Mobile Home Roofs in Sioux Falls: Repairs, Roof-Overs and Snow

Start with the data plate inside your home. It shows the roof load the home was built for, and a home built for this area to the federal minimum is rated at 30 pounds per square foot. Every decision about snow, coatings or a roof-over runs back to that number.

Sioux Falls had 3,148 mobile homes in the 2020 to 2024 Census survey. Garretson’s share is higher, at 8.0% of its homes.

What kind of roof does a mobile home have?

Older single-wides have a low, slightly curved metal roof laid over bowstring trusses, the arched trusses set 16 inches apart that the Department of Energy describes in its weatherization training. Wind flexes those metal panels, which is the rumble and popping you hear in a storm.

The federal HUD Code covers flat, curved and pitched roofs, so a newer manufactured home may have a pitched roof with shingles, much like a house. A roof-over covers the old metal with a rubber membrane, new metal or a framed roof.

The HUD Code applies to homes that entered production on or after June 15, 1976. A home built before then was made to older state or local rules, and its roof load may not be written down anywhere.

Where is the data plate, and what does it tell me?

HUD says the data plate is on or near the main electrical panel, inside a kitchen cabinet, or in a bedroom closet. It carries a small map of the United States showing the wind zone, snow load and roof load the home was built for. A home built for heavier loads lists the actual design figures.

If the plate is missing, HUD says you may be able to get it from the In-Plant Primary Inspection Agency that inspected the home at the factory, or from the manufacturer. Take a photo of the plate before any roofer visits. They will need it.

How much snow can a manufactured home roof hold in Sioux Falls?

Homes built for this area are designed for a roof load of 30 pounds per square foot. The HUD Code puts Minnehaha, Lincoln, Turner, McCook and other southeast South Dakota counties in its Middle roof load zone, rated at 30 psf.

A site-built house in Sioux Falls is designed for a ground snow load of 55 psf, and Minnehaha County sets 40 psf outside the city. Those are ground figures, which engineers reduce to get a roof load, so the numbers do not compare one for one. The point stands: a manufactured home roof has less margin than the house next door.

After a heavy snow, watch for the FEMA warning signs: a sagging ceiling, popping or creaking, doors that stick, new cracks in the walls. If you see them, get out and call a building official. For safe ways to clear snow, see our page on ice dams and winter roof problems in Sioux Falls.

Should I coat my metal mobile home roof?

A coating can protect a sound metal roof, but it does not fix a leak. Even the retailers who sell elastomeric and silicone coatings say to patch the leak and tape the seams first.

Most leaks on these roofs start at seams, edges and flashing, according to a mobile home living guide. Department of Energy weatherization crews reseal roof edges with putty tape and self-tapping screws, and they confirm there are no active leaks before doing any roof work. The HUD Code requires every vent and pipe through the roof to be flashed and sealed.

Plan to redo a coating. A home inspectors’ chart gives an aluminum roof coating 3 to 7 years. We found no confirmed figure for other coatings, so ask for the product’s written warranty. If the leak keeps coming back, our guide to roof repair in Sioux Falls helps you judge repair against replacement.

Can I put a new roof over my mobile home roof?

It can be done, but a roof-over adds weight to a roof built for 30 psf, so the structure has to be checked first.

Other states treat this as a structural change. Washington wants engineering for any work that adds load to a manufactured home. Fairfax County, Virginia warns that altering the exterior can void the design basis on the data plate. We found no South Dakota rule either way.

Ask the roofer how much the new roof weighs, how it ties into the existing frame, and whether an engineer has signed off. A roof-over is also a good time to insulate the roof cavity. The Department of Energy says extra insulation there dampens the noise of flexing metal panels, as long as ceiling gaps are sealed first to keep moist air off the cold metal.

Do I need a permit to reroof a mobile home?

Plan on yes. Inside Sioux Falls, reshingling needs a city permit at a flat $40, but we could not confirm how the city treats a roof-over on a manufactured home. Call Sioux Falls Building Services at 605-367-8670 before work starts.

Outside city limits, Minnehaha County’s handbook requires a permit to alter or repair any structure, and roofing is not on its exempt list. The county building inspector is at 605-360-8507. In a town such as Garretson, ask the town office.

If your home sits in a park, read your lease too. Parks can set their own rules on contractors and exterior work.

Will insurance or the city help pay for a mobile home roof?

Insurance pays for covered storm damage under a mobile or manufactured homeowners policy, and an older roof may be paid at depreciated value. Actual cash value takes off for age and wear, and insurers in this region are moving more roofs to it and limiting coverage as roofs age. Our guide to roof insurance claims in South Dakota explains how that plays out after hail.

For repairs you cannot afford, the City of Sioux Falls Housing Division listed a Mobile Home Repair program in April 2026. A 211 directory listing put emergency mobile home repair help at up to $5,000, but that listing may be out of date, so call the Housing Division. Our page on paying for a new roof in Sioux Falls covers the other options.

Questions about mobile home roofs

Get a quote

Tell us about the job, with a photo of the data plate, and a local roofing contractor will call, text or email to set up a visit. The quote is free.