PE-stamped foundation certification and Affidavit of Affixation — the two documents that legally convert a manufactured home from personal property to real property. Recorder-ready, escrow-billable, returned in five business days.
It begins as chattel. It ends as real property. The legal event between those two states is the recording of two PE-stamped engineering instruments at the county. That event is the work of this firm.
The home, as it leaves the factory — titled by the DMV, taxed as personal property, financed with chattel paper, transferred like a vehicle.
Two PE-sealed engineering instruments — foundation certification and sworn Affidavit of Affixation — drafted, notarized, and walked to the county recorder. The recording is the legal event.
Titled by deed through the county, taxed as real estate, eligible for real-property mortgage origination. The DMV title is surrendered. The chattel character is extinguished.
A complete filing consists of two engineering documents, both PE-sealed, delivered as a sealed PDF for the file and wet-ink originals for recording. Order both, or order one without the other. Deep dive on both documents
Engineering certification that the foundation meets HUD's Permanent Foundations Guide for Manufactured Housing, § 3.
A PE-stamped engineering report documenting pier type, footing dimensions, soil bearing capacity, and frost depth — measured against HUD's standard. The certification page carries a sealed determination of permanence.
Notarized sworn statement that the home is permanently affixed to the real estate. Cites the controlling state statute. Recorder-ready.
A notarized affidavit by a licensed Professional Engineer declaring, under oath, that the home is permanently affixed. Used by the county recorder to effect the conversion, the title insurer to underwrite, and the lender to perfect a real-property mortgage.
Three operational realities of how a title company actually works — and how this firm matches them. Less about engineering theatre, more about not breaking your closing-day flow.
County recorders have specific formatting requirements — margin widths for indexing stamps, font size minimums, signature-block placement. Every document we deliver is formatted to the destination county's standard before it leaves this office. No reformatting, no second trip to the courthouse, no recorder-rejection delay.
When your title-insurance underwriter has a question about the foundation cert or the affidavit, she calls us directly. The PE personally answers questions on their own sealed documents — usually same business day, often same hour. One PE, one phone number, one accountable signature on the affidavit.
By standard arrangement, we invoice the closing — not your office. The fee rolls onto the settlement statement as a line item ("PE foundation cert & affixation affidavit"). No separate invoice loop, no AP exception, no chasing payment after a recorded conversion. The closing pays the engineer; the closing closes.
Coverage is statewide across all seven active states. The table shows highest-volume counties. Flagship counties (★) are those where we file weekly enough to know the recorder's clerks by name. Full coverage detail
Don't see your county? Coverage is statewide across all seven active states — the table is highest-volume only. We record in every county across MO, AR, IL, KS, IA, NE, IN.
Standard turnaround is five business days from intake to recorded instrument. Rush track delivers in three for active closings. Full process detail
Submit the request form or email the closing attorney's intake packet. Acknowledgment within one business hour. Written quote returned same business day. Field-visit scheduling confirmed.
Inspector on site for 45–90 minutes. Foundation measurements, photo documentation, HUD label and serial verification, parcel confirmation. Coordinated with listing agent, seller, or lockbox.
Foundation cert and Affidavit drafted, formatted to the destination county's recording specifications. Sealed PDF prepared for file delivery; wet-ink originals prepared for the recorder.
Affidavit notarized by a Missouri-commissioned notary. Both instruments PE-sealed by the engineer personally. Sealed PDFs sent to the file; wet-ink originals couriered to the destination recorder.
Originals recorded at the destination county. Book and page numbers issue same business day. Recorded copies of the instruments returned to your file within 24 hours of recording.
Three of the most common questions from title officers, closing attorneys, and lenders working with us on first-time files. Full FAQ — 20+ questions
The PFGMH certification is an engineering report stating the home's foundation meets HUD's Permanent Foundations Guide — a technical statement about structural permanence. The Affidavit of Affixation is a notarized sworn statement declaring the home is permanently affixed to the real estate, citing the state statute that effects the conversion.
You usually need both. PFGMH proves the foundation is permanent; the Affidavit declares the legal conversion. The recorder records the Affidavit; the title insurer relies on the PFGMH; the lender relies on both.
Either way works. Default: sealed PDFs and wet-ink originals delivered to your office; your team walks them to the recorder. Concierge: we walk them ourselves and return recorded copies (book and page) to your file. Concierge adds a small fee but eliminates one errand from your closing-day list.
For flagship counties (those marked ★ in the coverage table), concierge is included at the standard fee.
Depends on county (recording fees differ), bundle (PFGMH + Affidavit vs PFGMH alone), and turnaround. Submit the form with the property address and target close — written quote returned same business day. Most standard MO / AR / IL / KS filings fall within a typical PE structural pricing range.
Volume title companies running 4+ filings per quarter qualify for partner-tier pricing (~15% off retail) plus invoice-at-close billing through escrow. Partner program detail →
Submit the address, the recording county, the target close. Acknowledgment within an hour. Quote same business day. Recorded within five business days — and the title officer chases none of it.