What do I need to do to clear and prepare the ground before a small factory-built home is set?

Strip everything organic from the spots where footings or pads will sit, then set them on firm ground. HUD's installation standards for manufactured homes say grass, roots, wood scraps and other organic material must be removed where footings go, and that footings must bear on firm, undisturbed soil or on fill compacted to at least 90 percent of its maximum density. Organic matter rots and compresses over time, which lets piers sink unevenly. IRC-based state codes add that backfill should be free of organics, construction debris and large boulders. In practice that means clearing brush and topsoil from the pad area, setting stakes for the home's footprint, and leaving room for drainage on every side. Your local building department may add its own site rules, so check before you start.

Check your local rule. This varies by state, county or city. Your permitting office has the final word; the official lookup pages below show you who that is.

Sources

• 24 CFR Part 3285, Model Manufactured Home Installation Standards (2020 edition)U.S. Government Publishing Office (HUD regulation)
• 780 CMR Residential Chapter 4 Foundations Amendments (IRC-based)Commonwealth of Massachusetts