Each manufactured home built in the United States after June 15, 1976 has a data plate. The data plate includes the manufacturer's certification that the home is designed in accordance with U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's construction and safety standards in effect on the date the home was manufactured. HUD Standards include Body and Frame Requirements, Thermal Protection, Plumbing, Electrical, Fire Safety, and other aspects of the home.

The data plate includes the date of manufacture, name and address of the manufacturing plant, manufacturer's serial number and model, a list of certification labels applied to the home, major equipment, roof load, heating/cooling and wind zone information. Also included is the Design Approval Primary Inspection Agency (DAPIA).

The Data Plate is affixed in a permanent manner near the main electrical panel or other readily accessible and visible location. Other common locations might be inside the master bedroom closet door, utility or laundry room door, inside a kitchen cabinet or on the backside of a cabinet door.

The certification label number is also printed on the certification label. (Certification Label Information) In cases where the certification label cannot be located, the data plate includes information necessary for determining the certification label number that was applied in the factory. (Certification Label Inquiry Information)