Modular Homes in Mississippi: Builders, Costs, and the Rules
What modular homes cost in Mississippi, how they differ from manufactured homes, which builders serve the state, plus wind zones, codes, and financing.
A new manufactured home in Mississippi averages around $121,600 for the home itself, and on land you already own a finished modular or manufactured home usually lands between $130,000 and $280,000 once the foundation, site prep, and utility hookups go in. Mississippi builds more of these homes than almost anywhere in the country. In 2024, 34.3 percent of new single family home completions in the state were manufactured homes, against roughly 5 percent nationally. The dealer network is deep, the prices are among the lowest in the South, and the buyers who use them are not settling for less. They are buying the way their neighbors buy.
The trap is the language. “Modular” and “manufactured” get used as if they mean the same thing, and “mobile home” still covers both in everyday Mississippi speech. They are not the same, and the difference decides your financing, your zoning, and what the home is worth when you sell. Most pages that rank for this search belong to a builder or a retailer selling one brand, and most never show a price. This guide does that work instead: what the homes cost here, which builders and dealers serve the state, the wind zone and code rules that catch coastal buyers out, and how rural financing actually works.
Modular, manufactured, and mobile homes in Mississippi
A manufactured home is built to the federal HUD Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards, the code that took effect in 1976. It rides on a permanent steel chassis, carries a red HUD seal on each section, and can sit on piers or a permanent foundation. The HUD code overrides local building codes wherever the home goes, which is exactly why a county can keep manufactured homes out of certain zones.
A modular home is built to a different standard. It is assembled in a factory in sections, then set on a permanent foundation and finished to the same Mississippi residential building code as a site built house. House Bill 999, effective July 2025, made the point explicit: a modular home must be certified to the most current residential code adopted by the Mississippi Building Codes Council. It carries a state insignia, not a HUD seal, and once it is set it is regulated like any other house built to code.
One term is past its sell by date. A mobile home technically means a unit built before the 1976 HUD standards. Nobody builds them now. Anything you can order today is either manufactured or modular, whatever the lot calls it.
| Feature | Manufactured (HUD code) | Modular (state code) |
|---|---|---|
| Building standard | Federal HUD code | Mississippi residential code (IRC based) |
| Certification | Red HUD seal on each section | State insignia |
| Steel chassis | Yes | No |
| Foundation | Piers or permanent | Permanent only |
| Financing | Chattel or mortgage | Full mortgage, like site built |
| Wind rating | HUD zone specific (Zone II: 100 mph) | IRC based, typically 140 mph plus |
| Zoning | Varies by county, some restrict | Usually treated as site built |
That single distinction drives most of what follows. A modular home is the closest factory built option to a conventional house. A manufactured home costs less to buy but carries more strings on where you can place it and how it holds value. For the longer breakdown of the HUD side, the manufactured home explainer covers it in full.
What a modular home costs in Mississippi
The factory build runs about $45 to $65 per square foot before any site work, which puts an 1,800 square foot modular home around $99,000 to $117,000 for the structure alone. A new manufactured home averages roughly $121,600 for the home by itself. The number that catches buyers is everything those figures leave out.
| Cost component | Typical Mississippi range |
|---|---|
| Land preparation and clearing | $1,500 to $8,000 |
| Foundation or setup | $4,000 to $15,000 |
| Utility connections (water, septic, electric) | $3,000 to $20,000 |
| Permits and inspections | $500 to $2,000 |
| Steps, skirting, HVAC hookups | $2,000 to $6,000 |
| Delivery and set | often folded into the purchase price |
Add it up and a turnkey home on land you already own usually lands between $130,000 and $280,000, depending on size and site. Septic adds cost in rural areas without a sewer connection, and Jackson and the Gulf Coast carry higher land and site improvement costs than north Mississippi. The state still comes in cheap by national standards: the typical home sale price runs near $185,000, so a finished manufactured or modular home is real money saved rather than a compromise.
Kit prices are a separate trap. DC Structures lists Mississippi kits from $41.70 to $85.30 per square foot, but that is the structural shell only, and the company tells buyers to multiply by two to five for a finished home. Useful product, wrong bracket.
No major Mississippi retailer posts a price on a floor plan. You get a real number by sending a dealer your model, square footage, site address, foundation preference, and delivery distance, then comparing at least two quotes built on identical specs. Freedom Homes of Pearl, in the Jackson metro, is one of the few retailers that lists prices on individual floor plans online. Any figure shown will change with spec and site, so treat it as a starting point, not a quote for your own build.
