Registrations
There are two different types of registrations a mobile home can have. The first is annual registration, and the other is real property registration. The determining factor is whether the mobile homeowner owns the property or a share of the property. Let’s take a closer look at these two different types of registrations.
Annual Registrations
Annual registrations are registrations for mobile homes that pay monthly lot rent. These types of mobile home registrations are renewed annually, and a decal is required for each side of the mobile home. If it’s a double wide, it’ll require two decals and two-yearly registrations; triple wide requires three registrations and decals.
Registration fees are determined by the length of the mobile home (excluding the hitch). These registrations expire on December 31st of every year. In 2023, Florida Statute will require the expiration date of mobile homes to follow the birth date of the first listed owner (the same way most vehicles do). Florida Statute requires these types of registrations to be continuously maintained whether they are occupied or not. There is an exception to this and that is if the mobile home is repossessed. The lienholder is not required to maintain valid registration if the mobile home remains unoccupied. Unoccupied is defined as not lived in or hooked up to utilities.
Each decal for each side is required to go on a color-coded backer and displayed in the lower left corner of the window of the mobile home that is closest to the street or road and provides access to the mobile home. The color of the backers changes yearly according to the year of expiration. Here is the current schedule of the colors:
2022 ORANGE
2023 GREEN
2024 RED
2025 BLUE
2026 GREEN
2027 ORANGE
Mobile homes are also eligible for two-year registrations. There is no price break for two-year registrations, rather it is offered as a convenience to the customer. To determine the cost, simply double the annual fees.
Real Property
When the titled owner of the mobile home owns either the land the mobile home sits on or a share of the land, they do not pay annual registration fees. These types of mobile homes are considered real property and instead of yearly registration fees, the owner will pay property taxes every year. These mobile homes are issued a one-time real property decal. These are not renewed annually and in the event of a change of ownership, they can be transferred to the purchaser. The stipulation for that is the mobile home had to be real property prior to the transfer of ownership.
Converted to Real Property
Sometimes mobile home lots are converted to real property. In these situations, the Property Appraiser assesses the value of the property and provides the customer a Department of Revenue form called DR-402. In these situations, the original RP sticker can only be issued in the county where the mobile home is considered real property.
Another caution about converting to real property be sure the assessed year matches the expiration year of the decal. For example, if the assessed year on the DR-402 is 2017, customer would have to have a 2017 decal currently on the mobile home before an RP sticker can be issued.