, or offering for sale manufactured houses. [...] Ala. Code 24-5-6(a) Any manufacturer or dealer within or without this state shall apply for a license to sell manufactured homes in this state. [...] Rule 535-X-17-.03(a) Any manufacturer or retailer (dealer) within or without this state shall apply for a license annually to sell manufactured (mobile) homes and/or manufactured buildings (modulars) to be shipped into or sited in Alabama. This also applies to anyone who rebuilds or sells rebuilt units.
High confidence: checked against the official state code or the agency's own rules. Researched September 12, 2026.
Alaska has no state dealer license for selling used mobile or manufactured homes: its Mobile Home Dealers chapter (AS 08.67) was repealed in 1999, and the motor vehicle dealer registration law, which starts at 5 vehicles in 12 months, does not reach mobile homes because Alaska's vehicle code excludes them. The DMV still titles manufactured homes, so every sale needs a DMV title transfer.
No state dealer license applies to reselling used homes. Title transfers, taxes and local rules still apply.
Exemptions found
What the law says
AS 08.66.350(3): "motor vehicle" means a motor vehicle that is required to be registered under AS 28.10; AS 08.66.350(4)(A)(ii): "a person, other than a manufacturer, who sells, leases, solicits, or arranges for the sale or lease of five or more motor vehicles in any 12 consecutive months, regardless of who owns the vehicles;" AS 28.90.990(a)(33): "vehicle" means a device in, upon, or by which a person or property may be transported or drawn upon or immediately over a highway or vehicular way or area; "vehicle" does not include (A) devices used exclusively upon stationary rails or tracks; (B) mobile homes; Title 8, Chapter 67: "Mobile Home Dealers. [Repealed, § 2 ch 72 SLA 1999.]" Alaska DMV titles page: "Manufactured Homes are Titled but not Registered in Alaska."
High confidence: checked against the official state code or the agency's own rules. Researched September 12, 2026.
Arizona defines anyone who buys or sells manufactured or mobile homes as a dealer but exempts a purchaser who sells not more than 2 in any 12 months, so the third sale in a rolling 12 months requires a D-8 retailer license from the Arizona Department of Housing. Fixing homes can need its own license: A.R.S. 41-4047 makes it unlawful to alter or reconstruct a manufactured home without being licensed or certified.
The law draws the line at 2. Count every home in the period the law uses, check the exemptions, and keep a log.
Exemptions found
What the law says
B. The requirements of this chapter applicable to dealers do not apply to persons performing the following transactions: ... 5. A purchaser who sells not more than two factory-built buildings, manufactured homes or mobile homes in any twelve-month period. (A.R.S. 41-4028(B)(5)). 12. "Dealer" means any person who sells, exchanges, buys, offers or attempts to negotiate or who acts as an agent for the sale or exchange of factory-built buildings, manufactured homes or mobile homes except as exempted in section 41-4028. (A.R.S. 41-4001(12))
High confidence: checked against the official state code or the agency's own rules. Researched September 12, 2026.
Arkansas has no safe number: anyone in the business of buying manufactured homes for resale and selling them, new or used, must be certified as a retailer by the Arkansas Manufactured Home Commission before selling. Certification requires $100,000 net worth, two years of licensed retail or sales experience, a business office separate from any residence, a public restroom and $1 million liability insurance, so a small flipper generally cannot qualify and should not plan on a repeat buy-fix-resell model without talking to the Commission.
There is no number. If you buy homes to resell them for profit, plan on needing a license from your first resale.
Exemptions found
What the law says
Arkansas Manufactured Home Commission Rules, Section 300(A): Any person, firm or corporation which acts in one or more of the following capacities shall be required to certify or license with the Arkansas Manufactured Home Commission: ... 2. Retailer - Any person, firm or corporation in the business of accepting on consignment, buying for resale, selling or exchanging manufactured homes or offering same to the public for sale, exchange or lease-purchase, whether for himself or on behalf of any other person not certified as a retailer. Section 300(E)(1): No person, firm or corporation shall act as a manufacturer, retailer or installer without having first secured the required certification or license from the Commission. (Statutory definition, Ark. Code 20-25-102(13): "Retailer" means any person in the business of accepting on consignment, buying for resale, selling, or exchanging manufactured or modular homes or offering them to the public for sale, exchange, or lease-purchase, whether for himself or herself or on behalf of any other person not certified as a retailer under this chapter.)
High confidence: checked against the official state code or the agency's own rules. Researched September 12, 2026.
California has no safe number of sales. If you buy manufactured homes to resell them for profit, even one, you are a dealer and need an HCD dealer license with an established office in California. Selling a home you acquired and used in good faith for yourself, or selling when you are not in the business, is exempt.
There is no number. If you buy homes to resell them for profit, plan on needing a license from your first resale.
Exemptions found
What the law says
"Dealer" means a person not otherwise expressly excluded by subdivision (b), who is engaged in any of the following activities: (1) For commission, money, or other thing of value, sells, exchanges, leases, buys, offers for sale, or negotiates or attempts to negotiate a sale or exchange of an interest in a manufactured home, mobilehome, or commercial coach ... and who receives or expects to receive a commission, money, brokerage fees, profit, management fees, or any other things of value from either the seller or purchaser of the manufactured home, mobilehome, or commercial coach. (2) Is engaged wholly or in part in the business of selling manufactured homes, mobilehomes, or commercial coaches or buying or taking in trade manufactured homes, mobilehomes, or commercial coaches for the purpose of reselling, selling, or offering for sale, or consigning to be sold, or otherwise dealing in manufactured homes, mobilehomes, or commercial coaches, whether or not these manufactured homes, mobilehomes, or commercial coaches are owned by the dealer. [HSC 18002.6(a)] ... It shall be unlawful for any person to act as a licensee within this state without having first procured a license or temporary permit issued by the department pursuant to this chapter [HSC 18045]
High confidence: checked against the official state code or the agency's own rules. Researched September 12, 2026.
Colorado has no sales-count test. Anyone 'engaged in the business of selling' manufactured homes installed in Colorado must register as a seller with the Division of Housing, but the statute says a natural person selling a home that person owns is not a seller for registration purposes, with no number cap. That exemption does not cover an LLC or corporation, and the Division's own web page says any business or individual selling new or used manufactured housing must register, so a repeat flipper should get a written answer from the Division before relying on the exemption.
There is no number. If you buy homes to resell them for profit, plan on needing a license from your first resale.
Exemptions found
What the law says
C.R.S. 24-32-3302(32.5): "Seller" means any person engaged in the business of selling manufactured homes to be installed in Colorado or tiny homes to be occupied or installed in Colorado. | C.R.S. 24-32-3323(1): Any seller is required to register with the division before engaging in the business of selling manufactured homes or tiny homes if either is installed in Colorado. | C.R.S. 24-32-3323(4): For purposes of this section, a person is not a seller if the person: (a) Is a natural person acting personally in selling a manufactured home owned or leased by the person or a tiny home owned or leased by the person;
High confidence: checked against the official state code or the agency's own rules. Researched September 12, 2026.
Connecticut sets no sales count. Its only mobile home sales license, the Department of Consumer Protection's $375-a-year mobile manufactured home seller's license, is written for people who act as broker or agent reselling someone else's home, and owners selling their own property are exempt from real estate licensing. Before running homes as a business, ask DCP in writing whether you need the seller's license and whether DMV dealer licensing applies, because neither statute answers that for an owner-investor.
We could not confirm this rule from official sources. Ask the state licensing agency in writing before you sell, and keep the reply.
Exemptions found
Closest law found, not confirmed to apply
C.G.S. 21-67(e): "The department shall annually issue a mobile manufactured home seller's license to any person who, on October 1, 1992, has a valid Department of Motor Vehicles dealers' and repairers' license under which the licensee has engaged in the sale or resale of mobile manufactured homes. The mobile manufactured home seller's license shall allow the licensee, or any of his employees, to sell new or used mobile manufactured homes. The mobile manufactured home seller's license shall be issued annually after payment of an annual licensing fee of three hundred seventy-five dollars. No person, except a person licensed or specifically exempted under chapter 392, shall act as a real estate broker or a real estate agent for the resale of a mobile manufactured home without a license issued pursuant to this subsection." C.G.S. 20-311(15): ""Engage in the real estate business" means to, while acting for another and for a fee, commission or other valuable consideration, negotiate for or offer, or attempt to list for sale, sell, exchange, buy or rent, an estate or interest in real estate or to resell a mobile manufactured home, as defined in section 21-64;" C.G.S. 14-52(a): "No person, firm or corporation may engage in the business of the buying, selling, offering for sale or brokerage of any motor vehicle or the repairing of any motor vehicle without having been issued a new car dealer's, a used car dealer's or a repairer's license."
