Width is destiny.

It depends on three numbers: the width of the home, the distance, and how much setup you need on the far end. As broad planning ranges, short transport-only moves of a single-wide are often quoted in the low thousands, while long full-service moves of a double-wide can run well into five figures once permits, escort cars, and setup are included. Anyone who gives you one flat number before asking the width is guessing. Our free Move Cost Estimator shows the math openly, and a written itemized quote is the only number you should ever rely on.

Federal rule sets the standard legal load width at 8 feet 6 inches on the main highway network, and nearly every livable mobile home is wider than that. The moment your load crosses the line, it needs an oversize permit from every state on the route, and as width grows, states typically add escort cars, daylight-only travel windows, and route restrictions. A double-wide travels as two separate oversize loads, so much of that cost happens twice. Same road, same miles, several times the price. That is the width ladder, and it is why we ask for the width before anything else.

Usually, but not always. Homes built on or after June 15, 1976 carry a HUD certification label and are generally movable if the frame, axles or axle points, and structure are sound. Homes built before that date predate the HUD construction standard, and many parks, lenders, and some state rules restrict where they can be placed. Condition matters too: a home that has sat for decades may need frame, axle, and tire work before any transporter will touch it. Our guide on movability walks through the honest checklist, and your state or local housing authority can confirm the rules that apply to you.

For the transport itself, the transporter typically pulls the oversize permits in each state the route crosses, because the permits attach to the load and the hauling equipment. What often lands on the homeowner is the destination side: the local placement or installation permit, utility connection permits, and any park approvals. A good quote states in writing who is pulling what. Confirm the local requirements with your city or county building department, because they vary widely.

Setup is the half of the move most people underestimate. A setup crew places the home on its pad, blocks and levels it, anchors it against wind per the applicable standards, joins and seals the halves of a multi-section home, reconnects utilities, and sets steps and skirting. Federal installation standards at 24 CFR Part 3285 set the floor for how this work is done, most states license installers, and many require a final inspection before occupancy. Transport without setup leaves you with a home on wheels in a field, which is why we quote both sides of the move.

The drive itself is usually the short part. Permits can take a few days to a few weeks depending on the states involved, oversize loads typically move in daylight windows on approved routes, and setup with inspections can add days to weeks on the far end. A realistic full timeline for a permitted, set, and inspected move is measured in weeks, not days. Weather and route restrictions can stretch it. We would rather tell you that now than surprise you later.

We are building a vetted network of local mobile home transport and setup pros, and this site is the honest front door: real guides, free planning tools, and a quote form that a person actually reads. When you request a quote, we review your route and details, and we connect you with vetted pros as coverage opens in your area. If we cannot cover your route yet, we tell you that plainly instead of selling your phone number to a call-center carousel. That is the whole model.