Mobile Home Tie Down Inspection in Mobile, AL

What a mobile home tie down inspection is, and what it is not

An inspection finds problems and puts them on paper. It does not tighten a strap, drive an anchor or replace a part. Under AMHC rule 535-X-12-.02, "installation" includes tying down and anchoring the home. Tying down and anchoring are installation, and only an AMHC certified installer, or an employee with a current certificate of training while the certified installer is present for the whole job, may do that work. We found no rule on re-tensioning or repairing an existing strap, so leave it to a certified installer and ask the AMHC if unsure. An owner may not install a home unless the owner is a certified installer (AMHC rule 535-X-12-.01).

You can walk around your own home, look at the straps and take photos. Do not crank a turnbuckle or pull a strap tight yourself. A mover or carrier is not the right person either: a carrier may remove wheels and axles but may not install the home (AMHC rules 535-X-12-.02 and 535-X-12T-.08).

Who inspects mobile home tie downs in Mobile and Baldwin counties

Three kinds of people look at tie downs, and each has a different job.

• The AMHC. The Commission inspects the installation and set-up of new and used homes sited in Alabama and handles consumer complaints (AMHC FAQ). Its representatives may inspect an installation at any reasonable time. A home may not be skirted until a Commission inspector has inspected the set-up, though it may be skirted if no inspector comes within ten days after notice. After an inspection the installer must fix deficiencies within 30 days or risk suspension or revocation (AMHC rules 535-X-12-.07 and 535-X-13-.11).
• Mobile County Inspection Services. Before the county releases electric service to a mobile home, its checklist asks for the AMHC inspection decal and the installer's decal on the home. Alabama Power then needs about 24 hours to enter the release (Mobile County Mobile Home Checklist).
• The installer you hire. Ask the company whether it will inspect an existing system and who does it. The rules we read do not say how the AMHC treats a request to inspect a home that was set years ago, so ask the Commission before you assume it will visit.

To check an installer, ask for the AMHC certificate number and look it up on the Commission's online installer search. Hiring an uncertified installer is a violation and can bring a fine of up to $500 per home (AMHC rules 535-X-12-.04 and .08).

Tie down inspection cost

We found no dated source for what an inspection costs in Alabama or on the Gulf Coast, so we leave a figure out. Ask each company whether its inspection is free, whether it is deducted from repair work and whether you get a written report. The figures below are what repairs and parts cost, which is where an inspection often leads. They are not inspection prices.

These are not Mobile prices. Retail parts exclude labor, one company's rate is not a market range, and the Delaware sheet is a 2022 estimate from another state. Alabama installers also pay state fees, such as $130 for each AMHC installer decal.

What moves the cost of what an inspection finds

• Tie count. A 28-foot home and an 80-foot home need very different numbers of ties.
• Pier height. Piers over 24 inches add diagonal ties.
• Soil. A weak class or a failed probe means different anchors, or an engineer.
• Digging. New anchors go in the ground, and Alabama 811 asks for notice two to ten working days before excavation, which includes boring and grading by machine. Ask who calls and whether the notice is in the quote (Alabama 811).

How often should tie downs be inspected?

None of the Alabama rules we read sets a re-inspection interval for tie downs or a duty to inspect after a storm. Company web pages elsewhere give figures that disagree with each other and cite no standard, so we do not repeat them. What follows is practical advice, not a legal requirement.

• Before June 1, when the Atlantic hurricane season starts (it runs to November 30).
• After any named storm, tornado warning or flood that reached your street.
• After a re-level, since moving piers changes strap tension.
• Before you sell, or before an insurance renewal that asks for proof.
• After any move or new set-up, though that one already comes with the AMHC set-up inspection.

Mobile County has had 39 federally declared disasters in records going back to 1953, 24 of them hurricanes, according to the City of Mobile Local Recovery Plan.

Pre hurricane tie down check

A pre hurricane tie down check is mostly a walk-around you can do yourself, plus one call. Do the walk in spring so any repair can be scheduled before the season.

1. Walk the full perimeter with a phone and photograph every strap and anchor you can see, wide shot first, then close.
2. Count the visible ties on each side and write the number down next to the home's length.
3. Look for the signs of trouble listed in the code checklist below. Do not pull on straps or adjust hardware.
4. Note anything attached to the home, such as a carport, porch or screen room, and ask the installer whether it needs its own anchoring.
5. Call for a full inspection if the count is short, any strap is slack or rusty, or you cannot see the ties at all.