Medium confidence: partly confirmed. Read the note above before relying on it. Researched September 12, 2026.
Delaware licenses mobile home sellers under its motor vehicle dealer law, which counts mobile homes as vehicles. You may sell, or offer or display for sale, up to 4 vehicles in any 12-month period, counting mobile homes, cars and trailers together; the 5th needs a Division of Motor Vehicles dealer license. Homes you only list or display count toward the 5 even if they don't sell, and the license requires a commercial lot with display space for 5 vehicles.
The law draws the line at 4. Count every home in the period the law uses, check the exemptions, and keep a log.
Exemptions found
What the law says
(2) "Dealer" or "motor vehicle dealer" includes all of the following: a. A person, corporation, partnership, proprietorship or any other legal entity who is in the business of buying, selling or exchanging during any 12-month period 5 or more vehicles. b. Any person, corporation, partnership, proprietorship or any other legal entity who offers to sell, sells, displays or permits the display for sale, of 5 or more vehicles within a 12-month period. ... (13) "Vehicle" means motor vehicles, trailers, recreational vehicles, recreational trailers, mobile homes, and any other device, in, upon, or by which any person or property is or may be transported or drawn upon a public highway ... (21 Del. C. §6301) (a) Department approval. — No person, corporation, partnership, proprietorship or any other legal entity shall carry on or conduct the business of buying, selling or dealing in new or used vehicles unless issued a dealer's license by the Department. (21 Del. C. §6302(a))
High confidence: checked against the official state code or the agency's own rules. Researched September 12, 2026.
No District of Columbia license specific to manufactured or mobile homes was found, and DC's dealer rules say a person selling only trailers need not hold a motor vehicle dealer's license. It is not confirmed that a mobile home counts as a 'trailer' under that rule, or whether DC DMV dealer registration is still expected, so ask DC DMV before selling. If you owner-finance, DC's motor vehicle installment-sales law explicitly covers mobile homes and caps the finance charge.
We could not confirm this rule from official sources. Ask the state licensing agency in writing before you sell, and keep the reply.
Exemptions found
Closest law found, not confirmed to apply
(5) The term "dealer" means any person engaged in the business of manufacturing, distributing, or dealing in motor vehicles or trailers. ... (7) The term "trailer" means a vehicle without motor power intended or used for carrying property or persons and drawn or intended to be drawn by a motor vehicle, whether such vehicle without motor power carries the weight of the property or persons wholly on its own structure or whether a part of such weight rests upon or is carried by a motor vehicle. (D.C. Code §50-1501.01) When trailers, fire-fighting equipment, construction equipment, ambulances, or funeral vehicles, including motor vehicles adapted thereof, are the only vehicles offered for sale or resale, such manufacturer, branch officer of such manufacturer, or person need not hold a valid motor vehicle dealer's license. (18 DCMR §501.5)
Medium confidence: partly confirmed. Read the note above before relying on it. Researched September 12, 2026.
Buying, selling, or offering even one mobile home in any 12-month period makes Florida presume you are a dealer, so there is no free number of flips. The presumption can be rebutted only by showing you are not in the business, and a buy-fix-resell operation is the business, so get a FLHSMV mobile home dealer license before the first resale.
Selling even one home can require a license here.
Exemptions found
What the law says
"Dealer" means any person engaged in the business of buying, selling, or dealing in mobile homes or offering or displaying mobile homes for sale. The term "dealer" includes a mobile home broker. Any person who buys, sells, deals in, or offers or displays for sale, or who acts as the agent for the sale of, one or more mobile homes in any 12-month period shall be prima facie presumed to be a dealer. [...] (2) LICENSE REQUIRED. No person shall engage in business as, or serve in the capacity of, a dealer in this state unless such person possesses a valid, current license as provided in this section.
High confidence: checked against the official state code or the agency's own rules. Researched September 12, 2026.
You may sell up to two new or used manufactured or mobile homes to consumers in any 12-month period without a Georgia license. The third home sold or offered for sale in 12 months requires a retailer license (if you keep a display) or retail broker license (if you do not) from the Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner, and offering a third home counts even before it sells.
The law draws the line at 2. Count every home in the period the law uses, check the exemptions, and keep a log.
Exemptions found
What the law says
Rule 120-3-7-.08(2) Every retailer and retail broker, including any out of state retailer and retail broker, who sells or offers for sale to consumers three (3) or more new or previously owned manufactured or mobile homes in a twelve (12) month period in Georgia shall apply for and obtain a license from the Manufactured Housing Section of the Safety Fire Division on the prescribed form and accompanied by the fee as provided in O.C.G.A. §§ 8-2-135(3) and (5). [...] O.C.G.A. 8-2-131(8) "Retail broker" means any person engaged in the business of selling or offering for sale to consumers three or more new or used manufactured or mobile homes in a 12 month period and who does not maintain a display of manufactured or mobile homes.
High confidence: checked against the official state code or the agency's own rules. Researched September 12, 2026.
No Hawaii statute licenses mobile or manufactured home dealers, and the motor vehicle dealer law (which applies at 3 or more vehicles in a calendar year) excludes trailers, which is how a towable home is built. That conclusion comes from reading the definitions, not from an agency or court ruling, so confirm with the Motor Vehicle Industry Licensing Board before selling several homes.
We could not confirm this rule from official sources. Ask the state licensing agency in writing before you sell, and keep the reply.
Exemptions found
Closest law found, not confirmed to apply
HRS 437-1.1: "Dealer" includes "auction" as defined in this section or any person or entity not expressly excluded by this chapter who sells three or more vehicles within a calendar year, or who is engaged in the business of selling, soliciting, offering, or attempting to negotiate sales, purchases, or exchanges of motor vehicles or any interest therein, including options to purchase motor vehicles. [...] "Motor vehicle" includes any vehicle, motor vehicle, or truck, as defined in sections 249-1 and 249-2, except for tractors, trailers, and amphibious vehicles. HRS 286-2: "Trailer" means a vehicle designed for carrying persons or property and for being drawn by a motor vehicle.
Medium confidence: partly confirmed. Read the note above before relying on it. Researched September 12, 2026.
An individual can buy, sell, broker, trade or offer for resale up to 2 manufactured or mobile homes in a calendar year without a license, but only if every home is titled in that individual's own name. A 3rd home in the same calendar year, or any home not titled in your name, requires a manufactured home retailer license from the Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses. The limit counts homes you buy as well as sell, runs by calendar year (not a rolling 12 months), and is written for 'an individual', so an LLC or corporation does not appear to qualify.
The law draws the line at 2. Count every home in the period the law uses, check the exemptions, and keep a log.
Exemptions found
What the law says
Idaho Code 44-2106(1): It shall be unlawful to engage in business as a manufacturer, retailer, or installer without being duly licensed by the division of occupational and professional licenses pursuant to this chapter, except that an individual may buy, sell, broker, trade or offer for resale up to two (2) manufactured or mobile homes, or a combination thereof, in any one (1) calendar year without being licensed under this chapter if all of the units have been properly titled in the name of that individual. | 44-2101A(3): "Engaged in the business" means the individual or entity buys, sells, brokers, trades, or offers for resale a manufactured or mobile home. | 44-2101A(10): "Retailer" means any person engaged in the business of selling or exchanging new, used, resale, third-party-owned, or brokered manufactured or mobile homes.
High confidence: checked against the official state code or the agency's own rules. Researched September 12, 2026.
In Illinois you are a manufactured home dealer, and need a Secretary of State license, once you buy OR sell more than 2 manufactured homes (new or used) in any 12-month period, so 2 purchases and 2 sales is the ceiling and a 3rd purchase alone crosses the line. You also need the license at any count if you are in the business of acquiring or selling homes or advertise yourself as being in it.
The law names 2, but it also licenses anyone in the business. A buy-fix-resell operation can need a license before it reaches that number.
Exemptions found
What the law says
625 ILCS 5/5-901(a): "Manufactured home dealer" means: (1) an individual or entity that engages in the business of acquiring or disposing of new or used manufactured homes; (2) an individual or entity who advertises or otherwise holds the individual or the entity out as being engaged in the business of acquiring or selling new or used manufactured homes; or (3) an individual or entity who buys or sells more than 2 new or used manufactured homes within a 12-month period. | 5-901(b): No person shall engage in this State in the business of selling or dealing in, on consignment or otherwise, manufactured homes of any make, or act as an intermediary, agent, or broker for any manufactured home purchaser, other than as a salesperson, or to represent or advertise that he or she is so engaged, or intends to so engage, in the business, unless licensed to do so by the Secretary of State under this Section.
High confidence: checked against the official state code or the agency's own rules. Researched September 12, 2026.
