Straight answers
Do tiny homes need to be certified in the US?
In practice yes, and which one depends on whether the home moves. A tiny home on wheels is built to the RV pathway: RVIA certification to NFPA 1192 and ANSI A119.5, or NOAH, which adds per-build structural and energy inspection against the IRC, NEC and NFPA. A modular home is built to the IBC or IRC with a state program insignia issued by an approved agency. Separately from the home itself, a trailer needs NHTSA compliance and a VIN to be road-legal.
01 — The longer answer
What each certification pathway lets you do
The distinction matters because it decides what you can do with the home. The RV pathway does not create a dwelling permit, no matter how well built the home is. The modular pathway is the one that produces a permanent dwelling, and it is the route that behaves like a house for financing.
Park models are their own case, built to ANSI A119.5 and certified through RVIA or a third party such as RADCO, and in most jurisdictions they are not a primary-residence path.
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