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A mobile home may only go in a park. A manufactured home can go on your lot.
Two words that sound interchangeable and are not
People use mobile home and manufactured home as if they were the same thing. Fremont County's code does not, and the difference decides something quite large: whether the unit can go on your land at all.
“Mobile Homes are not Manufactured Homes. Mobile homes as defined in Idaho Code 39-4105, may only be permanently located in mobile home parks.”
— Fremont County Development Code, 2011 Edition (Ordinance 2011-04), Appendix Q, section 1.02.050. Consolidated through Ordinance 2026-03. Retrieved 1 September 2026
Read that twice if you are shopping. A mobile home may only be permanently located in a mobile home park. Not on your acreage, not on a lot in town. The appendix does contemplate exceptions to that requirement, but the default is a flat prohibition outside a park.
A manufactured home is a different matter entirely. It may be placed outside a park, subject to a short list of standards. So the first question on any purchase is not what the seller calls it — it is which of the two definitions in Idaho Code 39-4105 the unit actually falls under. That statute is where both definitions live; the county's appendix points at it rather than restating it, and so does this page.
What a manufactured home has to satisfy outside a park
Where the unit is a manufactured home and is going somewhere other than a park, Appendix Q sets aesthetic and placement standards. They are not onerous, but each of them has cost attached and they are better known before purchase than after delivery.
| Standard | What Appendix Q requires |
|---|---|
| Foundation | Placed in accordance with the State of Idaho adopted setup standards for a permanent type foundation, and completely enclosed at the perimeter |
| Roof pitch | A pitched roof slope of not less than 3:12 |
| Skirting and roofing | Exterior skirting and roofing which in colour, material and appearance is comparable to the predominant materials used on the structure and in harmony with the surrounding built environment |
| Everything else | Subject to all zoning, setbacks, minimum lot size, and sanitary requirements like any other dwelling |
The roof pitch is the one that most often rules a specific unit out. 3:12 is a real pitch, and a good deal of what is on a dealer's lot is flatter than that. It is a specification to check on the model, not an assumption to make about the category.
The foundation requirement carries the same warning. A permanent-type foundation completely enclosed at the perimeter is a different job, and a different price, from setting a unit on piers and skirting it. That difference belongs in the budget at the point of choosing the home rather than arriving as a surprise from the installer.
The harmony standard is a judgement, and that is deliberate
Most of the appendix is measurable. The skirting and roofing requirement is not: it asks for materials comparable to the structure and in harmony with the surrounding built environment.
That is a judgement call by design, and it means the answer is partly about your neighbours' houses rather than only about yours. The practical implication is that this is a conversation to have with the county before ordering, since the same unit may satisfy it on one street and be questioned on another.
Three things follow that are worth doing rather than assuming:
- Take photographs of the surrounding built environment along with the manufacturer's specification, so the comparison is being made on evidence rather than description.
- Ask the question in advance and in writing, because a judgement standard answered before purchase is cheap and the same question answered after delivery is not.
- Treat the skirting as part of the house rather than as a trim item, since the standard names it explicitly alongside roofing.
What to have in hand before signing anything, because each item changes either the price or the possibility:
- The unit's classification under Idaho Code 39-4105, in writing from the seller rather than inferred from the brochure.
- The roof pitch of the specific model, checked against the 3:12 minimum.
- A foundation quote to the State of Idaho permanent setup standards, enclosed at the perimeter.
- The skirting and roofing specification, in colour and material, ready to compare against the neighbouring houses.
- The lot's minimum size, its setbacks, and how wastewater will be handled.
- Whether the ground is inside the city or in the county, since that decides which rules are read first.
Where this sits against everything else
Appendix Q's final standard is the one that quietly does the most work: manufactured and mobile home housing is subject to all zoning, setbacks, minimum lot size, and sanitary requirements.
In other words, none of these standards replaces the ordinary rules. A manufactured home on county ground still has to satisfy the same setbacks as a stick-built house, the same minimum lot size, and the same wastewater requirements. Appendix Q is an additional layer rather than an alternative track, which is exactly the misunderstanding that makes people think a manufactured home is a way around the permitting process.
It is not. It is a different building product inside the same process — and the setbacks that apply to it are the same ones set out in the county's two setback lists.
The order to do this in
- Establish, in writing from the seller, whether the unit is a mobile home or a manufactured home under Idaho Code 39-4105. Everything else depends on this and the marketing language is not reliable.
- If it is a mobile home and the land is not a mobile home park, stop and ask the county about exceptions before going further, because the default is that it may not be permanently located there.
- Check the roof pitch against 3:12 on the specific model rather than on the brochure's photography.
- Price a permanent-type foundation completely enclosed at the perimeter, to the State of Idaho setup standards, rather than piers and skirting.
- Raise the skirting and roofing harmony standard with the county in advance, with photographs of the surroundings.
- Confirm the lot satisfies minimum lot size, setbacks and sanitary requirements independently, since Appendix Q does not displace any of them — the same checks that decide whether you are on city services or well and septic.
- Only then order the unit.
Done in that order this is straightforward and often the most economical way to put a house on a lot here. Done in the reverse order — unit bought, then rules read — it is the sort of problem that has no cheap solution, because the unit is already in the yard.
Common questions
Is a mobile home the same as a manufactured home?
Not under Fremont County's code. Appendix Q states plainly that mobile homes are not manufactured homes, and the two are defined separately in Idaho Code section 39-4105. The distinction decides where the unit may be placed.
Can I put a mobile home on my own land?
The code states that mobile homes as defined in Idaho Code 39-4105 may only be permanently located in mobile home parks. The appendix contemplates exceptions to that requirement, but the default outside a park is a prohibition.
Can a manufactured home go on a private lot?
Yes, subject to Appendix Q's placement and aesthetic standards — a permanent-type foundation to State of Idaho setup standards, enclosed at the perimeter, a roof pitch of at least 3:12, and comparable skirting and roofing.
What roof pitch does a manufactured home need?
Not less than 3:12. That is a real pitch and a good deal of what sits on a dealer's lot is flatter, so it is a specification to check on the individual model rather than to assume about the category.
What foundation is required?
The home must be placed in accordance with the State of Idaho adopted setup standards for a permanent type foundation, and completely enclosed at the perimeter. That is a different job and a different price from piers with skirting.
What does the skirting and roofing standard require?
Exterior skirting and roofing which in colour, material and appearance is comparable to the predominant materials used on the structure and in harmony with the surrounding built environment. It is a judgement standard rather than a measurement.
How do I deal with a judgement standard?
Raise it with the county before ordering, with photographs of the surrounding built environment alongside the manufacturer's specification. The same unit may satisfy the standard on one street and be questioned on another.
Does a manufactured home avoid the normal rules?
No. Appendix Q states that manufactured and mobile home housing is subject to all zoning, setbacks, minimum lot size and sanitary requirements. It is an additional layer of standards rather than an alternative permitting track.
What should I settle before buying?
Get the classification in writing under Idaho Code 39-4105, check the roof pitch on the specific model, price a permanent foundation, raise the harmony standard with the county, and confirm the lot meets setbacks, lot size and sanitary requirements.