Indiana requires a manufactured home dealer license from the Secretary of State if, within 12 months, you sell, offer to sell, or advertise for sale 3 or more new or used manufactured homes, so 2 is the most. Offers and ads count, not just closed sales, so advertising a third home in 12 months can trigger it; the license also needs an established place of business (a sales lot meeting dealer rules or a licensed community), a zoning affidavit and a $25,000 bond.
The law draws the line at 2. Count every home in the period the law uses, check the exemptions, and keep a log.
Exemptions found
What the law says
Sec. 29. (a) "Manufactured home dealer" means any person that within a twelve (12) month period sells, offers to sell, or advertises for sale, including directly by the Internet or another computer network, at least three (3) new or used manufactured homes. (IC 9-32-2.1-29(a)). Sec. 1. (a) Subject to IC 9-32-11-20, the following persons must be licensed under this article: ... (10) A manufactured home dealer. (IC 9-32-11-1(a))
High confidence: checked against the official state code or the agency's own rules. Researched September 12, 2026.
Iowa has no safe number: anyone who sells a manufactured or mobile home 'for a commission or other thing of value', or is in the business of selling homes even part-time, is a retailer and needs a DIAL license, and unlicensed retailing is a serious misdemeanor. The only exemption for ordinary sellers covers an occasional sale of a home titled to you that you used for personal, family or household purposes, so buying homes to fix and resell does not fit it, and the statute's wording can reach even a first flip.
There is no number. If you buy homes to resell them for profit, plan on needing a license from your first resale.
Exemptions found
What the law says
Iowa Code 103A.51(7): "Manufactured or mobile home retailer" means a person who, for a commission or other thing of value, sells, exchanges, or offers or attempts to negotiate a sale or exchange of an interest in a home or who is engaged wholly or in part in the business of selling homes, whether or not the homes are owned by the retailer. "Manufactured or mobile home retailer" does not include any of the following: ... b. A person transferring a home registered in the person's name and used for personal, family, or household purposes, if the transfer is an occasional sale and is not part of the business of the transferor. | Iowa Code 103A.57: It is unlawful for a person to engage in business as a manufactured or mobile home retailer, manufactured or mobile home manufacturer, or manufactured or mobile home distributor in this state without first acquiring and maintaining a license in accordance with this subchapter. A person convicted of violating this section is guilty of a serious misdemeanor.
High confidence: checked against the official state code or the agency's own rules. Researched September 12, 2026.
Kansas sets no number. If you buy and sell manufactured or mobile homes for money as a business, you need a manufactured home dealer license from the Kansas Division of Vehicles, even for a handful of homes. The 5-vehicles-a-year rule for car dealers does not apply to manufactured homes.
There is no number. If you buy homes to resell them for profit, plan on needing a license from your first resale.
Exemptions found
What the law says
K.S.A. 58-4202(g): "Manufactured home dealer" or "dealer" means any person who, for commission, money or other thing of value, is engaged in the business of: (1) Buying, selling or offering or attempting to negotiate a sale of an interest in manufactured homes or mobile homes; or (2) buying, selling or offering or attempting to negotiate a sale of an interest in manufactured homes or mobile homes for other persons as an agent, middleman or negotiator; or (3) bringing together buyers and sellers of manufactured homes or mobile homes. ... K.S.A. 58-4207(a): No manufactured home dealer shall engage in business in this state without obtaining a license therefor. ... K.S.A. 58-4203(a): the manufacture, distribution and sale of manufactured homes and mobile homes shall not be subject to the vehicle dealers and manufacturers licensing act, as contained in K.S.A. 8-2401 et seq., and amendments thereto.
High confidence: checked against the official state code or the agency's own rules. Researched September 12, 2026.
Selling or offering for sale 2 or more manufactured or mobile homes in any 12-month period makes you a retailer who needs a license from the Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction, one per location. You get one sale a year. Listing two homes in the same 12 months also counts, even if only one sells.
The law draws the line at 1. Count every home in the period the law uses, check the exemptions, and keep a log.
Recent and upcoming changes
An amendment to 815 KAR 25:060 was filed with LRC 2026-08-11 (proposed version on the LRC site). Compared against the current text it changes form dates and installer items; the retailer license rule, the $250 fee and the insurance amounts are unchanged. Not yet effective.
Exemptions found
What the law says
"Retailer" means any person, firm, or corporation, who sells or offers for sale two (2) or more manufactured homes, mobile homes, or recreational vehicles in any consecutive twelve (12) month period. [KRS 227.550(3)] ... A retailer shall not engage in business in this state without a license issued by the department pursuant to KRS 227.550 to 227.660. [KRS 227.620(1)]
High confidence: checked against the official state code or the agency's own rules. Researched September 12, 2026.
Through December 31, 2026: buying or selling more than one manufactured home in any 12 months makes Louisiana presume you are a retailer who needs a Manufactured Housing Commission license, and even one sale can count if you are in the business with intent to profit, so one is not a safe harbor for a flipper. From January 1, 2027 the same more-than-one presumption moves to a new 'factory-built housing dealer' license from the State Licensing Board for Contractors, with a $250,000 bond.
Going past 1 makes the state presume you are a dealer. Staying under it does not exempt you: anyone in the business of buying and selling homes needs a license at any count.
Recent and upcoming changes
2026 Act 765 (SB 398), signed 2026-06-02, EFFECTIVE 2027-01-01: repeals the entire retailer-licensing Part (La. R.S. 51:911.21-911.47, and 912.1-912.53) and replaces it with Part II of Chapter 24 of Title 37 (R.S. 37:2176.1-2176.19), administered by the Residential Subcommittee of the State Licensing Board for Contractors. The 'retailer' becomes a 'factory-built housing dealer' (R.S. 37:2150.1(11)) with the SAME test: 'Any person who buys, sells, distributes, brokers, or exchanges an interest in more than one such manufactured or modular home in any twelve-month period shall be presumed to be a factory-built housing dealer.' License required by R.S. 37:2176.3(A)(1). Changes: bond becomes a $250,000 surety bond or $50,000 letter of credit (37:2176.3(I)(2)), replacing the $50,000 bond plus $250,000 net-worth test; general liability insurance rises from $100,000 to $500,000 (37:2176.3(J)); criminal jail cap drops from 1 year to 6 months (37:2176.14(B)); new park-owner carve-out for older used homes sold for $10,000 or less. Fees ($150), the one-year-as-salesman prerequisite and the civil penalties carry over unchanged. maxSalesWithoutLicense stays 1.
Exemptions found
What the law says
R.S. 51:911.22(14) "Retailer" means any person who is engaged wholly or in part in the business of buying, selling, distributing, brokering, or exchanging an interest in a manufactured or modular home with the intent to make a profit, monetary gain, or any thing of economic value. Any person who buys, sells, distributes, brokers, or exchanges an interest in more than one such manufactured or modular home in any twelve-month period shall be presumed to be a retailer. [...] R.S. 51:911.24(A)(1) No manufacturer, retailer, or salesman within or without this state shall sell or offer for sale in Louisiana any mobile home, modular home, or manufactured housing unless he has obtained a valid manufacturer's, retailer's, or salesman's license, whichever is applicable, from the commission as provided in this Part.
High confidence: checked against the official state code or the agency's own rules. Researched September 12, 2026.
Maine has no safe number: anyone engaged in the business of selling or brokering manufactured housing, new or used, must first get a dealer license, now issued by the Maine Office of Community Affairs' Manufactured Housing Program. The statute sets no minimum count and has no exemption for small or part-time sellers; the only used-home exemption is for active real estate licensees.
There is no number. If you buy homes to resell them for profit, plan on needing a license from your first resale.
Recent and upcoming changes
PL 2025, c. 650, Part RRR (2026 supplemental budget) eliminated the Manufactured Housing Board and moved dealer licensing to the Maine Office of Community Affairs as of July 29, 2026, keeping the existing rules for now. Resolve 2025, c. 171 (LD 364, approved April 16, 2026) directs MOCA to submit a rewrite of the Manufactured Housing Act to the 133rd Legislature by January 1, 2027, so the dealer definition, licensing and penalties may change in 2027.
Exemptions found
What the law says
"Dealer" means a person engaged in the sale, offering for sale, brokering or distribution of manufactured housing to a licensed dealer, developer dealer or consumer. (10 M.R.S. §9002(2)) ... Any person who engages in the business of manufacturing, brokering, distributing, selling, installing or servicing manufactured housing, regardless of the destination of the housing, must first obtain a license issued by the board. ... Active licensees of the Real Estate Commission are exempt from the licensing requirement for selling or brokering used manufactured housing and new manufactured housing if such housing is sold or offered for sale by a licensee of the board. (10 M.R.S. §9021(1)) ... A person may not manufacture, sell, broker, distribute, install or service any manufactured housing in this State regardless of the destination of the housing without first obtaining a license from the board as required in this chapter. (10 M.R.S. §9008(1))
High confidence: checked against the official state code or the agency's own rules. Researched September 12, 2026.
