W. Va. C.S.R. § 87-1-1 et seq. § §87-1-14
Fire Safety Separation Requirements for Mobile Home Sites
Operative Text
§ 87-1-14. Fire Safety Separation Requirements for Mobile Home Sites.
14.1. No portion of a manufactured home, excluding the tongue, shall be located closer than 3 m (10
ft) side to side, 2.4 m (8 ft) end to side, or 1.8 m (6 ft) end to end horizontally from any other manufactured
home or community building unless the exposed composite walls and roof of either structure are without
openings and constructed of materials that will provide a 1-hour fire resistance rating or the structures are
separated by a 1-hour fire-rated barrier.
14.2. Manufactured homes shall not be positioned vertically, stacked with one over the other, in whole
or in part, unless the structure is designed and approved for such installation and permitted by the authority
having jurisdiction.West Virginia regulation W. Va. C.S.R. § 87-1-14 establishes minimum horizontal spacing between manufactured homes in a community to limit the spread of fire. Side-to-side gaps must be at least 10 feet, end-to-side gaps at least 8 feet, and end-to-end gaps at least 6 feet, unless qualifying fire-resistant construction or a rated barrier is present. The rule also prohibits stacking manufactured homes vertically on top of one another unless the structure is specifically designed, approved, and permitted for that configuration.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Operators of manufactured home communities in West Virginia must lay out sites so that each home meets the clearance distances specified in § 87-1-14 — 10 feet side to side, 8 feet end to side, and 6 feet end to end — or ensure that qualifying 1-hour fire-resistance-rated walls, roofs, or barriers are in place where tighter spacing is used. Compliant operators document the fire-resistance ratings of any materials or barriers relied upon to justify reduced separation. Vertical stacking of homes is treated as a special-case installation requiring design approval and a permit from the authority having jurisdiction before proceeding.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Under W. Va. C.S.R. § 87-1-14, residents of manufactured home communities have an interest in knowing that their home's placement meets the fire-safety separation distances set by state regulation. If a home appears to be sited closer to a neighboring structure than the rule allows — without evidence of compliant fire-rated construction — tenants may consider contacting the West Virginia authority having jurisdiction over manufactured home communities or a local tenant-rights organization to understand available options. Documenting site conditions, such as photographs showing distances between structures, can be useful when raising a potential violation.
General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.
Generated October 26, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
Effective Timeline
References In
Rules and statutes that cite this regulation