How to Locate VIN Numbers on Mobile Homes

A mobile home is built on a chassis and is transportable in one or more sections. For this reason, many states consider it a motor vehicle requiring a Vehicle Identification Number (VIN). On some units, the serial number is the VIN number. According to Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the serial number identifies the mobile home maker and state of manufacture. Each section (eight foot minimum width) of a mobile home has its own VIN. Multi-wide units, mobile homes having two or three sections, are indicated with VIN numbers that contain the letters A/B for double wide or A/B/C for triple wide. For example, #LB0693A is a VIN for a double wide with an A and a B side.

Pull away any material covering the mobile home’s metal support frame. Locate the front end, also called the tow bar end of the mobile home. This end has two metal bars that extend out from the metal frame and meet to form a triangle known as the tow bar.

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Stand in front of the frame looking from left to right. The VIN characters are 3/8-inch minimum height. The VIN may be on the tow bar or on the front end of the metal frame. If you do not find the VIN at the front end, check the frame at the opposite end of the mobile home.

Expose the rear-end frame of the mobile home. Scan the outside surface of the frame for the number.

Check the home’s data plate if the VIN is not located on the outside frame. Look inside the master bedroom closet door and inside the kitchen cabinet door. The data plate lists pertinent information about the mobile home, including the VIN or serial number.

Locate the VIN for each section on double-wide or triple-wide mobile homes. Look for the triangle-shaped tow bar end, and scan the outside surface of the front frame for the number. If the number is not found, expose the rear-end frame and scan the outside surface.