Maryland law defines a mobile home as a trailer, and anyone who offers 3 or more trailers for sale in a 12-month period is presumed to have bought them for resale and so is a dealer who needs an MVA trailer dealer license. That makes 2 the most you can offer, and the count is offers, not closed sales. You can rebut the presumption only by proving the homes were not bought for resale, which a flipper cannot do, and anyone actually in the business needs the license even below 3.
Going past 2 makes the state presume you are a dealer. Staying under it does not exempt you: anyone in the business of buying and selling homes needs a license at any count.
Exemptions found
What the law says
(c) (1) "Dealer" means, except as provided in paragraph (3) of this subsection, a dealer in vehicles of a type required to be registered under Title 13 of this article. (2) (i) "Dealer" includes: 1. A person who is in the business of buying, selling, or exchanging vehicles, including a person who during any 12-month period offers to sell three or more of these vehicles, the ownership of which was acquired for resale purposes; ... (ii) 1. For the purposes of subparagraph (i)1 of this paragraph, a person who offers to sell three or more vehicles during any 12-month period is presumed to have acquired the vehicles for resale purposes. 2. The vehicle owner has the burden of rebutting the presumption established under subsubparagraph 1 of this subparagraph by a preponderance of the evidence. (Md. Code, Transp. §15-101(c)) "Mobile home" means: (1) A trailer or semitrailer that is designed, constructed, and equipped as a permanent or temporary living or sleeping place and for use as a conveyance on highways, but that does not qualify as a camping trailer or a travel trailer ... (Transp. §11-134) (a) A person may not conduct the business of a dealer unless the person is licensed by the Administration under this subtitle. (Transp. §15-302(a))
Medium confidence: partly confirmed. Read the note above before relying on it. Researched September 12, 2026.
Massachusetts sets no sales count and has no state license for selling manufactured homes. The used car dealer license does not fit because manufactured homes are not motor vehicles under state law, and a real estate license is needed only to sell someone else's property for a fee. A person in the business of selling homes to retail customers is still a 'manufactured home dealer' under the Attorney General's consumer protection rules and must follow them.
No state dealer license was found for reselling used homes. That rests on how state law defines these homes, not on a ruling, so confirm with the agency before you rely on it.
Exemptions found
What the law says
940 CMR 10.01: "Manufactured Home Dealer: shall mean a person engaged in the business of selling manufactured homes to retail customers." M.G.L. c. 140, § 57: "No person, except one whose principal business is the manufacture and sale of new motor vehicles but who incidentally acquires and sells second hand vehicles, or a person whose principal business is financing the purchase of or insuring motor vehicles but who incidentally acquires and sells second hand vehicles, shall engage in the business of buying, selling, exchanging or assembling second hand motor vehicles or parts thereof or allow any property under his control to be used as a place of sale or display of motor vehicles without securing a license as providing in section fifty-nine." M.G.L. c. 90, § 1: "''Motor vehicles'', all vehicles constructed and designed for propulsion by power other than muscular power including such vehicles when pulled or towed by another motor vehicle [...]" M.G.L. c. 112, § 87PP: "''Real estate broker'', hereinafter referred to as broker, any person who for another person and for a fee, commission or other valuable consideration [...] sells, exchanges, purchases, rents or leases, or negotiates, or offers, attempts or agrees to negotiate the sale, exchange, purchase, rental or leasing of any real estate [...]"
Medium confidence: partly confirmed. Read the note above before relying on it. Researched September 12, 2026.
Michigan has no safe number of sales. If you are in the business of buying mobile homes to resell them, or offering them for sale to customers, you need a mobile home dealer license from LARA before you sell, plus a $10,000 bond per sales location.
There is no number. If you buy homes to resell them for profit, plan on needing a license from your first resale.
Exemptions found
What the law says
"Mobile home dealer" means a person other than a manufacturer engaged in the business of buying mobile homes for resale, exchange, lease, or rent or offering mobile homes for sale, lease, rent, or exchange to customers. [MCL 125.2302(i)] ... A mobile home dealer shall not engage in the retail sale of a mobile home without a license. [MCL 125.2321(1)]
High confidence: checked against the official state code or the agency's own rules. Researched September 12, 2026.
Minnesota sets no number: if you are in the business of selling or brokering manufactured homes, even alongside another job, you need a dealer license from the Department of Labor and Industry (a $20,000 bond, $1,000,000 liability insurance and a commercial place of business). The main exemption for individuals is reselling a home that is or was your own residence. Park owners can instead get a limited dealer license for up to 10 used-home sales a year in their own park.
There is no number. If you buy homes to resell them for profit, plan on needing a license from your first resale.
Recent and upcoming changes
Laws 2026, ch. 88, art. 1, sec. 185 amended 327B.04, subd. 8 (limited dealer license). It changes 'sales documents' from the safety feature disclosure form under 327C.07 to the notice of compliance form under 327.32, subd. 1a. It does not change who needs a license. Effective date not confirmed.
Exemptions found
What the law says
Minn. Stat. 327B.01, subd. 7: "Dealer" or "retailer" means any person who engages in the business, either exclusively or in addition to any other occupation, of selling or brokering manufactured homes, new or used, or who offers to sell, solicit, broker or advertise the sale of manufactured homes, new or used. | Minn. Stat. 327B.09, subd. 1: No person shall engage in the business, either exclusively or in addition to any other occupation of manufacturing, selling, offering to sell, soliciting or advertising the sale of manufactured homes, or act as a broker without being licensed as a manufacturer or a dealer as provided in section 327B.04. ... This chapter does not prohibit either an individual from reselling, without a license, a manufactured home which is or has been the individual's residence or any bank, savings bank, savings association, or credit union, chartered by either this state or the federal government, from reselling, without a license, a repossessed manufactured home.
High confidence: checked against the official state code or the agency's own rules. Researched September 12, 2026.
Mississippi requires a retailer license from the State Fire Marshal's Factory-Built Home Division before your first sale if you buy used manufactured or mobile homes and resell them, even if you never move the home; there is no number of sales you can make first. The license requires a permanent sales lot with an office, running water and sewer, a lot inspection, an 8-hour course and exam, a $50,000 surety bond and $1 million liability insurance, and each renewal requires 3 or more homes on the lot.
Selling even one home can require a license here.
Recent and upcoming changes
Amended MH-5 and bonding regulations took effect 2026-07-01. The prior MH-5 (rev. 2016-10-01) allowed a lot-less 'repossession and resale' retailer class with a $25,000 bond; that class does not appear in the 2026 bonding rules, which list only 'Retailer (with 1 or more Facilities)' at $50,000.
Exemptions found
What the law says
19 Miss. Admin. Code Pt. 7, R. 5.02.1-3(A): Any retailer or developer conducting retail business within this State shall apply for a license annually to sell Factory-Built homes to be shipped into or sited in Mississippi. This licensure also applies to anyone who buys, relocates, re-builds and sells Factory-Built home units or anyone who buys and sells but does not move or relocate repossessed or used Factory-Built homes. Miss. Code Ann. 75-49-9(5): After July 1, 1992, every manufacturer, transporter or installer or seller who first sells, manufactures, transports or installs a new or used factory-built home in this state, before such first construction, sale, transportation or installation shall apply for and obtain a license from the commissioner.
High confidence: checked against the official state code or the agency's own rules. Researched September 12, 2026.
You can sell or offer for sale up to 3 used manufactured homes in any 12-month period without registering. The 4th used home in 12 months, or even 1 new home, makes you a dealer who must register each sales location with the Missouri Public Service Commission. Offering a home for sale counts, not just closing.
The law draws the line at 3. Count every home in the period the law uses, check the exemptions, and keep a log.
Exemptions found
What the law says
"Dealer", any person, other than a manufacturer, who sells or offers for sale four or more used homes or one or more new manufactured homes, or one or more new modular units in any consecutive twelve-month period; [RSMo 700.010(4)] ... Every manufacturer or dealer who sells or offers for sale, on consignment or otherwise, a manufactured home or modular unit from or in the state of Missouri shall register with the commission each place of business at which the manufacturer or dealer sells or offers for sale a manufactured home or modular unit. [RSMo 700.090.1]
High confidence: checked against the official state code or the agency's own rules. Researched September 12, 2026.
Montana does not require a dealer license to buy and resell used manufactured homes. The manufactured home dealer licensing statute says it does not apply to used manufactured homes. Its license requirement only reaches homes not titled in the dealer's own name, and the motor vehicle dealer law excludes manufactured and mobile homes from 'trailer'. A license from the Motor Vehicle Division ($50,000 bond) is needed only to engage in the business of selling NEW manufactured homes, or brokering homes that are not titled in your name.
