Following a public hearing during the Kenbridge Town Council’s March 20 meeting, members voted to adjust an ordinance to allow zoning for modular homes.

As previously reported in the Dispatch, Modular homes, according to the new ordinance designated as Section 5.5, “are built in sections at a factory, and the sections are transported to the building site on carriers, and then joined together by licensed contractors. They are built to conform to all state, local or regional building codes.”

Modular homes differ from mobile and manufactured homes, which are defined “as a structure subject to federal regulation, which is transportable in one or more sections; is eight body feet or more in width and 40 body feet or more in length in the traveling mode, or is 320 or more square feet when erected on-site; is built on a permanent chassis; is designed to be used as a single-family dwelling, with or without a permanent foundation, when connected to the required utilities; and includes the plumbing, heating, air conditioning, and electrical systems contained in the structure.”

Mobile and manufactured homes are not permitted in the town’s zoning districts under the new ordinance. The take away here is modular homes are built to the same codes as stick built homes and should not be confused with manufactured homes. We commend the council for being informed on the differences between modular and manufactured homes and for taking this action.