Ohio’s Manufactured Homes Program Seal Report can show an installation permit while the final inspection is still pending. The Department of Commerce says the public report lists issued manufactured-home installation permits, the installation address, installer, and whether the footing, electrical, and final inspections have passed. For a buyer, owner, or records requester, the useful question is which stage the record actually supports. An issued permit is the start; the inspection seal comes after the final inspection.
Applying for a permit or checking an existing installation?
| Your task | Use this route |
|---|---|
| You plan to install a home | Submit plans to the certified inspection agency and obtain the installation permit before installation. The Ohio Program welcome page explains that sequence and lists the Program contact if you need the responsible agency. |
| You need to check a home already installed | Use the public Seal Report for issued permits and inspection stages; then request the underlying documents if needed. |
The public report is a record lookup, not a permit application. Under Rule 4781-7-09(B)–(C), the application identifies the proposed work and site, includes required foundation/design documents, identifies the installer by name and license number, and is signed by the applicant or agent. Confirm the receiving inspection agency and current submission process before sending documents; a public search result does not submit or approve an application.
Read the three inspection stages separately
Open the state’s Seal Report from the welcome page. Use the search controls shown there and compare any candidate against the home’s installation address and installer. If you have an old permit number or inspection paperwork, retain it as a cross-check rather than assuming every address match describes the same home. A property may have had a replacement or a corrected site address.
The state’s welcome page makes the stages explicit: an installer obtains a manufactured-home installation permit after submitting plans to a certified inspection agency; before occupancy, its general description calls for footing, electrical and final inspections and an inspection seal. The reported footing and electrical outcomes are distinct from the final outcome. Record the date and exact label shown for each. If the report says a permit was issued and only footing passed, record it as “permit issued, footing passed” rather than “installed and approved.”
The general welcome text describes the usual sequence. Rule 4781-7-03 allows electrical and final inspections alone when compliant existing footings need no alterations, repairs or additions. Ask the inspection agency which stages applied before treating a blank footing field as a missing inspection.
- Permit listed, final status unclear: Ask the inspection agency or the Ohio Manufactured Homes Program for the final-inspection report and seal record, citing the site and permit.
- Three passes shown: Verify that the report belongs to this home and request the actual seal or final record if a transaction requires documentary proof.
- No public match: Check alternate address or installer references and ask the Program to search its underlying permit and inspection file.
Ohio’s inspection-seal rule describes the seal as a separate item following a satisfactory final inspection and says it is placed on the inside face of the home’s electrical panel. That physical location can help an owner identify a possible seal, but the number and the state’s file should still be matched. A seal seen inside a different unit or in an undated photo still needs to be matched to this installation’s inspection history. Our final-inspection status guide explains the distinction between intermediate and completed stages.
Get the underlying record when the summary is too thin
The permit rule addresses the installation permit and approved documentation. A public summary may tell you that a stage passed without providing the inspector’s notes, an approved plan, or a correction history. To seek a copy, identify the installation address, permit number if known, installer, approximate year, and the specific record: the permit, a named inspection report, approved installation documents, or the final seal record. Say which reported stage conflicts with the paperwork you hold. That request is more actionable than asking for “everything on the property.”
The Seal Report welcome page lists the Division of Industrial Compliance at ohiomanufacturedhomes@com.ohio.gov and 614-644-2223. Ask that office which certified inspection agency or state file holds the missing report and whether an address change or replacement-home identity explains the mismatch. Preserve the written response with the public report’s retrieval date. A contractor’s invoice, a local tax entry, and an Ohio installation permit answer different questions; the state final inspection result comes from the Program or its inspection agency. Our old-permit lookup guide can help organize those identifiers before a request.
For a site with a permit and a passed electrical inspection but no visible final pass, seek the final report or Program explanation before describing the installation outcome. Conversely, an empty online search does not prove that no installation permit, inspection, or seal exists. Treat the public report as a starting index.
Ohio Department of Commerce Seal Report pages and administrative rules checked September 29, 2026.