What is a Manufactured Home Wind Zone?

A wind zone is the rating of the amount of wind pressure a home must be built to withstand.

Wind zones were originally created by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in 1976, and updated in 1994. So this means all manufactured (HUD Code) homes built after 1976 must be built to a particular wind zone requirement depending upon where the home will be located. If the home was manufactured before 1976, it doesn’t fit the set criteria of one of these zones. The way wind zones work is that the higher the rating of a zone, the higher the wind pressure can be in that area. So this means if you live in an area that is designated wind zone III, you live in an area with the highest wind speed of the three zones. Unfortunately, it is hard to upgrade your home to a higher zone once it is built, so it is best to know which wind zone your home will be located in before purchasing your home.

How Many Wind Zones are There? What is My Wind Zone?

There are currently 3 wind zones, and the lower the number, the lower the wind-pressure that can be expected. Most of the interior of the United States where hurricanes are not expected is designated as wind zone I. Wind zone II is designated for areas that are hurricane prone and can experience up to 100 mile per hour wind speeds. Homes located in wind zone III must be built to withstand up to 110 miles per hour winds because in these areas hurricanes are even more frequent. Generally, if you live in the middle of the country, you will be in wind zone I. The closer your home is located to the coast, the more likely your location will be in wind zone II. Then, along the coast of certain states, areas are designated as wind zone III. You can check which wind zone you are in by looking at the wind zone map published by the MHI®. You can always place a home built to withstand a higher wind zone in a lower wind zone area, but not the other way around. This means you can place a home built to withstand wind zone III conditions in a wind zone II area, but cannot place a wind zone II built home in a wind zone III area.

Which Wind Zone is My Home Built For?

If you are in the market for a new home, the easiest way to determine which wind zone your home will be located in is to ask your home specialist where you are searching for a home. If you would like to check which wind zone your own manufactured home was built to withstand, there should be an information sheet called a “Data Plate” affixed to the inside of the home with this information on it.