Hurricane Sally made landfall near Gulf Shores in September 2020 with sustained winds of 105 mph, and Hurricane Zeta hit downtown Mobile five weeks later with winds up to 110 mph. After those two storms 852 FEMA applications came from mobile homes in the city, equal to 70% of the city's mobile home households (City of Mobile Local Recovery Plan, 2024). Ask the company what its check does not cover.

Post hurricane tie down inspection

After a storm, safety comes first. Have licensed or certified trades check the gas, electric and water connections, since the AMHC rule says those connections must be made by licensed or certified trades (AMHC rule 535-X-12-.02).

• Photograph before anyone touches anything. Photograph shifted piers, pulled anchors and slack straps.
• Do not re-tension it yourself. Tying down is installation under the AMHC rule, and we found no rule on re-tensioning an existing strap, so leave it to a certified installer.
• Know what the rating means. Anchors must be tested to hold at least 4,725 lb (AMHC rule 535-X-13-.09). A shifted pier or a pulled-up anchor after a storm is still a reason to call.
• Call the installer, and tell your insurer. If you think the original work was wrong, the AMHC takes consumer complaints.
• Flood areas have extra rules. The rule says pier design in a floodplain may be governed by National Flood Insurance Program rules, and Mobile County has a Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance with a Flood Plain Administrator.

Tie down inspection report: what to ask for

Ask for a written, itemised tie down inspection report so a buyer or insurer can see what was checked. A useful one holds:

• The date, the address and the inspector's name, and the installer's AMHC certificate number if an installer wrote it.
• The home's length, the wind zone from the data plate and the pier heights found.
• Ties counted on each side, compared with the table, and any shortfall.
• Anchor models seen (from the marks), plates or collars, and whether a soil probe was done and what it showed.
• Strap condition, kinks, rust and roof protectors.
• Photos of each anchor and strap, matched to a simple sketch of the home.
• What could not be seen, and why.
• Recommended repairs, listed separately from what the inspection found.

Ask too who will do the repairs and whether the report is a quote. Keep the report with the title papers. A home that was never through an AMHC set-up inspection will have no inspection report to point to, so ask the installer to explain what is on file.

Tie down documentation for insurance

The Alabama Insurance Underwriting Association (AIUA) states its own requirement. For a mobile home it writes, the home must be at least 8 x 32 feet with tie downs installed, and the owner must show proof of the current completed AMHC Installation Certification Label. A home not built on site must be rated as a manufactured home and carry a current installation decal confirming it is tied down. AIUA covers eligible property in Baldwin and Mobile counties south of the 31st parallel, applications go only through an AIUA agent, and flood cover is required in flood zones A and V (AIUA FAQ).

The AIUA page does not say how a home set before the label existed qualifies. We also found nothing on what private insurers in Alabama ask for, so ask your agent exactly what paper they want before you pay for an inspection.

Tie down inspection for home sale

AIUA, for one, asks for tie downs installed and the current AMHC Installation Certification Label before it writes a policy. Getting a report before you list gives you time to fix a short count rather than negotiate it at the table.

• Check the title papers: Mobile County asks for a title or Manufacturer's Certificate of Origin for homes 20 years old or newer, and a bill of sale for all homes.
• The AMHC charges $100 for a resale decal on a used manufactured home (AMHC fee schedule, rule 535-X-19-.03). The sources we read do not say when a sale requires one, so ask the Commission.

Choosing who to call: questions to ask

• What is your AMHC certificate number? (Check it yourself in the Commission's search.)
• Who exactly inspects, and will the report be written and itemised?
• Do you count ties against the Hurricane Zone table and the pier-height rule?
• Do you probe the soil, and which anchor models are in the ground now?
• If repairs are needed, are they a separate quote, and are the AMHC notices and decal part of that work?
• Is the inspection free, and does the answer change if I do not hire you for repairs?

Put the answers next to two or three written quotes. Have the home's length, year built and photos ready, and use the contact page to reach us.

Are my anchors up to code? A checklist built from Alabama's rule

Only an installer or the AMHC can say for sure whether a system meets the rule. But the rule is specific, and knowing its items lets you follow a report line by line. Mobile and Baldwin counties are named "Hurricane Zones" in AMHC rule 535-X-13-.02, so the Wind Zone II table applies in Mobile, Daphne, Fairhope, Spanish Fort and Robertsdale alike.

Count the ties against the table

The rule counts ties on each side of the home, by home length without the draw bar. It counts ties, not anchors, because one approved anchor may carry more than one tie.

The first three columns come from AMHC rule 535-X-13-.07(3). The last column is our arithmetic, two sides times the per-side total. If a pier is over 24 inches high, the rule adds one diagonal tie for each extra 12 inches or part of it. So a 16x80 home sits in the 61 to 90 foot band and starts at 36 ties before any pier-height extras. For a double-wide, the rule does not say how to count, so ask the installer to show the count and where it comes from.

