Can you put a mobile home on land in Putnam County, FL?

A question I hear often about our Putnam County lots is whether someone can put a mobile home on one. For a lot of people, a manufactured home is the most affordable way to turn land into a place to live, retire or spend time with family. The short answer is yes, on the right lot. Putnam County allows mobile homes in some zoning districts and not in others, and even on the right lot the home has to meet county and state rules before it can be delivered, set up and lived in. I’ve linked the sources so you can confirm each point.

The short answer

In unincorporated Putnam County, the county’s Planning & Zoning FAQ lists three zoning districts that allow mobile homes: Agriculture (AG), Residential-2 (R-2) and Residential Mobile Home Park (RMH). If a lot is in one of those districts and the county agrees it can get a building permit, you can generally place a HUD-code manufactured home on it once you’ve lined up septic and water, hired a state-licensed installer and pulled a county permit. If the lot is in a different district, such as R-1, or isn’t buildable, a mobile home isn’t an option without a county-approved change.

First, what counts as a mobile home

• Manufactured homes (HUD-code homes). Built in a factory on a permanent chassis to federal standards run by HUD. According to HUD, every transportable section built in the U.S. after June 15, 1976 has to carry a certification label, often called a HUD tag.
• Older homes built before the HUD standards. Putnam County’s Mobile/Manufactured Home Ordinance treats a non-HUD home built before June 30, 1976 as a “prohibited home,” with a narrow exemption for involuntarily relocated homes that meet current Wind Zone II standards. Ask the Building Department before you buy one.
• Park models and RVs. The ordinance limits park trailers to designated RV parks and mobile home parks. Travel trailers, camping trailers, truck campers and motor homes can’t be used as permanent living quarters in unincorporated Putnam County. As I explain in our Putnam County buyer guide, camping isn’t allowed here either.

If you’re shopping for a home, look first at the HUD tag and the data plate for the wind zone rating.

Step 1: Confirm who makes the rules and how the lot is zoned

This guide covers unincorporated Putnam County. If a lot is inside Palatka, Crescent City, Interlachen, Welaka or Pomona Park, that town’s rules apply instead — the county’s Building Department page says it has no interlocal service agreements with those towns. A mailing address that says Interlachen doesn’t tell you whether a lot is inside the Town of Interlachen. Search the parcel on the Putnam County Property Appraiser site and open its Land tab for the jurisdiction and zoning.

• AG (Agriculture) and R-2 (Residential-2) allow mobile homes. R-2 is the zoning you’ll see most often on inexpensive lots around Interlachen; our buyer guide lists the current R-2 lot size and setback standards.
• RMH (Residential Mobile Home Park) allows mobile homes, but it’s meant for parks rather than single lots. R-1 and other districts aren’t on the county’s list.

Each of our Putnam listings has a table showing whether a mobile home is allowed on that lot. Use it as a starting point, then look up the zoning yourself, or call Planning & Zoning at (386) 329-0491 for an unfamiliar district.

Step 2: Make sure the lot can get a permit

Zoning tells you a mobile home is an allowed use. It doesn’t prove your particular lot can get a permit. The county says not all property is eligible for a building permit, and it offers a Lot Inquiry for a formal answer. The fee is listed as $45; most inquiries are answered within two weeks, with up to four weeks allowed. Our buyer guide covers it in more detail.

• Flood zone. If the home will sit in a designated flood zone, the ordinance requires site-specific installation plans and elevation certificates at both inspections. The county’s residential permit checklist also lists a floodplain development permit and a Public Works site work permit where they apply. Look up the flood zone on the FEMA Flood Map Service Center.
• Room for everything. The home, septic tank and drainfield, well and driveway all have to fit while meeting setbacks. Sketch the site drawing early, especially on a lot of about a quarter acre, before you shop for a large home.

Step 3: Line up septic and water before the home

The order matters. The county’s residential permit checklist says a septic permit from the Florida Department of Health has to be issued before the county will issue a building permit. A lot on sewer needs a letter from the utility instead. Most rural lots here don’t have city sewer or water, so plan on septic and a private well.

• Septic. The Florida Department of Health in Putnam County handles septic permitting and inspections locally. Expect a soil evaluation. We don’t provide perc tests on our properties, so you’d arrange that yourself when you’re ready.
• Well. A private well needs its own permit. The Florida Department of Health’s well construction page lists Putnam among the counties where the health department handles well permitting.
• Electric. Ask which electric utility serves the lot; the Building Department’s dial list includes Clay Electric Cooperative and Florida Power & Light.

