Land use and local questions
Ask which local office reviews manufactured-home placement, zoning, land-use, setbacks, floodplain, watershed, subdivision, or deed-restriction questions.
Site Preparation Checklist
Manufactured Home Site Preparation Checklist
Know where you are. Know what comes next. Know who can help.
Site preparation can include clearing, grading, driveway access, septic or sewer, well or water, utility planning, pad and foundation-related questions, drainage, permits, and space for delivery and setup. What applies depends on your land, county, utility company, dealer agreement, setup contractor, and local authority.
This is a homeowner planning checklist, not a contractor instruction manual. Verify project-specific requirements with the county, utility company, dealer, lender, licensed professionals, setup contractor, and authority having jurisdiction.
Start by need and location
What site-prep item do you need help with?
Tell us what you're trying to do, enter your ZIP or county, and we'll point you toward provider types and next steps that may fit your project.
Provider type guidance
Site preparation and access
Based on what you entered, these provider types may be relevant. This does not confirm provider availability, approvals, pricing, responses, or project outcomes.
Grading and Site PreparationPre Installation provider type guideDriveway ImprovementPost Installation provider type guideMasonry / Block / FoundationPre Installation provider type guideTransport and SetupPre Installation provider type guide
Collect photos of access, slope, drainage, the home area, and any culvert or driveway concerns.
Ask what must be ready before setup, delivery, or foundation-related work.
Document driveway surface, width, turns, slope, overhead limits, culverts, and soft areas.
Ask the transporter or setup provider what access needs review before scheduling.
What Site Preparation Means
The land may need to be prepared before delivery or setup.
Site preparation is the practical work and verification that may happen before a manufactured home can be delivered, set, connected, inspected, and moved into. Some items may be included in a dealer quote. Others may be separate homeowner, county, utility, or provider responsibilities.
Exact requirements vary by location, land condition, home type, and project scope.
Access, septic, water, utilities, and drainage can affect the sequence.
Provider categories help you ask better questions before requesting a scope.
County, utility, dealer, lender, setup contractor, and AHJ details should be verified locally.
Quick Checklist
Check the practical questions before delivery and setup.
Use this list to separate what is known, pending, unknown, or assigned to another party. It is not a substitute for local or professional review.
Septic or sewer
Confirm whether sewer is available or whether septic records, application status, design, repair, or installation questions need attention before placement planning.
Well or water
Gather what is known about public water, well location, water service distance, utility requirements, and how the water path relates to the home location.
Driveway and delivery access
Look for access issues such as soft ground, tight turns, overhead obstructions, culverts, trees, slope, drainage, or limited room near the home area.
Clearing and obstructions
Identify trees, brush, stumps, debris, old structures, fencing, stored materials, or other obstacles that may affect work areas or delivery paths.
Grading, drainage, pad, and foundation questions
Ask what needs to be evaluated for drainage, pad area, foundation-related preparation, footers where applicable, and local or setup-contractor expectations.
Utility planning
Track electric, plumbing, HVAC, gas or propane, water, sewer, internet, and utility company questions before assuming timing or responsibility.
Setup workspace
Ask what access and work area the setup contractor, delivery crew, utility providers, or finish providers need before work is scheduled.
Decks, stairs, landings, skirting, and finish planning
Separate what must happen before setup, what can happen after setup, and what may be needed before move-in or inspection-related steps.
Permits and inspections
Use county and local source links to learn which office, forms, documents, inspections, and prerequisite steps should be verified locally.
Dealer quote responsibilities
Ask whether clearing, grading, driveway work, septic, well, utilities, foundation-related work, decks, stairs, skirting, and finish items are included or excluded.
Photos and documents
Collect parcel details, county/city, photos, quote notes, utility notes, septic/well status, home size or type, and timing before asking for help.
Land and Access
Delivery and work areas need practical access.
Avoid relying on exact dimensions or assumptions until the relevant provider, county, utility company, or setup professional reviews the project. Start by documenting what the site looks like and where access could be difficult.
Trees, brush, stumps, debris, old structures, stored materials, fences, or other obstacles near the work area.
Driveway condition, soft ground, culverts, turning space, slope, wet areas, and drainage along the access path.
Overhead obstructions such as branches or utility lines that a delivery or setup professional may need to evaluate.
Room near the planned home area for delivery trucks, setup equipment, utility work, and follow-up providers where applicable.
Septic, Water, Sewer, and Utilities
Utility questions can change the whole site-prep sequence.
Septic, sewer, well, water, electric, plumbing, HVAC, and gas or propane questions may need to be answered before delivery, setup, finish work, or inspection-related steps can be planned.
Septic approval path or public sewer availability.
Well path or public water availability.