No state dealer license applies to reselling used homes. Title transfers, taxes and local rules still apply.
Exemptions found
What the law says
MCA 61-12-901(1): (a) Except as provided in subsection (1)(b), a person may not engage in the business of buying, selling, exchanging, accepting on consignment, or acting as a broker of a manufactured home that is not titled in the person's name unless the person is the holder of a manufactured home dealer's license issued by the department. (b) This section does not apply to a person buying, selling, exchanging, accepting on consignment, or acting as a broker of a used manufactured home that is not titled in the person's name. | MCA 61-1-101(79)(b) (definition of "Trailer"): The term does not include a mobile home or a manufactured home, as defined in 15-1-101.
High confidence: checked against the official state code or the agency's own rules. Researched September 12, 2026.
Nebraska has no safe number for flippers. The only count in the law, 8 sales in 12 months, caps the 'bona fide consumer' exception, which covers owners who bought a home to use and titled and registered it, not homes bought to resell. If you regularly buy homes to fix and resell, you need a dealer license from the Motor Vehicle Industry Licensing Board, and acting without one is a felony.
There is no number. If you buy homes to resell them for profit, plan on needing a license from your first resale.
Exemptions found
What the law says
Neb. Rev. Stat. 60-1401.37: Trailer dealer means any person, other than a bona fide consumer, actively and regularly engaged in the business of selling or exchanging new or used trailers and manufactured homes. ... Neb. Rev. Stat. 60-1401.07: Bona fide consumer means an owner of a motor vehicle, motorcycle, or trailer who has acquired such vehicle for use in business or for pleasure purposes, who has been granted a certificate of title on such motor vehicle, motorcycle, or trailer, and who has registered such motor vehicle, motorcycle, or trailer, all in accordance with the laws of the residence of the owner, except that no owner who sells more than eight registered motor vehicles, motorcycles, or trailers within a twelve-month period shall qualify as a bona fide consumer. ... Neb. Rev. Stat. 60-1403.01(1): No person shall engage in the business as, serve in the capacity of, or act as a motor vehicle, trailer, or motorcycle dealer ... without being licensed by the board under the Motor Vehicle Industry Regulation Act.
High confidence: checked against the official state code or the agency's own rules. Researched September 12, 2026.
Nevada has no safe number of sales. Buying manufactured homes to resell them, or selling one for compensation or profit, makes you a dealer who needs a Manufactured Housing Division license before the first deal. Selling your own private residence is exempt.
There is no number. If you buy homes to resell them for profit, plan on needing a license from your first resale.
Exemptions found
What the law says
"Dealer" means any person who: (a) For compensation, money or any other thing of value, sells, exchanges, buys or offers for sale, negotiates or attempts to negotiate a sale or exchange of an interest in a manufactured home, mobile home, manufactured building or commercial coach or factory-built housing subject to the requirements of this chapter ... (d) Is engaged wholly or in part in the business of: (1) Selling, renting or leasing manufactured homes, mobile homes, manufactured buildings, commercial coaches or factory-built housing; (2) Buying or taking manufactured homes, mobile homes, manufactured buildings, commercial coaches or factory-built housing in trade for the purpose of resale, selling or offering them for sale or consignment to be sold [NRS 489.076(1)] ... no person may engage or offer to engage in the business of a dealer, distributor, manufacturer, general serviceperson or specialty serviceperson in this State, or be entitled to any other license or permit required by this chapter, until the person has applied for and has been issued a license by the Division. [NRS 489.311(1)]
High confidence: checked against the official state code or the agency's own rules. Researched September 12, 2026.
No New Hampshire license to buy and resell used manufactured homes was found. The state defines a manufactured housing 'dealer or retailer' but licenses only installers, and a manufactured home placed on a site is real estate conveyed by deed. One risk: the motor vehicle code bars selling 5 or more 'vehicles' at retail in 12 months without a dealer license. It is written for car dealers, but if it were ever applied to homes, 4 a year would be the safe ceiling.
We could not confirm this rule from official sources. Ask the state licensing agency in writing before you sell, and keep the reply.
Exemptions found
Closest law found, not confirmed to apply
No manufactured home dealer licensing provision was found. "Dealer" or "retailer" means any person engaged in the retail selling or offering for sale, brokering, or distribution of manufactured houses, primarily to a person who purchases these houses for residential use. (RSA 205-D:1, IV) No person shall install any manufactured house subject to the provisions of this chapter without first obtaining a license from the board as required by this chapter. (RSA 205-D:7) Closest numeric test, in the motor vehicle code: No person may sell 5 or more vehicles at retail to the general public or export 5 or more vehicles outside the United States in any consecutive 12-month period unless the person has an established place of business and a valid dealer license issued under RSA 261:103-a. (RSA 261:103-b) Manufactured housing, as defined by RSA 674:31, shall be deemed a building for the purpose of paragraph I when such manufactured housing is placed on a site and tied into required utilities. (RSA 477:44, II)
Medium confidence: partly confirmed. Read the note above before relying on it. Researched September 12, 2026.
New Jersey treats a manufactured home that is not taxed as real property (for example, one in a mobile home park) as a motor vehicle, and a used motor vehicle dealer is anyone in the business of selling four or more a year, so three a year is the most you can sell without a Motor Vehicle Commission dealer license. Staying at three is not a full safe harbor: the statute separately bans being 'in the business' of selling motor vehicles without a license, and 'per year' is not defined as calendar or rolling.
The law names 3, but it also licenses anyone in the business. A buy-fix-resell operation can need a license before it reaches that number.
Exemptions found
What the law says
N.J.S.A. 39:10-19: "No person shall engage in the business of buying, selling or dealing in motor vehicles in this State, nor shall a person engage in activity that would qualify the person as a leasing dealer, as defined in section 2 of P.L.1994, c.190 (C.56:12-61), unless: a. the person is a licensed real estate broker acting as an agent or broker in the sale of mobile homes without their own motor power other than recreation vehicles as defined in section 3 of P.L.1990, c.103 (C.39:3-10.11), or manufactured homes as defined in section 3 of P.L.1983, c.400 (C.54:4-1.4); or b. the person is authorized to do so under the provisions of this chapter and P.L.1985, c.361 (C.56:10-26 et seq.)." N.J.S.A. 39:10-2: "'Used motor vehicle dealer' means a person engaged in the business of selling, buying or dealing in four or more used motor vehicles per year at an established place of business, but who is not a licensed new motor vehicle dealer." and "'New motor vehicle' means only a newly manufactured motor vehicle, except a nonconventional type motor vehicle, and includes all such vehicles propelled otherwise than by muscular power, and motorcycles, motorized bicycles, trailers and tractors, and manufactured homes not subject to real property taxation pursuant to P.L.1983, c.400 (C.54:4-1.2 et seq.), excepting such vehicles as run only upon rails or tracks and manufactured homes subject to real property taxation."
High confidence: checked against the official state code or the agency's own rules. Researched September 12, 2026.
New Mexico does not treat you as a dealer until you sell, exchange or lease-purchase 2 or more manufactured homes to consumers in any consecutive 12 months, so 1 is the limit and the second home needs a Manufactured Housing Division dealer license. Rent-to-own (lease-purchase) deals count toward the 2, and selling pre-owned homes for other people triggers a separate broker license at the same 2-home line.
The law draws the line at 1. Count every home in the period the law uses, check the exemptions, and keep a log.
Exemptions found
What the law says
NMSA 1978, Section 60-14-2(E): ""dealer" means any person engaged in the business of buying for resale, selling or exchanging manufactured homes or offering manufactured homes for sale, exchange or lease-purchase to consumers. No person shall be considered a dealer unless engaged in the sale, exchange or lease-purchase of two or more manufactured homes to consumers in any consecutive twelve-month period." 14.12.2.10(A) NMAC: "Any person who in any manner acts as a dealer in the transaction of more than one manufactured home in any consecutive 12-month period is required to be licensed as a dealer."
High confidence: checked against the official state code or the agency's own rules. Researched September 12, 2026.
New York has no free sales: you need a Department of State manufactured home retailer certification before you resell even one home you bought to flip, new or used. Certification needs a $25,000 bond (or letter of credit or deposit), a high school diploma or equivalent, one year of full-time industry experience, a 3-hour state-approved course and a $200 fee.
Selling even one home can require a license here.