You also need a county permit before you build out those services for a home.

Step 4: Choose a home that can pass the county’s rules

New homes are installed according to the manufacturer’s setup manual. The permit checklist asks for the manufacturer’s specifications and proof of ownership.

Used homes take more preparation. The ordinance requires a county checklist inspection based on the housing code and HUD standards before a used-home permit application is accepted. Anything marked “not approved” has to be fixed and inspected again. Once the checklist is signed “Approved to Move,” it stays valid for 90 days, and the move-on permit has to be issued in that window. The county’s building official or an approved inspection agency can complete the checklist for a home already in Putnam County; an approved agency handles homes from other counties. The county’s fee schedule for fiscal year 2025-2026 lists the used-home pre-move inspection at $65 inside the county and $220 for homes in bordering counties, with two trips included. Homes from another state have to meet HUD’s 1994 wind standards; for a home built before July 1994, the data plate has to show Wind Zone II or III unless an approved agency issues a compliance certificate. Under HUD’s wind zone rules, Putnam is in Wind Zone II. The ordinance doesn’t allow joining homes or sections that weren’t built by the manufacturer to go together. Before you pay, make sure the seller owns the home.

Step 5: Hire a licensed installer and get the permit

In Florida, you can’t set up a mobile home yourself. The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles’ installer FAQ says state law requires a licensed mobile home installer. The department’s installer licensing page covers the training, exam, bond and insurance requirements. Ask for their state license.

Nobody can deliver, set up or connect a home until the county issues a permit. A licensed dealer or installer can apply for it, and an owner-builder can apply under Florida’s owner-builder law; either way, a licensed installer does the setup. See the residential permit checklist for what a typical application includes — proof of ownership, a Notice of Commencement for work over $5,000, a site drawing, the septic permit or a utility letter, the manufacturer’s specifications, flood-related forms where they apply, a driveway permit, and the permit and impact fees.

What it costs. The county’s fee schedule for fiscal year 2025-2026 lists the mobile home permit at $350 for one unit, plus $50 for each additional section. Fees are updated every year, so check the current schedule before you budget. Impact fees are separate; the county’s impact fee notice says they took effect countywide on June 10, 2025. Ask Development Services at (386) 329-0307 for the current amount.

Step 6: Inspections, skirting, taxes and move-in

The ordinance calls for two county inspections. The first covers the Notice of Commencement, the elevation certificate if needed, blocking and tie-downs, driveway access, stairs and landings, and electrical, plumbing and mechanical rough-in. The second covers the final elevation certificate if needed, covered trenches, finished skirting, electric on, completed trade work, finished stairs and landings, and a compliant 911 address.

Skirting is required before a final certificate of occupancy. It has to allow continuous ventilation and can’t have gaps large enough for a four-inch ball to pass through; the ordinance lists approved materials. Later structural, electrical, plumbing or gas work needs its own permit; routine upkeep like re-leveling, minor roof patching and skirting repairs does not.

Under Florida law, a mobile home is taxed as real property when the same person owns the home and the land it’s permanently affixed to — tied down and connected to the usual utilities. A home taxed this way gets an “RP” sticker instead of a license plate, and your annual tax bill will change once it’s in place.

How buying from Vibrant Vistas works

• No bank and no credit check. You buy directly from us under a land contract with 0% owner financing. Each property page shows the down payment, monthly payment and term. There’s a $249 document fee, and a $10 monthly note processing fee is included in your payment. See our How Owner Financing Works page.
• While you’re paying. You can visit and use the property and make minor improvements like a pad, a fence or clearing brush. Placing a mobile home, living on the property, and work that needs a county or state permit — such as a well, septic or utilities — wait until payoff. Once you’ve made the final payment, we record the deed in your name and you can pull permits for anything the county allows. If you need to move a home on right away, our financed properties may not be the right fit.
• 90-day money-back guarantee. If, within 90 days of signing, you decide the property isn’t right, we’ll trade it for one that fits better or refund you in full, minus the document fee.
• Verify us too. We’re happy to send a copy of the recorded deed showing we own the property. More ways to check us out are on our FAQ page and About page.