HUD’s Proposed RV Rule Causes an Uproar as RV Sales Hit 39-Year High

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CNS News:

(CNSNews.com) – In February, as sales of recreational vehicles (RVs) hit a 39-year high with 35,929 units sold, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) published a proposed rule in The Federal Register to revise the definition of an RV as “designed only for recreational use and not as a primary residence or for permanent occupancy.”

 

The proposal garnered praise from the RV industry, which has been pushing for clarification of the regulations for the past decade.

 

But it has angered thousands of RV and tiny house on wheels (THOWs) enthusiasts.

 

Both RVs and THOWs are currently exempt from HUD’s Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards for mobile homes designed as primary residences that were developed by the National Fire Protection Association and the American National Standards Institute.

 

However, according to HUD, some park model recreational vehicles (PMRVs) – defined as being between 320 and 400 square feet – “are being produced with patio roofs, screened in porches, and other extensions that exceed the 400 square foot maximum exemption in the current regulations…[and] marketed as suitable for year round living.”