Exemptions found
What the law says
Executive Law 602(1): "On and after July first, two thousand six, no person or business entity shall manufacture, including the manufacture outside the state of New York for sale into the state of New York, sell, install or service any manufactured home in the state of New York, unless such person or business entity has obtained the appropriate certification from the department pursuant to this article." 19 NYCRR 1210.3(a): "On and after July 1, 2006, no person or business entity shall manufacture any manufactured home outside the State of New York for sale into the State of New York, or manufacture, sell (other than in a non-retail sale), install, or service any manufactured home in the State of New York, unless such person or business entity has obtained the appropriate certification from the Department of State pursuant to Article 21-B." 19 NYCRR 1210.2(u): "The term non-retail sale shall mean: (1) the sale of a manufactured home to a certified retailer for the purpose of resale by such certified retailer, or (2) the resale of a manufactured home by a person who, in good faith, originally purchased such manufactured home for such person's personal residential use, or (3) the sale of a manufactured home by a referee or any similar officer in connection with the foreclosure of a security interest, mortgage, or other lien in or on such manufactured home, or by a lending entity acting pursuant to a power of sale [...] or (4) the sale of a manufactured home by the owner or operator a manufactured home park to a new manufactured home tenant in such manufactured home park, provided that: [...] (iv) the owner or operator of such manufactured home park has not made more than 3 similar sales in the 12 months preceding such sale;"
High confidence: checked against the official state code or the agency's own rules. Researched September 12, 2026.
Buying, selling, offering or displaying 3 or more manufactured homes in any 12 months makes you presumed to be a dealer, so 2 is the most; buying counts, so buying a third fixer home in 12 months triggers it before you sell anything. Anyone engaged in the business of buying or selling homes is a dealer at any count, and acting as a dealer without a Manufactured Housing Board license is a Class 1 misdemeanor.
Going past 2 makes the state presume you are a dealer. Staying under it does not exempt you: anyone in the business of buying and selling homes needs a license at any count.
Exemptions found
What the law says
(7) Manufactured home dealer or dealer. - Any person engaged in the business of buying or selling manufactured homes or offering or displaying manufactured homes for sale in North Carolina. Any person who buys or sells three or more manufactured homes in any 12-month period, or who offers or displays for sale three or more manufactured homes in any 12-month period shall be presumed to be a manufactured home dealer. The terms "selling" and "sale" include lease-purchase transactions. The term "manufactured home dealer" does not include banks and finance companies that acquire manufactured homes as an incident to their regular business. (G.S. 143-143.9(7))
High confidence: checked against the official state code or the agency's own rules. Researched September 12, 2026.
North Dakota sets no number. If you are in the business of buying and selling mobile or manufactured homes, or advertise or hold yourself out as being in that business, you need a mobile home and manufactured home dealer license from NDDOT. A car dealer license does not cover these homes.
There is no number. If you buy homes to resell them for profit, plan on needing a license from your first resale.
Exemptions found
What the law says
N.D.C.C. 39-18-01(1): A person may not engage in the business of buying, selling, or exchanging of mobile homes, manufactured homes, or travel trailers, or advertise or hold that person out to the public as being in the business of buying, selling, or exchanging of mobile homes, manufactured homes, or travel trailers without first being licensed.
High confidence: checked against the official state code or the agency's own rules. Researched September 12, 2026.
More than 5 casual sales of manufactured or mobile homes in 12 months requires an Ohio manufactured housing dealer license, so 5 is the most. But anyone engaged in the business of displaying or selling homes at retail needs the license at any count, and Ohio defines 'business' as any activity for gain, so a buy-fix-resell operation can need a license before its sixth sale.
The law names 5, but it also licenses anyone in the business. A buy-fix-resell operation can need a license before it reaches that number.
Exemptions found
What the law says
(A) Except as provided in division (E) of this section, no person shall do any of the following: (1) Engage in the business of displaying or selling at retail manufactured homes or mobile homes or assume to engage in that business, unless the person is licensed as a manufactured housing dealer under this chapter, or is a salesperson licensed under this chapter and employed by a licensed manufactured housing dealer; (2) Make more than five casual sales of manufactured homes or mobile homes in a twelve-month period without obtaining a license as a manufactured housing dealer under this chapter; (ORC 4781.16(A)(1)-(2))
High confidence: checked against the official state code or the agency's own rules. Researched September 12, 2026.
Oklahoma has no free number of sales. Anyone who sells or offers a new or used manufactured home with intent to make a profit is a manufactured home dealer and needs an OUMVDMHC license from the first resale, unless the home was your own personal residence or was bought for a purpose other than resale.
There is no number. If you buy homes to resell them for profit, plan on needing a license from your first resale.
Exemptions found
What the law says
6. a. "Manufactured home dealer" means any person who: (1) works for a commission or with intent to make a profit or gain of money or other thing of value, sells, offers to sell, or attempts to negotiate a sale or exchange of interest in, new or used manufactured homes, (2) is engaged wholly or in part in the business of selling any new and unused, or used, or both new and used manufactured homes [...] 47 O.S. 583(A)(1): It shall be unlawful and constitute a misdemeanor for any person to engage in business as, or serve in the capacity of, or act as a [...] manufactured home dealer [...] in this state without first obtaining a license or following other requirements therefor as provided in this section.
High confidence: checked against the official state code or the agency's own rules. Researched September 12, 2026.
Oregon exempts an owner from the manufactured structure dealer license only if the home was owned for personal, family or household use, so a home bought to fix and resell is not covered and even one resale can be the crime of unlicensed dealing. Selling 2 or more in a calendar year (not a rolling 12 months) also puts the burden on you to prove personal use, which is why 1 is the number here; it is not a safe harbor for flips.
The law names 1, but it also licenses anyone in the business. A buy-fix-resell operation can need a license before it reaches that number.
Exemptions found
What the law says
ORS 446.671(1): "Except as provided in ORS 446.676, a person commits the crime of acting as a manufactured structure dealer without a license if the person does not have a valid, current manufactured structure dealer license issued under ORS 446.691 or 446.696 or a temporary or limited manufactured structure dealer license issued under ORS 446.701 or 446.706 and the person: (a) Sells, brokers, trades or exchanges a manufactured structure, or offers to sell, trade or exchange a manufactured structure, either outright or by means of any conditional sale, consignment or otherwise;" ORS 446.676(2): "The owner of a manufactured structure, as shown by a document evidencing ownership issued by any jurisdiction if the person owned the manufactured structure for personal, family or household purposes. If the person sells, trades, displays or offers for sale, trade or exchange two or more manufactured structures during a calendar year, the person has the burden of proving that the person owned the structures primarily for personal, family or household purposes."
High confidence: checked against the official state code or the agency's own rules. Researched September 12, 2026.
Pennsylvania licenses used manufactured home and mobile home dealers under the Board of Vehicles Act. The Act does not require a license for buying, selling or exchanging fewer than five manufactured or mobile homes in one calendar year, so 4 is the most. The count is per calendar year, not rolling 12 months, and the exemption counts purchases as well as sales, so an investor who buys and sells different homes in the same year should count both.
The law draws the line at 4. Count every home in the period the law uses, check the exemptions, and keep a log.
Recent and upcoming changes
Act 51 of 2026 (P.L.549, July 20, 2026) amended the Board of Vehicles Act, but the amended provisions seen concern trailer dealers and new-dealer franchise rules; sections 102 (dealer classes), 303, 325 and 328 do not show a 2026 amendment note.
Exemptions found
What the law says
This act shall not be construed to require licensure and registration in the following cases: ... (4) The sale, exchange or purchase of fewer than five manufactured housing or mobile homes by a person in one calendar year. [Board of Vehicles Act section 325, 63 P.S. 818.325] ... (4) A used manufactured housing or mobile home dealer, who is a person engaged in the business of buying, selling or exchanging used manufactured housing or mobile homes for commission, compensation or other consideration. [section 102, definition of "Dealer"] ... it shall be unlawful for any person to engage in the business as a salesperson, dealer, branch lot, wholesale vehicle auction, public or retail vehicle auction, manufacturer, factory branch, distributor, distributor branch, factory representative or distributor representative within this Commonwealth unless the person has secured a license as required under this chapter. [section 303(a)(1)]
High confidence: checked against the official state code or the agency's own rules. Researched September 12, 2026.
Rhode Island has no dealer license written for mobile or manufactured homes; the only sales count in state law is the motor vehicle dealer rule, where selling more than four vehicles in one calendar year makes you a dealer. It is unclear whether that rule reaches mobile homes, so four sales per calendar year is the conservative ceiling, and above that you should get a written answer from the Division of Motor Vehicles dealer licensing office first.
We could not confirm this rule from official sources. Ask the state licensing agency in writing before you sell, and keep the reply.