Builders and retailers active in Mississippi
Most of the homes sold here come from a handful of Deep South manufacturers, moved through a dense dealer network. Several factories sit just across the Alabama line, which is why Mississippi and Alabama share so many of the same names. The split between manufacturer and retailer matters, because it changes how you get a quote.
| Builder | Type | Base location | Home types | Price info |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deer Valley Homebuilders | Manufacturer | Guin, AL | Manufactured, modular | Via retailers |
| Sunshine Homes | Manufacturer | Red Bay, AL | Single, double, triple wide, modular | Via retailers |
| Franklin Homes | Manufacturer | Russellville, AL and Greenwood, MS | Manufactured, modular | Via retailers |
| Spartan Homes of Meridian | Retailer | Meridian, MS | Multi brand | On request |
| Freedom Homes of Pearl | Retailer | Pearl, MS | Manufactured, modular | Some listed online |
| Bayside Homes | Retailer | Como, MS | New and pre owned | On request |
| Southern Housing of Columbus | Retailer | Columbus, MS | Manufactured, modular | On request |
| Regional Homes of Saltillo | Retailer | Saltillo, MS | Multi brand | On request |
Deer Valley Homebuilders out of Guin builds heavy and sells only through authorized retailers, with 89 floor plans available for Mississippi. Every quote runs through a dealer such as Regional Homes of McComb rather than the factory. A solid default above entry level.
Sunshine Homes in Red Bay has built homes since 1971 and offers single wide, double wide, and triple wide manufactured homes plus modular. It reaches the state through retailers including Spartan Homes of Meridian.
Franklin Homes is the one manufacturer with a Mississippi production footprint, running a plant in Greenwood alongside its Russellville, Alabama operation. Its homes sell through Franklin Home Centers and independent dealers covering Jackson, Gulfport, Hattiesburg, Tupelo, Meridian, and Biloxi.
Spartan Homes of Meridian is one of the larger dealers in the state, carrying homes from Sunshine, Clayton Built, Timber Creek, BG Manufacturing, Buccaneer Homes, and others. Right for a buyer who wants several manufacturers on one lot. Freedom Homes of Pearl serves the Jackson metro and is the rare retailer that lists prices. Bayside Homes in Como, near the Tennessee line, sells new and pre owned homes across Mississippi, Tennessee, and Arkansas. Southern Housing of Columbus on Highway 45 North serves the east central market into Alabama, and Regional Homes of Saltillo covers the northeast around Tupelo. You can browse modular home manufacturers in the Prefab Market directory to start a shortlist before you call.
Wind zones and building codes in Mississippi
The Gulf Coast changes the rules. Six southern counties are designated Wind Zone II for any manufactured home built after July 13, 1994: Hancock, Harrison, Jackson, George, Pearl River, and Stone. A home rated only for Wind Zone I cannot be installed in those counties. The installer has to pull the data plate, usually inside a kitchen cabinet, a bedroom closet, or the electrical panel, and verify the rating before setting the home. North of that coastal band, Wind Zone I applies. Modular homes built to the state code are engineered to a higher wind standard across the board, which is part of why they finance and insure more like a site built house.
Licensing runs through the State Fire Marshal’s Office under the Mississippi Insurance Department, not a separate housing board. Every manufacturer, retailer, installer, and transporter working in the state must hold a license, renewed annually at $250 per manufacturing plant, $150 per retail location, and $100 per installer or transporter. A retailer also has to keep a lot of three or more homes for sale to renew. To confirm a dealer is licensed before you sign, contact the Mississippi Insurance Department.
County zoning sits on top of all of that, and it genuinely varies. Some counties restrict manufactured homes to certain zones or set an age limit on what can be moved in. Rankin County reclassified manufactured homes in agricultural zones from a permitted use to a conditional use in April 2025 and added an age cap. The fix is one phone call: ask the county planning department whether your zoning treats a state code modular home differently from a HUD code manufactured home, and whether any age or foundation rules apply, before you buy the parcel. If the land sits in a subdivision or an HOA, read the covenants for the words manufactured, modular, and mobile first.
Financing a modular home in Mississippi
USDA Rural Development is the loan that matters most here, because most of Mississippi is USDA eligible. Only the urban cores around Jackson and Meridian fall outside it. The Section 502 Direct program targets low income and very low income rural buyers and can run zero down for those who qualify, while the guaranteed program offers 100 percent financing for buyers who clear the income limits and credit thresholds. Given the state’s median household income, those income ceilings are within reach for a large share of buyers rather than a fringe case.
The other paths follow the home’s title. FHA Title I covers home only manufactured loans up to $105,532 for a single section, with combination loans for a home plus lot reaching $237,096 under the 2025 limits. FHA Title II, VA, and conventional mortgages all apply once the home is classified as real property. VA gives eligible veterans 100 percent financing with no monthly mortgage insurance.
Everything turns on real property versus chattel. A home permanently affixed to land you own, with the separate title retired and recorded as real estate, qualifies for a mortgage at standard rates and 30 year terms, and it appreciates. A home titled separately, the way a vehicle is, finances through a chattel loan at higher rates over shorter terms, and it tends to depreciate. Converting from chattel to real property in Mississippi means permanently affixing the home, retiring the title at the county courthouse, and recording it with the land. If you want the loan types broken down further, the financing guides on Prefab Market cover each one, and the chattel versus real property explainer goes deeper on the title question.
Where to find dealers across Mississippi
Dealers cluster around the bigger markets and the manufacturing corridor near the Alabama line.
