From the beginning, I wanted to make my container home movable.  Besides the efficiencies of prefab and reuse, a livable railcar is totally my style.  Unfortunately, it isn't generally legal to live in anything with wheels inside the boundary of Portland.   Building code does have provisions for manufactured homes, though, including land that isn't a mobile home park.  The zone I'm building in qualifies.

So what are the rules specific to manufatured homes?  Pretty few, actually:

1. Wheels and towing apparatus removed
2. Minumum 1000 square feet inside
3. Conventional hip-wall foundation
4. Pitched roof with eaves
5. Conventional siding - "must have the same appearance as materials commonly used on residential dwellings. Metal siding must be painted or anodized."

You can basically make it look like an ordinary ranch house if it's big enough, or even have multiple stories.  I'd do the latter, which requires at least 4 containers.  My existing design idea would fit, even.  My first one or two homes won't be considered mobile (no real advantage at this point), but I expect future projects to be removable, and it's good to know I can do so in the future and pass code.  The last bit about the siding is a bit odd, but the city probably won't put up a stink if I paint the exterior in a friendly color with low-gloss paint.  They did approve Chris Radcliffe's container home without a pitched roof, after all.