Exemptions found
Closest law found, not confirmed to apply
R.I. Gen. Laws 31-5-5: "No motor vehicle dealer shall engage in business as a dealer in this state without a license for it as provided in §§ 31-5-6 — 31-5-10. Any person, firm, or corporation who sells or acts as a broker with respect to the sale of more than four (4) vehicles in any one calendar year shall be considered a motor vehicle dealer." R.I. Gen. Laws 31-1-3(hh): ""Vehicle" means every device in, upon, or by which any person or property is or may be transported or drawn upon a highway, except devices used exclusively upon stationary rails or tracks." 280-RICR-30-20-1.5(A)(19): "Motor vehicle" means every vehicle intended primarily for use and operation on the public highways which is self- propelled, not including farm tractors and other machines and tools used in the production, harvesting and care of farm products.
Medium confidence: partly confirmed. Read the note above before relying on it. Researched September 12, 2026.
Buying, selling or dealing in 3 or more manufactured homes in any 12 months, or offering or displaying 3 or more for sale, makes you a retail dealer by statute, so 2 is the most, and buying counts toward the 3. Separately, anyone engaged in the business of buying and selling homes is a dealer at any count, and getting licensed takes 2 years of industry experience, a CPA-reviewed financial statement and a $30,000 bond.
The law names 2, but it also licenses anyone in the business. A buy-fix-resell operation can need a license before it reaches that number.
Exemptions found
What the law says
(15) "Manufactured home retail dealer" means a person engaged in the business of buying, selling, offering for sale, or dealing in manufactured homes or offering for display manufactured homes for sale in South Carolina. A person who buys, sells, or deals in three or more manufactured homes in any twelve-month period or who offers or displays for sale three or more manufactured homes in a twelve-month period is considered a manufactured home retail dealer. "Selling" and "sale" include lease-purchase transactions. (S.C. Code 40-29-20(15))
High confidence: checked against the official state code or the agency's own rules. Researched September 12, 2026.
In South Dakota, selling even one mobile or manufactured home to make a profit makes you a 'dealer', and you need a Department of Revenue license before you offer or advertise it. The fewer-than-five-vehicles exemption for car sellers does not cover manufactured homes or used mobile homes.
There is no number. If you buy homes to resell them for profit, plan on needing a license from your first resale.
Exemptions found
What the law says
SDCL 32-7A-1(2): "Dealer," any person, other than a manufacturer of a mobile home or a manufactured home, who, for a commission or with the intent to make a profit or gain, sells, exchanges, rents with option to purchase, offers or attempts to negotiate a sale, or makes an exchange of a mobile or manufactured home or who is engaged in the business of selling mobile or manufactured homes; ... SDCL 32-7A-3: No person may engage in the business, either exclusively or in addition to any other occupation, of selling or manufacturing mobile homes or manufactured homes, new or used, or shall offer to sell, solicit, or advertise the sale of mobile homes or manufactured homes, new or used, without first having acquired a license to do so. Any violation of this section is a Class 2 misdemeanor. Any subsequent violation that occurs within two years from any violation of this section is a Class 1 misdemeanor.
High confidence: checked against the official state code or the agency's own rules. Researched September 12, 2026.
Tennessee has no safe number: anyone engaged in the sale, leasing, or distribution of used manufactured homes is a retailer and must hold a State Fire Marshal retailer license before doing business, so a single buy-fix-resell sale can require one. The exemption an individual can use is selling a home you owned for personal use, which the statute defines as use not connected with a business or an income-producing activity.
There is no number. If you buy homes to resell them for profit, plan on needing a license from your first resale.
Exemptions found
What the law says
(6)(A) "Retailer" means any person: (i) Engaged in the sale, leasing, or distribution of new manufactured homes primarily to persons who in good faith purchase or lease a manufactured home for purposes other than resale; or (ii) Engaged in the sale, leasing, or distribution of used manufactured homes; (B) "Retailer" does not include any person who sells or leases a manufactured home, if such manufactured home was owned for such person's personal use prior to such sale or lease; any person or persons owning manufactured homes for the purpose of renting or leasing only; or any financial institution that is engaged in the sale, leasing, or distribution of new and used manufactured homes; (TCA 68-126-202(6)). (a)(1) It is unlawful to engage in business in this state as a manufacturer or retailer prior to obtaining a license from the commissioner. (TCA 68-126-206(a)(1))
Medium confidence: partly confirmed. Read the note above before relying on it. Researched September 12, 2026.
You may sell or offer up to three manufactured homes in any 12-month period without a retailer's license, but only after TDHCA issues you a Letter of Exemption naming those homes; TDHCA's rule says the homes may not be sold until the letter is granted. A fourth home in 12 months needs a retailer's license, and a salvaged home can only be sold to a licensed retailer and only a licensed retailer may rebuild one.
The law draws the line at 3. Count every home in the period the law uses, check the exemptions, and keep a log.
Exemptions found
What the law says
Sec. 1201.101(b) Except as otherwise provided by this chapter, a person may not sell or exchange, or or offer to sell or exchange, two or more manufactured homes to consumers in this state in a 12-month period unless the person holds a retailer's license. [...] Sec. 1201.1025(a) Notwithstanding any other law, in any 12-month period a person is exempt from holding a retailer's license as required by Section 1201.101(b) if during that period the person sells or offers to sell not more than three manufactured homes.
High confidence: checked against the official state code or the agency's own rules. Researched September 12, 2026.
Utah has no safe number. Anyone engaged in the sale of manufactured or mobile homes must register with the Division of Professional Licensing as a factory built housing dealer, unless they are not regularly engaged in selling them and are selling a home they own for their own account. 'Regularly engaged' is not defined, so someone buying and reselling homes as a repeat activity should assume registration is required. Unregistered selling is a class A misdemeanor.
There is no number. If you buy homes to resell them for profit, plan on needing a license from your first resale.
Exemptions found
What the law says
Utah Code 58-56-16(1): Each person engaged in the sale of factory built housing in the state, except as provided in Subsection (4), shall register with the division as a dealer. | 58-56-16(4): Subsection (1) does not apply to: (a) a person not regularly engaged in the sale of factory built housing who is selling a unit the person owns for the person's own account; | Utah Code 15A-1-302(4): "Factory built housing" means a manufactured home or mobile home.
High confidence: checked against the official state code or the agency's own rules. Researched September 12, 2026.
No Vermont license to buy and resell used mobile homes was found. Vermont mobile homes change hands on a town-clerk Mobile Home Uniform Bill of Sale, not a DMV title, and the mobile home statutes name no licensing agency. One risk is unresolved: Vermont's DMV dealer law treats selling even one 'trailer coach' (a towable trailer used as living quarters) in a year as being in the business, and a towable mobile home could arguably fit, so confirm with Vermont DMV Dealer Services before flipping more than one a year.
We could not confirm this rule from official sources. Ask the state licensing agency in writing before you sell, and keep the reply.
Exemptions found
Closest law found, not confirmed to apply
No mobile home dealer licensing provision was found. Closest test, in the motor vehicle dealer law: (8)(A)(i) "Dealer" means a person, partnership, corporation, or other entity engaged in the business of selling or exchanging new or used motor vehicles, snowmobiles, motorboats, or all-terrain vehicles. ... (ii)(III) For a dealer in trailers, semi-trailers, or trailer coaches, "engaged in the business" means having sold or exchanged at least one trailer, semi-trailer, or trailer coach in the immediately preceding year or a combination of two such vehicles in the two immediately preceding years. However, the sale or exchange of a trailer with a gross vehicle weight rating of 3,500 pounds or less shall be excluded under this subdivision (III). ... (41) "Trailer coach" shall mean any trailer or semi-trailer designed to be towed by a motor vehicle and designed, equipped, or used for sleeping, eating, or living quarters. (23 V.S.A. §4) (a) A person shall not engage in the business of selling or exchanging vehicles or motorboats, as defined in subdivision 4(8) of this title, without a dealer registration and obtaining dealer plates or motorboat registrations ... (23 V.S.A. §473(a))
Medium confidence: partly confirmed. Read the note above before relying on it. Researched September 12, 2026.
Virginia presumes you are a manufactured home dealer if you buy, sell or deal in 3 or more manufactured homes in any 12-month period, so 2 homes is the most you can handle without triggering the presumption. Purchases count as well as sales, lease-purchase (rent-to-own) deals count as sales, and the presumption is rebuttable in both directions: anyone actually engaged in the business needs a Virginia Manufactured Housing Board dealer license even below 3, and dealing without one is a Class 1 misdemeanor.
Going past 2 makes the state presume you are a dealer. Staying under it does not exempt you: anyone in the business of buying and selling homes needs a license at any count.