A vertical tie belongs at each diagonal tie location in Wind Zone II (AMHC rule 535-X-13-.03 and .07). The data plate, usually in a kitchen cabinet, at the electrical panel or in a bedroom closet, shows the wind zone the home was built for. A Wind Zone I home cannot be installed in Wind Zone II.

Look at the parts and their marks

• Marks. Model marks on anchors, components and straps must stay visible after installation so each part can be traced to an approved model.
• Anchor depth. The anchor goes in to full depth with its head within 1 inch of the soil surface. An anchor head standing well above the ground is a finding.
• Ratings. Only Commission-approved anchors tested to at least 4,725 lb may be used (AMHC rules 535-X-13-.07 to .09).
• Plates and collars. An anchor driven straight down but pulled at an angle needs a stabilizer plate or a concrete collar 10 inches in diameter and 18 inches deep.
• Straps. Steel strapping 1 1/4 inches wide and 0.035 inch thick, not kinked or bent. Over-the-roof ties need a metal roof protector.
• Shear wall locations. Each one needs an anchor and a support pier, and any longitudinal ties the manufacturer requires must be in place.

Check the ground and the piers

The soil decides which anchor is right. The rule sorts soils into five classes, I (rock) to V (peat, loose fine sand, fill), and an anchor may go only in a class it is approved for. Without a probe test or another approved method, a C4 or C5 anchor must be used (AMHC rule 535-X-13-.05). We found no source naming the soil class for Mobile County lots, so ask whether the installer probed. Mobile is low-lying, with flood and drainage problems the City of Mobile Local Recovery Plan calls out, so ask about wet or loose ground in particular.

A tie down system works with the blocking. The rule puts piers under the main frame no more than 6 feet apart and within 2 feet of each end, on pads at least 16 x 16 x 4 inches. Piers over 32 inches are double-tiered, at least 12 inches stays clear under the frame, and 60 inches is the top height without an engineer (AMHC rule 535-X-13-.06). The ground should be graded so water does not stand or run under the home. Standing water, tilted piers or sunken pads belong in the report too.

Note what blocks the view

Skirting can hide straps and anchors, so ask whether panels must be opened and who puts them back. A vented skirted space should have a 6-mil ground vapor retarder under it. An honest report says which ties could not be seen.

Signs of trouble you can see from outside

Without touching any hardware, you can look for rust or flaking coating, kinked, frayed or slack straps, anchors that have tilted or pulled up, missing marks, shifted piers or new gaps at doors and windows. Any one of these is a reason to call.

Tie down inspection questions

Who inspects mobile home tie downs?

The AMHC inspects installations and takes complaints, Mobile County checks for the inspection decal before releasing power, and the company you hire may offer its own check. Ask the AMHC what it does for a home set long ago.

Are my anchors up to code?

Alabama's rule sets the tie count by home length, the soil class, the anchor rating and the strap type. Compare a written report with those items. Only an installer or the AMHC can confirm it for your home.

How often should tie downs be inspected?

No Alabama interval appears in the rules we read. Check before June 1, after a named storm or flood, after a re-level, and before a sale or insurance renewal.

How do I know if my tie downs are bad?

Look for rust, kinked or slack straps, tilted or pulled-up anchors, missing marks and shifted piers. Photograph them and call an installer rather than adjusting anything.

Can I check or tighten my tie downs myself?

You can look and take photos. Tying down and anchoring are installation, which an owner may not do unless the owner is a certified installer. We found no rule on re-tensioning an existing strap, so leave tightening to a certified installer and ask the AMHC if unsure.

Will my insurance company require tie down documentation?

AIUA asks for tie downs installed and the current AMHC Installation Certification Label. We found nothing on private insurers, so ask your agent.

What documentation do I get after an inspection?

Ask for an itemised written report with the date, tie count, anchor models seen, soil findings, strap condition and photos. A written report gives you something to show a buyer or insurer; ask your agent what they accept.

Does the skirting have to come off to check tie downs?

Skirting can hide straps and anchors, so ask whether panels must be opened and who puts them back. Skirted space must stay vented.

My home shifted in a windstorm. What now?

Stay out if it looks unsafe, photograph the damage, leave the straps alone, have licensed trades check gas, power and water, then call an installer and your insurer.

What does a tie down inspection cost in Mobile?

No dated source gives a Mobile-area price, so we do not state one. Ask for the price and what it includes in writing.