Mobile Home Tie-Downs and Anchors in Palm Desert

Tie-downs are the steel straps that run from the home’s frame or walls down to ground anchors. They hold the home on its piers against wind. Replacing anchors and straps, or a new install, typically runs $600 to $3,500. Tightening the existing straps during a relevel is usually a small line on that quote. Your number comes in writing after we have checked every strap and anchor.

In California, replacing a home’s stabilizing devices is part of what Health and Safety Code 18613 calls a reinstallation, which needs a permit. The contractor who pulls that permit must show a valid licence; the class for this work is the CSLB C-47. Ask for the number and check it on CSLB.

What we check

• Strap tension. Each strap should be snug against the frame without pulling the home sideways. After a pier settles, some straps go slack and others take extra load.
• Anchor heads. We look for anchors that have lifted, leaned or pulled toward the home.
• Corrosion. Rusted straps and buckles lose strength.
• Missing or cut straps. Straps sometimes get cut for plumbing, ductwork or a skirting job and never get replaced.

Wind in the valley

Wind is part of life on the valley floor. The Coachella Valley’s habitat plan describes the wind carrying sand off the Whitewater and Mission Creek washes down the valley, and on July 31, 2023 a haboob brought gusts over 50 mph and visibility near zero. A home whose straps went slack after a pier settled is less ready for that kind of morning. We recheck tension whenever we relevel a home.

Anchors in sand

Most of the valley floor is Myoma fine sand, which NRCS describes as loose and single grain, and the north side is Carsitas sand and gravelly sand. An anchor holds by the soil around it, so the type of anchor and how deep it goes matter. If an old anchor has pulled, we do not simply re-tension the strap on it. We tell you whether it needs replacing and put that on the quote.

Tie-downs are not earthquake bracing

It is worth saying plainly. Tie-downs are built to resist wind, and Riverside County’s guidance says wind tiedowns generally do not qualify as earthquake bracing. An earthquake resistant bracing system, or ERBS, is a separate, certified and labelled system that limits how far a home can drop, with its own permit and inspection. It is optional. If you want to know more, read our earthquake bracing page before you get any quote for it.

In a park

Most homes in the valley sit on rented spaces, so the park’s rules apply to work on the lot. Talk to the park office before anchor work, especially if new anchors mean digging near utilities. Inside parks, HCD issues permits unless the city or the county has taken over; Cathedral City, Indio and Rancho Mirage building departments are on HCD’s local enforcement agency list. Outside parks, the city or Riverside County Building and Safety does. The California rules page explains more.

Typical ranges for anchors and every related job are on our pricing page. If you are buying a home, our pre-purchase foundation check includes the tie-downs.