Exemptions found
What the law says
"Manufactured home dealer" or "dealer" means any person, resident or nonresident, engaged in the business of buying, selling or dealing in manufactured homes or offering or displaying manufactured homes for sale in Virginia. Any person who buys, sells, or deals in three or more manufactured homes in any 12-month period shall be presumed to be a manufactured home dealer. The terms "selling" and "sale" include lease-purchase transactions. The term "manufactured home dealer" does not include banks and finance companies that acquire manufactured homes as an incident to their regular business. (Va. Code 36-85.16; identical wording in 13VAC6-20-10)
High confidence: checked against the official state code or the agency's own rules. Researched September 12, 2026.
Washington makes it a gross misdemeanor to buy and sell 5 or more mobile or manufactured homes in 12 months without a mobile home dealer license, so 4 is the hard ceiling. It is not a flipper's safe harbor: the same law covers anyone who 'in any other way' acts as a dealer, and the Department of Licensing says buying and selling homes to make a profit needs a license at any number, with only an isolated sale of a home titled to you exempt.
The law names 4, but it also licenses anyone in the business. A buy-fix-resell operation can need a license before it reaches that number.
Exemptions found
What the law says
RCW 46.70.021(3)(a): "Except as provided in (b) of this subsection, a person or firm engaged in buying and offering for sale, or buying and selling five or more vehicles in a twelve-month period, or in any other way engaged in dealer activity without holding a vehicle dealer license, is guilty of a gross misdemeanor, and upon conviction subject to a fine of up to five thousand dollars for each violation and up to three hundred sixty-four days in jail." RCW 46.70.011(17)(b): "A "mobile home and travel trailer dealer" is a vehicle dealer that deals in mobile homes, park trailers, or travel trailers, or more than one type of these vehicles;" RCW 46.70.011(18)(d): "Any person engaged in an isolated sale of a vehicle in which that person is the registered or legal owner, or both, thereof;" RCW 46.70.290: "The provisions of chapter 46.70 RCW shall apply to the distribution and sale of mobile homes and to mobile home dealers, distributors, manufacturers, factory representatives, or other persons engaged in such distribution and sale to the same extent as for motor vehicles." DOL manufactured home dealer page: "If you don't have a dealer license, it's illegal to: Sell more than 4 mobile homes, manufactured homes, or trailers registered to you in any 12 months; Buy and sell mobile homes, manufactured homes, or trailers to make a profit; Sell mobile homes, manufactured homes, or trailers that aren't registered to you"
High confidence: checked against the official state code or the agency's own rules. Researched September 12, 2026.
West Virginia has no safe number: anyone engaged in the business of selling new or used manufactured homes to end buyers needs a dealer license from the Board of Manufactured Housing Construction and Safety (Division of Labor), and the DMV separately licenses 'house trailer dealers', a class the statute defines to include new or used manufactured and mobile homes. A DMV rule presumes dealer status at 5 or more vehicle sales in 12 months, but the Labor Board license has no count at all, so staying under 5 is not a safe harbor.
There is no number. If you buy homes to resell them for profit, plan on needing a license from your first resale.
Recent and upcoming changes
No enacted amendment found. Both implementing rules carry sunset dates: 42CSR19 (Labor Board) terminates 2028-08-01 and 91CSR6 (DMV dealer licensing) 2029-08-01 unless renewed.
Exemptions found
What the law says
W. Va. Code 21-9-2(d): "Dealer" means any person engaged in this state in the sale, leasing, or distributing of new or used manufactured homes, primarily to persons who in good faith purchase or lease a manufactured home for purposes other than resale. W. Va. Code 21-9-9(a): No manufacturer, dealer, distributor, or contractor shall engage in business in this state without first having applied for and received a license pursuant to this section. W. Va. Code 17A-6-1(a)(3): "House trailer dealer" means every person (other than agents and employees, if any, while acting within the scope of their authority or employment), engaged in, or held out to the public to be engaged in, the business in this state of selling new or used house trailers, or both, or new or used, or both, house trailers and trailers or new or used, or both, manufactured homes, and mobile homes.
High confidence: checked against the official state code or the agency's own rules. Researched September 12, 2026.
Wisconsin lets you sell no more than one manufactured home (new or used) per CALENDAR year without a DSPS dealer license; selling a second home in the same January-December year requires one. The count resets on January 1, not on a rolling 12 months, and anyone engaged in the business of selling homes needs a license anyway.
The law names 1, but it also licenses anyone in the business. A buy-fix-resell operation can need a license before it reaches that number.
Exemptions found
What the law says
Wis. Admin. Code SPS 305.003(38): "Manufactured home dealer" has the meaning given in s. 101.91 (3), Stats., except for a person who sells no more than one new or used manufactured home in any one calendar year. | Wis. Stat. 101.91(3): "Manufactured home dealer" means a person who, for a commission or other thing of value, sells, exchanges, buys or rents, or offers or attempts to negotiate a sale or exchange of an interest in, manufactured homes or who is engaged wholly or partially in the business of selling manufactured homes, whether or not the manufactured homes are owned by the person, but does not include: ... (e) A person transferring a manufactured home used for that person's personal, family or household purposes, if the transfer is an occasional sale and is not part of the business of the transferor. | Wis. Stat. 101.951(1): No person may engage in the business of selling manufactured homes to a consumer or to the retail market in this state unless first licensed to do so by the department as provided in this section.
High confidence: checked against the official state code or the agency's own rules. Researched September 12, 2026.
Not established. Wyoming has no manufactured or mobile home dealer licensing law that we could find. Its only mobile home 'dealer' definition sits in the Mobile Home Warranty Act, which imposes warranty duties, not a license. WYDOT licenses 'vehicle dealers' who sell 3 or more vehicles in 12 consecutive months, but that law never mentions manufactured or mobile homes, and no source says whether WYDOT applies it to them. Until WYDOT Motor Vehicle Services confirms in writing, a Wyoming flipper should not assume either answer.
We could not confirm this rule from official sources. Ask the state licensing agency in writing before you sell, and keep the reply.
Exemptions found
Closest law found, not confirmed to apply
W.S. 31-16-101(a)(xviii): "Vehicle dealer" or "dealer" means any person engaged in the business of selling or exchanging vehicles or who buys and sells, or exchanges retail three (3) or more vehicles or six (6) or more new vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating over twenty-six thousand (26,000) pounds in any twelve (12) consecutive month period | W.S. 35-18-102(a)(v): "Mobile home dealer" or "dealer" means a person who, for anything of value, sells, exchanges, buys or rents, or attempts to negotiate a sale or exchange of an interest in mobile homes, or who is engaged wholly or in part in the business of selling mobile homes, whether or not the mobile homes are owned by him, excluding: ... (E) A person transferring a mobile home registered in his own name and used for his personal, family or household purposes, if the transfer is an occasional sale and is not part of the business of the transferor.
Low confidence. Researched September 12, 2026.
Because the answer turns on facts a form cannot see. Illinois, Idaho, North Carolina and Pennsylvania count homes you buy, not only homes you sell. Idaho, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin count by calendar year instead of a rolling 12 months. Colorado's owner exemption covers a person and not an LLC, and Idaho's appears to work the same way. And in 11 states a business test reaches below the number. A yes-or-no answer would be wrong for real people, so each state shows its rule and its law instead.
In Texas, Pennsylvania, Idaho and Arizona the law exempts sales under the number, and New Mexico says no one is a dealer below it, so the number is a real line. In Louisiana, Maryland, North Carolina and Virginia the number only creates a presumption that you are a dealer, and the same law also covers anyone in the business at any count. Staying under a presumption number is not an exemption.
No. Texas exempts up to three homes in a rolling 12 months, but TDHCA's rules say the homes may not be sold until a Letter of Exemption is granted (10 TAC §80.41(g)(3)(D)). Apply before you sell, not after.
No. A dealer license is about how many homes you sell and whether you are in the business. Carrying a note for your buyer falls under separate federal and state lending rules, which have their own counts. Clearing one does not clear the other.
It ranges widely. Wisconsin fines $25 to $100 per offense. North Carolina, Virginia and Oregon make it a misdemeanor. Nebraska makes it a felony. Each state's section lists the penalty found in its law.
Every state was researched on September 12, 2026. Laws change, and some already are: Louisiana moves dealer licensing to its contractors board on January 1, 2027, with a $250,000 bond, and Maine moved its licensing to the Office of Community Affairs on July 29, 2026. Where a change is on record, the state's section says so.
Each state was researched from its statute or its licensing agency's rules, and the text that sets the test is quoted word for word in that state's section, with links. The 18 states covered in an earlier pass were researched a second time against official sources, and that second pass corrected seven of them. Confidence is stated for every state.
Found something out of date? Email hello@trailertrashcash.com with the state and the source.
The toolkit's book covers dealer licensing and the tax side of crossing into dealer status. The contracts, the deal calculator and the field checklists come with it.
