Instruments — AffixReport

01 / Instrument 01 Foundation certification

PFGMH Foundation Certification

A PE-stamped engineering report certifying that the foundation system meets HUD's Permanent Foundations Guide for Manufactured Housing, § 3 — the technical evidence of structural permanence that title insurers, FHA / USDA underwriters, and real-property tax assessors all require.

What it documents

Six structural verifications

Each PFGMH report addresses six structural elements, individually measured against HUD's standard and individually certified:

Foundation system type — pier & beam, perimeter wall, slab-on-grade, or basement, identified with photographic confirmation
Pier specifications — quantity, dimensions, materials, and installed spacing measured against HUD anchor-pattern requirements
Footing dimensions & depth — width, length, depth, and reinforcement, verified to local frost-depth requirements
Soil bearing capacity — measured PSF rating, with bearing assumption documented
Anchoring & tie-down system — vertical and lateral anchorage, including straps, ground anchors, and connection points
Permanent utilities & skirting — verification that mechanical services are permanently connected and the perimeter is fully enclosed per § 3

How it's structured

Page-by-page breakdown

A typical PFGMH report runs 8–12 pages depending on foundation complexity:

Page 1 — Certification page with PE seal, signature, license number, and § 3 determination
Page 2 — Property identification: address, parcel ID, HUD label, MH serial number, manufacturer, year
Pages 3–5 — Foundation system description with measured dimensions and HUD reference standards
Pages 6–8 — Photo documentation: piers, footings, anchors, skirting, utility connections
Pages 9–10 — Engineering analysis: bearing capacity calculations, anchor pattern compliance, structural conclusions
Pages 11–12 — Statement of permanence, scope of inspection, limitations, PE attestation

When to order PFGMH alone

If the home was previously affixed and the title has already been surrendered, but a fresh foundation certification is needed for refinance or title-insurance update — order PFGMH alone. The legal conversion already happened; only the structural cert needs refreshing.

02 / Instrument 02 Affidavit of Affixation

Affidavit of Affixation

A notarized sworn statement by a licensed Professional Engineer declaring, under oath, that the manufactured home is permanently affixed to the real estate. This is the legal instrument that effects the conversion. The recorder records it; the title insurer relies on it; the lender relies on it to perfect a real-property mortgage.

What it declares

Sworn statements, under oath

The Affidavit is structured around six sworn declarations:

Identification of affiant — Scapular Engineering, P.E., licensed in [state], with license number and notary jurat
Identification of property — parcel ID, address, legal description as it appears in the deed
Identification of manufactured home — HUD label number, MH serial number, manufacturer, year, model
Statement of affixation — the home is permanently affixed to the real estate, on a permanent foundation that meets PFGMH § 3
Statute citation — the controlling state statute that effects the legal conversion (e.g., MO § 442.015)
Statement re: certificate of title — the DMV certificate of title has been surrendered (or is pending surrender) as required by the controlling statute

Statute basis · per state

Each state cites its own

The controlling statute differs by state; the Affidavit cites the right one for the recording jurisdiction:

Missouri: § 442.015 — Manufactured home as real property
Arkansas: § 18-12-602 — Affixation of manufactured home to land
Illinois: 765 ILCS 5/35a — Manufactured home as real property
Kansas: § 58-4214 — Manufactured home affixation
Iowa (pending): § 435.26 — Real property classification

!

The Affidavit is the recorded document

What gets recorded at the county is the Affidavit — not the PFGMH cert. The PFGMH lives in the closing file for the title insurer and lender; the Affidavit is the public record. Book and page numbers issue against the Affidavit.

03 / Bundles Most files need both

Order both, or order one alone.

Most files need both documents. But edge cases come up — refinances on already-converted homes, single-document title-insurance corrections — where one instrument alone is sufficient.

Use case

PFGMH only

Affidavit only

Bothstandard

New conversion · manufactured home → real estate

—

✓

FHA / USDA real-property mortgage origination

—

✓

Refinance · home already converted, fresh PFGMH needed

✓

—

Title-insurance correction · affixation already done, statute miscited

—

✓

—

Estate / probate · conversion for sale by heirs

—

✓

Cash sale · converting for resale value, no financing

—

✓

Bundle · A

PFGMH + Affidavit Standard

The default bundle. Both instruments delivered together, sealed and notarized. Fits 92% of files.

Volume · 2025378 of 412

Bundle · B

PFGMH only Refi / update

Foundation cert alone. For homes already affixed where a fresh PFGMH is required for refinance underwriting or title-insurance update.

Volume · 202526 of 412

Bundle · C

Affidavit only Correction

Affidavit alone. For title-insurance corrections where structural permanence has already been certified and only the legal-conversion document is missing or miscited.

Volume · 20258 of 412

04 / Delivery formats Sealed PDF + wet-ink originals

How it arrives.

Every filing arrives in two formats: a digitally-sealed PDF for the closing file and underwriter review, and wet-ink originals for county recording. We never deliver one without the other.

Sealed PDF: Delivered via secure email or your closing-software portal. Digitally signed with our P.E.'s credentials; viewable in any PDF reader; PE seal renders inline. Sized to fit standard 8.5″×11″ or 8.5″×14″ recording paper depending on the destination county's preference. Used by the title insurer and the lender for the closing file.
Wet-ink originals: Couriered or shipped to the destination recorder (concierge filing) or to your office (default). Notary acknowledgment is wet-ink on the original Affidavit. PE seal is wet-ink with embossed impression on both instruments. Required by every recorder we work with for the recorded version.
Recorder-formatted: Margin widths, font minimums, signature-block placement, paper size, and indexing-stamp allowance are all set to the destination county's specific requirements before the document leaves this office. No reformatting at the courthouse. Per-county format detail →
Underwriter copy: On request, an additional sealed PDF can be sent directly to the title-insurance underwriter (e.g., First American, Stewart, Old Republic, Chicago Title). Helps short-circuit underwriter questions before they reach your office.
Recorded copies returned: Within 24 hours of recording, recorded copies of the Affidavit (with book/page or instrument number stamped by the county) are returned to your file. Sealed PDF version with the recorder's stamp; original returned by mail.
Retention: We retain the sealed PDF and a courtesy paper copy on file for seven years. If the title insurer or a future underwriter needs a duplicate later, we can re-issue from archive for a nominal fee.

Related resources.

Common next questions about instruments, format, and process — answered in detail elsewhere on this site or in sibling network sites.

→ Coverage

Drafted for the recorder.