Move Checklist

Florida mobile home move permit

FDOT's State Permit Office issues oversize permits, and haulers can self-issue trip permits online for loads up to 16 feet wide. Loads over 10 feet wide cannot move on seven named holidays, and only FLHSMV licensed installers may set up the home.

Sources read October 7, 2026. Each section links the pages it came from.

Who issues the permit

The Florida Department of Transportation's State Permit Office in Tallahassee issues oversize and overweight permits for all state maintained highways.

The permit office can be reached at (850) 410-5777, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Haulers can self-issue trip permits in FDOT's online Permit Application System (PAS) for loads up to 16 feet wide, 18 feet high and 150 feet long, with no contact with the permit office.

A permit is needed when the vehicle and load are wider than 102 inches (8 feet 6 inches), or wider than 96 inches on a travel lane under 12 feet wide.

The state permit does not cover locally owned roads and structures; the hauler must get approval from local authorities for county and city roads.

Sources: Florida Department of Transportation, Over-Weight Over-Dimension Permits; Florida Department of Transportation, When Do You Need a Permit?; Florida Department of Transportation, Oversized/Overweight Permit Application Form 850-040-02

Fees

FDOT permit fees are set by Rule 14-26.008, Florida Administrative Code, and the current amounts are posted in FDOT's Schedule of Fees.

Florida law sets a minimum fee of $5 for any oversize or overweight permit.

Moving an oversize load without a valid permit carries a penalty of up to $1,000 per violation for width, height or length.

Sources: Florida Department of Transportation, When Do You Need a Permit?; Florida Senate, Florida Statutes s. 316.550 (2025), Special permits

Width and route limits

Under FDOT's blanket permit conditions, loads over 8 feet 6 inches and up to 10 feet wide may move on all days in daytime hours, with flags.

A blanket permit does not allow movement of a load over 14 feet wide.

A mobile home and towing tractor together may not exceed 120 feet, and the home itself may not exceed 81 feet including overhangs and tongue.

For loads over 16 feet wide (or 15 feet high), the hauler must carry a copy of the route survey letter.

Source: Florida Department of Transportation, Blanket Permit Movement Conditions and Restrictions (rev. July 27, 2026)

Escorts, lights and signs

Loads over 10 and up to 12 feet wide need warning lights visible to all approaching traffic, plus flags and warning signs.

Loads over 12 and up to 14 feet wide need one qualified escort at all times. Two escorts, front and rear, are required on roads named in the rule unless the load has four warning lights, two front and two rear at each corner.

Loads over 10 feet wide, 80 feet long or 14 feet 6 inches high must show two warning signs.

Source: Florida Department of Transportation, Blanket Permit Movement Conditions and Restrictions (rev. July 27, 2026)

When the home can travel

Daytime hours mean from half an hour before sunrise to half an hour after sunset.

Where a permit excludes weekends, movement on Saturday and Sunday is limited to half an hour before sunrise until 12:00 noon.

Loads over 10 feet wide may not move on New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, the day after Thanksgiving or Christmas Day.

Loads over 12 feet wide may not move from 7 to 9 a.m. or 4 to 6 p.m. on weekdays on state roads in Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, Orange, Duval, Hillsborough and Pinellas counties.

Sources: Florida Department of Transportation, When Do You Need a Permit?; Florida Department of Transportation, Blanket Permit Movement Conditions and Restrictions (rev. July 27, 2026)

Who may move the home

Florida law bars an oversize vehicle or load from public roads until the owner or operator has the special permit from the agency that controls the road.

The permit holder is responsible and liable for any damage to state roads and structures.

Sources: Florida Senate, Florida Statutes s. 316.550 (2025), Special permits; Florida Department of Transportation, When Do You Need a Permit?

Who may set up the home

Anyone who installs a mobile home in Florida needs a mobile home installer license from FLHSMV.

Owners may not set up their own home; Florida law and rule require a licensed mobile home installer.

Applicants attend a free 12 hour installation course and must pass the FLHSMV exam with a score of 70 or higher.

Installers must carry $100,000 in general liability insurance covering property damage during installations.

The license costs $200 to start: a $50 application fee and a $150 license fee.

Counties and cities may not demand extra licensing, bonding or insurance from a state licensed installer.

Sources: Florida Senate, Florida Statutes s. 320.8249 (2025), Mobile home installers license; FLHSMV, Mobile Home Installer FAQ; FLHSMV, Mobile Home Installer

Setup and anchoring

FLHSMV's uniform installation rules require a permanent foundation that resists wind, flood, flotation, overturning, sliding and lateral movement.

A setup permit is required and is applied for at the local county building department.

The county or city may issue the installation permit only to a licensed installer, or to a dealer or owner who shows that a licensed installer will do the work.

After the onsite inspection, the home gets a certificate of occupancy if it meets the state installation rules.

A state installation decal must be put on the home before installation.

Installers, dealers and manufacturers buy the decals from FLHSMV for no more than $10 each.

Florida has wind zones II and III, and a home must be built to the standard for the wind zone of the county where it will be set up.

Sources: Florida Senate, Florida Statutes s. 320.8325 (2025), Uniform installation standards; FLHSMV, Mobile Home Installer FAQ; Florida Senate, Florida Statutes s. 320.8285 (2025), Onsite inspection; Florida Senate, Florida Statutes s. 320.8249 (2025), Mobile home installers license

Before you book

This page gives only the $5 legal minimum, not FDOT's trip permit fee, and does not list the escort rules for trip permits over 14 feet wide (Rule 14-26.012). Ask the State Permit Office for the fee and the escort rules for your width.

Sources and dates

Common questions

Do I need a permit to move a mobile home in Florida?

Florida law bars an oversize vehicle or load from public roads until the owner or operator has the special permit from the agency that controls the road.

Can I set up my own mobile home in Florida?

Owners may not set up their own home; Florida law and rule require a licensed mobile home installer.

Related

Move checklist State rules