02-385-900 Me. Code R. § A-II

Current through 2024-51, December 18, 2024

Section 385-900-A-II - Definitions

A.Anchor assembly: "Anchor assembly" means any device or other means designed to transfer home anchoring loads to the ground.

B.Anchoring equipment: "Anchoring equipment" means ties, straps, cables, turnbuckles,chains, and other approved components, including tensioning devices, that are used to secure a manufactured home to anchor assemblies.

C.Anchoring system: "Anchoring system" means a combination of anchoring equipment and anchor assemblies that will, when properly designed and installed,resist the uplift, overturning, and lateral forces on the manufactured home and on its support and foundation system.

D.Data plate: "Data plate" means an information sheet located in the home that identifies the manufacturer, serial number, wind zone, roof load zone, and climatic zone for which the home was constructed.

E.Diagonal tie: "Diagonal tie" means a tie intended to resist horizontal or shear forces,but which may resist vertical, uplift, and overturning forces.

F.Footing: "Footing" means that portion of the support system that transmits loads directly to the soil.

G.Foundation system: "Foundation system" means a site-built or site assembled system of stabilizing devices which are capable of transferring design dead loads and live loads and other design loads unique to local home sites due to wind, seismic, and water conditions, that are imposed by or upon the structure into the underlying soil bedrock without failure.

H.Ground anchor: "Ground anchor" means a specific anchoring assembly device designed to transfer manufactured home anchoring loads to the ground.

I.HUD: "HUD" means United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, a federal governmental agency.

J.Installation: "Installation" means the placing of manufactured housing on a foundation or supports at a building site and the assembly and fastening of structural components of manufactured housing, including the completed roof system, as specified in the manufacturer's installation instructions.Installation also includes the connection to existing services, including but not limited to electrical, oil, water, sewage and similar systems that are necessary for the use of the manufactured housing for dwelling purposes.

K.Installation instructions: "Installation instructions" means DAPIA-approved instructions provided by the home manufacturer and detail the home manufacturer requirements for support and anchoring systems, and other work completed at the installation site.

L.Installer: "Installer" means any licensed manufacturer or dealer or an employee of a licensed manufacturer or dealer, or a person licensed as a mechanic who engages in the process of affixing, assembling or setting up of manufactured housing on foundations or supports at a building site.

M.Manufactured home: "Manufactured home" means a structural unit or units designed to be used as a dwelling or dwellings and constructed in a manufacturing facility and then transported by the use of its own chassis to a building site.For purposes of this standard two types of manufactured housing are included.They are:

1. HUD-code homes, which are those units constructed after June 15, 1976 that the manufacturer certifies are constructed in compliance with the HUD standard, meaning structures, transportable in one or more sections that, in the traveling mode, are 8 body feet or more in width and 40 body feet or more in length or, when erected on site, are 320 or more square feet, and are built on a permanent chassis and designed to be used as dwellings, with or without permanent foundations, when connected to the required utilities, including the plumbing, heating, air-conditioning and electrical systems contained therein; except that such term shall include any structure that meets all the requirements of this paragraph except the size requirements and with respect to which the manufacturer voluntarily files a certification required by the Secretary of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development and complies with the standards established under the National Manufactured Housing Construction and Safety Standards Act of 1974, 42 United States Code 5401, et seq.;

2. Pre-HUD-code homes, which are those units constructed prior to June 15,1976, meaning structures, transportable in one or more sections, that are 8 body feet or more in width and are 32 body feet or more in length and are built on a permanent chassis and designed to be used as dwellings, with or without permanent foundations, when connected to the required utilities, including the plumbing, heating, air-conditioning or electrical systems contained therein.

N.Mechanic: "Mechanic" means an individual engaged in the installation or servicing of HUD-code or pre-HUD-code homes.

O.Pad: "Pad" means that area which has been established for the placement of a manufactured home.

P.Perimeter blocking: " Perimeter blocking" means regular spaced piers supporting the sidewalls and marriage wall of the home.Some homes require perimeter blocking in addition to supports under the home's frame.

Q.Pier: "Pier" means that portion of the support system between the footing and the manufactured home, exclusive of caps and shims.

R.Set -up: "Set-up" means the work performed and operations involved in the placement and securing of a manufactured home or any portion thereof and includes the connection of existing electrical, oil, gas, water, sewage, and similar systems.

S.Shall: "Shall"indicates a mandatory requirement.

T.Should: "Should" indicates a recommendation which is advised but not required.

U.Site : "Site" means a designated parcel of land designed for the accommodation of one manufactured home, its accessory buildings or structures, and accessory equipment for the exclusive use of the occupants.

V.Skirting: "Skirting" meansa weather-resistant material used to enclose the perimeter, under the living area of the home,from the bottom of the manufactured home to grade.

W.Stabilizing devices: "Stabilizing devices" means all components of the anchoring and support systems, such as piers, footings, ties, anchoring equipment, anchoring assemblies, or any other equipment, materials and methods of construction, that support and secure the manufactured home to the ground.

X.Support system: "Support system" means pilings, columns, footings, piers, foundation walls, caps, shims, and any combination thereof that, when properly installed, support the manufactured home.

Y.Tie: "Tie" means straps, cable, or securing devices used to connect the manufactured home to anchoring assemblies.

Z.Uncontrolled fill: "Uncontrolled fill" means fill materials that are placed without control of the content of the fill materials or without adequate compaction to assure a bearing capacity without undue settlement.For purposes of this standard, uncontrolled fills shall mean fill materials containing organic matter or fills which are placed without compaction necessary to provide a uniform bearing capacity of 1000 lbs./ft.

AA.Wind zone: "Wind zone" means the areas designated on the Basic Wind Zone Map, set forth in the Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards, part 3280, as further defined in Appendix A to this Chapter.

02-385 C.M.R. ch. 900, § A-II