Somewhere in your loan file there’s a line asking for the HUD label numbers, the data plate, or both. Some people call the label a HUD tag. Same thing.
They’re two different pieces of paperwork the factory put on your home the day it was built. One is on the outside, one is on the inside, and lenders check both. If you can find them, this takes five minutes. If one is missing, it takes a request to the right office and some waiting, and the sooner that request goes in, the better.
This page covers what each one is, where to look, and who to contact if one is gone. One thing up front: this is paperwork, not engineering. Neither the label nor the data plate is something a foundation inspection creates or replaces. We’ll tell you where that line sits at the end.
The Short Version
| HUD label | Data plate | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A small aluminum plate certifying the section was built to HUD’s code | A paper sheet listing how the home was built and what it was designed for |
| Where it is | Outside, on the back end of each section | Inside, usually near the electrical panel, in a kitchen cabinet, or in a bedroom closet |
| How many | One per section, so a two-section home has two | One per home |
| If it’s missing | Order a Label Verification Letter | Order a copy of the original, or a substitute certificate |
| Who issues the replacement | IBTS, HUD’s contractor | IBTS, or the manufacturer |
Both exist only on homes built on or after June 15, 1976, the date HUD’s construction code took effect. A home built before that date doesn’t have either one, and there’s nothing to order.
What the HUD Label Is
The HUD label, officially the certification label, is the factory’s statement that a section of the home was built and inspected to the Federal Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards. It’s the thing that makes a home a manufactured home in HUD’s eyes.
Federal rules spell out exactly what it looks like:
- Aluminum, about 2 by 4 inches, etched or stamped, and fastened with rivets or screws so it can’t come off without being damaged.
- One on every transportable section. A single-section home has one. A two-section home has two, each with its own number.
- On the outside, at the back end of the section (the taillight end, the end away from where it was towed from), about a foot up from the floor and a foot in from the side.
- A three-letter prefix and a six-digit number, like
RAD 000001. The letters identify the inspection agency that watched the home being built.
The label numbers matter more than the plate itself. Lenders and appraisers record them, and they’re also printed on the data plate inside, which is how a missing label gets traced later.
Where people lose track of it: skirting covers it, siding was installed over it, it was painted over, or a section was rearranged during setup and the plate ended up somewhere nobody thinks to look. Before you assume it’s gone, check every face of the back end of each section, including behind the skirting.
What the Data Plate Is
The data plate is a paper sheet, roughly the size of a letter page, fixed inside the home. HUD’s rules ask that it be near the main electrical panel or somewhere else easy to see. In practice it’s usually in one of three places:
- On or near the electrical panel door
- Inside a kitchen cabinet door
- Inside the primary bedroom closet
It’s the home’s build sheet. By federal rule, it lists:
- The manufacturer’s name and plant address
- The serial number, model, and date of manufacture
- The HUD label numbers for every section
- The wind zone and roof load zone the home was designed for, with the maps
- The major factory-installed appliances
- The agency that approved the design
Underwriters and appraisers lean on it because it answers questions nothing else in the file does. The serial number and label numbers tie the physical home to its paperwork. The wind zone and roof load zone show what conditions the home was designed for.
It’s paper, so it goes missing more often than the label does. Kitchens get remodeled, cabinets get replaced, closets get painted, and nobody thinks twice about the sheet glued inside the door.
If the HUD Label Is Missing
HUD does not reissue labels. There’s no way to get a new metal plate made for your home.
What you can get instead is a Label Verification Letter, issued by the Institute for Building Technology and Safety (IBTS), the contractor HUD uses to keep these records. The letter confirms the label numbers that were assigned to your home at the factory, along with the manufacturer and the date it was built. Most lenders accept it in place of the missing plate. Ask yours to confirm before you order, because lender policy genuinely varies.
To order one, IBTS needs either:
- The HUD label number, if you have it from the data plate or old loan paperwork, or
- The complete serial number for every section, plus the manufacturer’s name
The serial number is on the data plate if that’s still in the home. It’s also on the title, and on prior closing documents if the home has been financed before.
