Bill Text: NJ S4276 | 2026-2027 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Revises process for titling certain mobile and manufactured homes.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1)
Status: (Introduced) 2026-05-14 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Community and Urban Affairs Committee [S4276 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2026-S4276-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Senator TROY SINGLETON
District 7 (Burlington)
SYNOPSIS
Revises process for titling certain mobile and manufactured homes.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning mobile and manufactured homes and amending and supplementing P.L.1983, c.387.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. Section 2 of P.L.1983, c.387 (C.39:10-11.1) is amended to read as follows:
2. a. A person who has a certificate of ownership issued by the [director] chief administrator for a mobile or manufactured home located in a mobile home park that shall be relocated on land which the owner of the home has an interest in or the title to, shall, at least 10 days prior to that relocation, file with the [director] chief administrator a notice of relocation in a form and with evidence as the [director] chief administrator shall prescribe. If the [director] chief administrator shall accept the notice as complete, the [director] chief administrator shall cancel the certificate of ownership on the date of relocation.
b. In addition to the notice of relocation authorized under subsection a. of this section, the chief administrator shall accept an affidavit of affixture, as that term is defined in section 2 of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill), in such form and with such evidence as the chief administrator shall prescribe when a mobile or manufactured home is to be or has been permanently affixed to land in which the owner of the home holds title or a qualifying interest, and the chief administrator may retire, cancel, or otherwise annotate the certificate of ownership consistent with section 2 of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill).
(cf: P.L.1983, c.387, s.2)
2. (New section) a. As used in this section:
"Affidavit of affixture" means a sworn statement, in a form prescribed by the Chief Administrator of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission in consultation with the Commissioner of Community Affairs, that identifies the mobile or manufactured home, identifies the real property to which the home is affixed, states that the home is installed for permanent residential use in accordance with applicable State and local requirements, and states that the owner of the mobile or manufactured home holds title to or a qualifying interest in the real property.
"Mobile or manufactured home" means a manufactured home constructed in accordance with federal manufactured home construction and safety standards and designed to be used as a dwelling when connected to utilities.
"Qualifying interest" means fee simple ownership of the real property.
b. A mobile or manufactured home shall be eligible to be treated as part of the real property for purposes of recording and perfecting a mortgage lien when the home is affixed to land, the owner holds title or a qualifying interest in the land, and an affidavit of affixture is recorded with the county clerk or register of deeds and mortgages.
c. Upon submission of a certified copy of the recorded affidavit of affixture and any documentation required by the chief administrator, the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission shall retire, cancel, or annotate the certificate of ownership for a mobile or manufactured home to reflect that the mobile or manufactured home is affixed to real property.
d. Nothing in this section shall be construed to alter the classification of a mobile or manufactured home for purposes of taxation under Title 54 of the Revised Statutes.
3. (New section) Within 90 days of enactment, the Chief Administrator of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission, in consultation with the Commissioner of Community Affairs, shall adopt rules and regulations necessary to implement the provisions of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill).
4. This act shall take effect on the first day of the seventh month next following enactment, except that the Chief Administrator of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission may take any anticipatory administrative action in advance as shall be necessary for the implementation of this act.
STATEMENT
This bill establishes a process for obtaining an affidavit of affixture for certain mobile and manufactured homes. Under the bill, if a mobile or manufactured home is affixed to land, the owner holds title or a qualifying interest in the land, and an affidavit of affixture is recorded with the county clerk or register of deeds and mortgages, the mobile or manufactured home is eligible to be treated as part of the real property for purposes of recording and perfecting a mortgage lien. As defined in the bill, an "affidavit of affixture" is a sworn statement that identifies the mobile or manufactured home, identifies the real property to which the home is affixed, states that the home is installed for permanent residential use in accordance with applicable requirements, and states that the owner of the mobile or manufactured home holds title to or a qualifying interest in the real property.
The bill requires the Chief Administrator of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (chief administrator), in consultation with the Commissioner of Community Affairs, to prescribe the form of an affidavit of affixture.
Additionally, the bill requires the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission to, upon submission of a certified copy of the recorded affidavit of affixture and any documentation required by the chief administrator, retire, cancel, or annotate the certificate of ownership for a mobile or manufactured home to reflect that the home is affixed to real property.
Mobile and manufactured homes are an important source of unsubsidized affordable housing in New Jersey, but outdated titling frameworks can prevent homeowners from accessing traditional mortgage financing and instead steer borrowers toward higher-cost home-only loans.
It is the sponsor's intent that this bill build on existing New Jersey law that provides for the cancellation of certificates of ownership when a mobile or manufactured home is relocated onto land in which the homeowner has an interest, and modernizes that approach to reflect contemporary mobile and manufactured housing practices. By improving coordination between State title records and county land records, the bill is intended to reduce administrative barriers, expand access to lower-cost mortgage financing for eligible homeowners, and strengthen pathways to sustainable homeownership, while preserving existing local zoning authority and property tax classifications.