Jackson and the metro carry the most retail choice, with Freedom Homes of Pearl among the dealers serving the area. The city limits sit outside USDA eligibility, but the suburbs spilling into Madison, Rankin, and Simpson counties qualify, so where you buy land changes your loan options.
Meridian, in Lauderdale County, is an active retail market anchored by Spartan Homes. Most of the surrounding area is USDA eligible.
Gulfport and Biloxi sit in Harrison and Jackson counties, both Wind Zone II. Any manufactured home here needs the Zone II rating, and coastal land, insurance, and flood elevation requirements push the total higher than inland builds.
Hattiesburg in the southeast, Tupelo in the northeast near Regional Homes of Saltillo, Columbus on the Alabama border near Southern Housing, and Como in the northwest near Bayside all fall in Wind Zone I, with surrounding counties largely USDA eligible.
Next steps for Mississippi buyers
The buyers who get burned skip the county call and the second quote. Do both.
- Confirm whether the home is HUD code or state code modular before anything else. It decides your financing, zoning, and resale.
- Call the county planning department about zoning, age limits, and foundation rules before you buy the land, not after. Request HOA covenants in writing.
- If your land is in Hancock, Harrison, Jackson, George, Pearl River, or Stone county, require a Wind Zone II rated home and confirm it on the data plate.
- Get at least two dealer quotes on identical floor plan specs. Quotes built on different specs are not comparable.
- Check USDA eligibility for your parcel early, since most of the state qualifies and zero down changes the math.
- Decide how the home will be titled. Real property on owned land qualifies for a mortgage and appreciates. A chattel title costs more to borrow against and is harder to sell.
If you are weighing a multi section layout, the double wide guide covers sizes and formats, and you can compare floor plans once you know your code, your county, and your loan. The market next door works much the same way, so the Alabama state guide is a useful cross check on builders that serve both states.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a modular home cost in Mississippi?
A modular home in Mississippi runs roughly $45 to $65 per square foot for the factory build, which puts an 1,800 square foot home around $99,000 to $117,000 before any site work. Add the foundation, site prep, utility hookups, permits, and delivery, and a realistic turnkey total on land you already own usually lands between $130,000 and $280,000 depending on size and site conditions. For comparison, a new manufactured home in the state averages around $121,600 for the home alone. None of those figures include the land, and no major Mississippi retailer posts a price, so you confirm the real number by requesting quotes on a specific floor plan.
What is the difference between a modular and manufactured home in Mississippi?
A manufactured home is built to the federal HUD code, rides on a steel chassis, and carries a red HUD certification label on each section. A modular home is built to the same Mississippi building code as a site built house, sits on a permanent foundation, has no chassis, and carries a state insignia rather than a HUD seal. Both are built in a factory, but the codes differ, and so do financing, zoning, and resale. In Mississippi, mobile home is still the everyday term for both, even though nothing built since 1976 is technically a mobile home.
Can you put a manufactured home on your own land in Mississippi?
Yes, subject to county zoning and a building permit. Not every county treats a manufactured home as a permitted use in every zone. Rankin County changed its rules in April 2025 to make manufactured homes in agricultural zones a conditional use rather than an outright permitted one, and added an age limit. Call your county planning department before you buy the land. Once zoning is cleared, a licensed installer pulls the permit and sets the home to HUD standards.
What financing is available for manufactured homes in Mississippi?
Four main paths. USDA Rural Development loans matter most here, since most of the state is USDA eligible and the program can fund a home with zero down for qualifying buyers. FHA covers both Title I home only loans and Title II mortgages once the home is real property. VA loans give eligible veterans 100 percent financing. Conventional chattel loans from specialist lenders cover home only purchases at higher rates and shorter terms. Which one applies depends on whether you own the land, how the home is titled, and your credit score.
What is Wind Zone II and does it affect my Mississippi home?
Wind Zone II is a HUD designation for areas exposed to higher wind speeds. In Mississippi six southern counties carry it: Hancock, Harrison, Jackson, George, Pearl River, and Stone. Any manufactured home set in those counties must be rated for Wind Zone II or higher. A home rated only for Wind Zone I cannot legally be installed there. Check the data plate inside the home, usually in a kitchen cabinet or bedroom closet, to confirm the rating before you buy.
What is the Mississippi Manufactured Housing Board?
There is no standalone Mississippi Manufactured Housing Board. The licensing and regulatory authority for manufactured and modular homes sits with the State Fire Marshal's Office under the Mississippi Insurance Department. It licenses manufacturers, retailers, installers, and transporters. To check that a retailer is properly licensed before you sign anything, contact the Mississippi Insurance Department directly.
Do modular homes hold value in Mississippi?
A modular home on a permanent foundation on owned land tends to appreciate in line with the local market, much like a site built house. A manufactured home on owned land titled as real property usually holds or gains value too, especially where land values are rising in rural Mississippi. A home on a leased lot financed through a chattel loan is the one that tends to depreciate, because the loan does not include any land.