HUD’s own page on labels explains the policy and links to the request system. Read it at hud.gov. Orders go through IBTS online or by mail, and IBTS’s label department can be reached at (866) 482-8868. There’s a fee, and a faster turnaround costs more. Check IBTS for current prices rather than going by an old form.
If the Data Plate Is Missing
Two places can help.
IBTS can send a copy of the original data plate if it has one on file. If it doesn’t, it can issue a substitute document in its place, which IBTS calls a Performance Certificate. IBTS takes data plate orders through the same system as label letters, using the same serial number and manufacturer information.
The manufacturer, if it’s still in business, may also be able to provide a copy. HUD points owners there and to the inspection agency that worked in the plant. In practice, most people go through IBTS because it handles both documents in one request.
If both the label and the data plate are gone, order both at the same time. They come from the same place, and they go into the same file.
Why the Lender Cares
Government-backed loans on manufactured homes, FHA in particular, are only available for homes built to HUD’s code. The label and data plate are how a lender proves that the home in front of the appraiser is the one in the paperwork, and that it was built to that code.
In most cases, the appraiser records the label numbers during the site visit, and the underwriter checks them against the data plate and the title. When something doesn’t match or isn’t there, the file waits until it’s resolved. Some lenders want the replacement document before they’ll order anything else. Others let the rest of the file move forward at the same time. Ask yours which it is.
Order it as soon as you know it’s missing. The replacement doesn’t come instantly, and a closing date doesn’t wait for paperwork.
What We Do and Don’t Do
We don’t replace HUD labels or data plates, and no engineer does. That’s a records question, and IBTS is the right place for it.
What we do is the other document most manufactured home loans ask for: the foundation certification, a signed and sealed letter from a licensed professional engineer stating that the foundation meets HUD’s Permanent Foundations Guide for Manufactured Housing. If you’re not sure what that guide is, we wrote a full explanation of the PFGMH.
The two run side by side. A missing data plate doesn’t change what we look at under the home, and our letter doesn’t stand in for a label. If your lender has asked for both, start the IBTS request and schedule the foundation inspection the same day. Neither one waits on the other.
If It’s the Foundation
That part we can settle quickly.
A foundation certification from Person Engineering is a flat $500 anywhere in North Carolina, additions inspection included. We quote 2 to 4 business days. You don’t need to know anything about your foundation, and you don’t need the data plate in hand. We need the address.
Call (919) 496-5228 and you’ll reach someone who handles manufactured home certifications every day.
FAQ
What is a HUD data plate?
A paper sheet fixed inside a manufactured home, usually near the electrical panel, in a kitchen cabinet, or in a bedroom closet. It lists the manufacturer, serial number, date of manufacture, HUD label numbers, the wind and roof load zones the home was designed for, and the major factory-installed appliances.
What is a HUD label or HUD tag?
An aluminum plate, about 2 by 4 inches, fixed to the outside of each section of a manufactured home at the back end. It certifies that the section was built to HUD’s construction code and carries a three-letter, six-digit number. A two-section home has two labels.
Can I get a replacement HUD label?
No. HUD does not reissue labels. Instead, you can order a Label Verification Letter from IBTS, HUD’s contractor, which confirms the label numbers originally assigned to your home. Most lenders accept the letter in place of the missing label.
How do I get a copy of my data plate?
Order it from IBTS using your home’s serial number and manufacturer name. If IBTS doesn’t have a copy of the original, it can issue a substitute Performance Certificate. The manufacturer may also be able to help if it’s still in business.
Where do I find my home’s serial number if the data plate is gone?
On the title, and on closing paperwork from any earlier loan on the home. IBTS needs either the HUD label number or the complete serial number for every section, along with the manufacturer’s name.
Does a home built before 1976 have a HUD label?
No. HUD’s construction code took effect on June 15, 1976, and only homes built on or after that date carry a HUD label and data plate. IBTS doesn’t issue verification letters for homes built earlier.
Will an engineer replace a missing HUD label?
No. Labels and data plates are factory records, and replacements come from IBTS or the manufacturer. An engineer’s foundation certification is a separate document that lenders ask for alongside them, not instead of them.