Electric service planning, meter location, utility provider requirements, and timing.
Plumbing connections, water and waste paths, and provider responsibility questions.
HVAC or heat pump planning where the home, dealer quote, or setup path makes that relevant.
Propane or gas questions where appliances, fuel source, utility provider, or local process make it relevant.
Grading, Pad, Foundation, and Drainage
Keep technical details with qualified parties.
Grading and drainage questions may relate to pad area, driveway, foundation-related preparation, footers where applicable, erosion, water movement, and setup access. The correct scope should be reviewed against the land, home, county process, utility needs, and setup requirements.
Delivery and Setup
Weather, access, and workspace can affect timing.
Delivery path, setup workspace, foundation-related preparation, utility timing, inspection-related scopes, and site conditions can all affect when the home can be delivered, set, connected, and finished.
Dealer Quote Questions
Site preparation may or may not be included.
Review your dealer quote or agreement before assuming a site item is included. Ask what is included, excluded, allowance-based, estimated, or assigned to another party.
Is clearing trees, brush, stumps, debris, or old material included?
Is grading, drainage, pad preparation, or foundation-related preparation included?
Is driveway access, road entrance, culvert, stone, or stabilization included?
Are septic, sewer, well, water, electric, plumbing, HVAC, gas, or propane items included?
Is foundation, blocking, tie-down, or setup contractor work included, allowance-based, or separate?
Are decks, stairs, landings, skirting, trim-out, cleanup, and finish items included?
Which items are customer responsibility, county responsibility, utility company responsibility, or separate provider scope?
Provider Types
Different parts of site preparation may involve different categories.
These are planning labels, not provider listings. Use them to understand what type of professional or business may need to answer a question.
What To Gather Before Asking For Help
Better details make better questions.
You do not need every answer before you ask for help. Start by collecting enough information for the county, utility company, dealer, lender, setup contractor, or provider to understand what you are trying to do.
- Property address, parcel number, county, city, subdivision name, or listing link if available.
- Photos from the road to the planned home area, including driveway, turns, slope, trees, drainage, and overhead obstacles.
- Photos of the possible home location, utility paths, wet areas, trees, stumps, debris, or old structures.
- Septic permit, application status, existing septic records, sewer availability notes, or environmental health correspondence.
- Well information, public water notes, water line location, utility provider notes, or service distance estimates.
- Dealer quote, purchase agreement notes, setup scope, allowance notes, or responsibility questions.
- Home size, singlewide/doublewide status, delivery timing, setup timing, and any known lender or insurance conditions.
North Carolina and County-Code Note
State guidance and local process both matter.
In North Carolina, manufactured-home installation guidance starts with the NC Installation Manual and the state manufactured-homes program. Counties and local authorities may also have local process, permitting, inspection, environmental health, zoning, and utility requirements. This page is not North Carolina-only.
Review source-backed starting points
Use the County / Code Library when your site-prep question depends on permit sequence, septic or well prerequisites, utilities, setup scope, or inspection-related steps.
Next Step
Helpful next steps
Use the path that matches the question you still need to organize: land fit, project stage, local process, provider category, dealer quote, or private project request.
Land question first?
Can My Land Work?
Review zoning, septic or sewer, water, access, utilities, site prep, dealer quote, and setup questions before assuming the land works.
Delivery coming into focus?
Before Delivery Checklist
Sort land-use, septic or sewer, water, access, site prep, utilities, dealer responsibility, setup, and local process questions.
Utility questions unclear?
Septic, Well, and Utilities
Organize septic or sewer, well or water, electric, plumbing, HVAC, propane/gas, dealer scope, and local process questions.
Setup or final questions?
Setup and Inspection Readiness
Organize setup contractor, foundation, utilities, decks, stairs, skirting, trim-out, inspection, and dealer-scope questions.
Checking NC guidance?
NC Installation Manual
Understand how the NC Installation Manual, NC OSFM, county/local AHJs, manufacturer instructions, and licensed professionals fit together.
Not sure where to start?
Project Planner
Find your current stage, likely next steps, provider types, documents to gather, and delay risks.
Trying to see the whole path?
Full Project Roadmap
Review the stage-by-stage project sequence from planning and land through setup and move-in.
Reviewing a quote?
Dealer Quote Questions
Separate what may be included, excluded, estimated, or assigned to another party before you sign.
Trying to understand who may help?
Provider Types
Learn the provider categories that may be involved without treating the guide as a public directory.
Checking local requirements?
County / Code Library
Use source-backed starting points for county, local AHJ, utility, septic, well, and inspection questions.
Need to explain your project?
Project Request
Share the stage, ZIP, county, and question you are trying to organize for private review.