ARTICLE 7. MOBILE HOMES

4-701. DEFINITIONS.

Building shall mean any structure built for the support, shelter, or enclosure of persons, animals, chattels, or property of any kind.

Camp shall mean a trailer camp.

House trailer shall mean a vehicular, portable dwelling unit designed especially for short-term occupancy, such as: travel trailers, campers, converted buses and other similar units whether self-propelled, pulled or hauled and are designed primarily for highway travel without a special permit; and/or does not comply with all the requirements of the minimum housing code as a dwelling unit.

Inspection and/or health officer shall mean an officer appointed by the city council, the duties of which are hereinafter set forth, or his or her authorized representative.

Mobile home shall mean a movable, detached single-family dwelling unit with all of the following characteristics:

(1)    Designed for long-term occupancy, and containing accommodations, a flush toilet, a tub or shower bath, kitchen facilities, and having plumbing and electrical connections provided for attachment to outside systems; be on a chassis that is capable of being transported after fabrication on its own wheels (or detachable wheels);

(2)    Arrive at the site where it is to be occupied as a dwelling complete and ready for occupancy except for minor and incidental unpacking and assembly operations, location on supports, connection to utilities, and the like; and

(3)    Not necessary to be placed on a foundation as required for a permanent structure.

Mobile home park shall mean a parcel or tract of land used or intended to be used by 10 or more occupied mobile homes. The term "mobile home park" does not include sales lots on which unoccupied mobile homes, whether new or used, are parked for the purpose of storage, inspection, or sale.

Mobile home space shall mean a plot of ground within a mobile home park which is to accommodate one mobile home and which provides service facilities for water, sewerage and electricity.

Occupy, occupancy or occupied shall mean the use of any mobile home or house trailer by any person for living, sleeping, cooking or eating purposes for any period of four or five consecutive days.

Park shall mean mobile home park.

Person shall mean any individual, firm, trust, partnership, association or corporation.

Roadway shall mean any private street located within a park or camp and providing for the general vehicular and pedestrian circulation within the park or camp.

Service building shall mean a building housing all of the following: separate toilet facilities for men and women, laundry facilities and separate bath or shower accommodations. Such building may also include other associated uses such as an office and recreational facilities for the camp or park.

Trailer camp shall mean the use of a parcel or tract of land, which provides space for transient occupancy, and used or intended to be used for the parking of 10 or more trailer houses, tents or similar type temporary living facilities. The term "trailer camp" does not include a parcel or tract of land on which unoccupied house trailers, whether new or used, are parked for the purpose of storage, inspection or sale. (Code 1987, 7-701)

4-702. LOCATION OF MOBILE HOMES AND HOUSE TRAILERS.

It shall be unlawful for any person to occupy a mobile home in the city, unless such mobile home is located in a park; and it shall also be unlawful for any person to occupy a house trailer in the city, unless such house trailer is located in a camp. Exceptions:

(a)    A mobile home may be occupied on any lot or lots in the city, except where prohibited by restrictive covenant, provided lot or lots on which the mobile home is occupied is owned by the owner of the mobile home and provided further that a permanent foundation made of concrete or concrete materials be placed under the mobile homes. This exception applies to mobile homes containing 600 square feet or more of living area. The ad valorem taxation of the mobile home shall be changed from personal property to real property.

(b)    A mobile home may be occupied at a construction site by a night watchman when approved by the inspection officer, when deemed necessary for security purposes. Such permission may be canceled by the inspection officer upon three days’ written notice when in his or her opinion the intent of this section is being violated.

(c)    A mobile home may be occupied other than within a park for a period not to exceed 30 days when a permit is secured in accordance with section 4-706(c).

(d)    A house trailer may be occupied other than within a camp for a period not to exceed 30 days when a permit is secured in accordance with section 4-706(c).

(e)    A camping or vacation trailer or mobile home may be stored in the rear or side yard on any lot; provided, that no living quarters shall be maintained or any business conducted in connection therewith while such trailer or mobile home is so parked or stored.

(f)    A house trailer may occupy a mobile home space in a park for a period not to exceed 30 days, provided a service building as required for a trailer camp is within 200 feet of the space so occupied.

(g)    The above exceptions shall apply only when, and if, the city zoning ordinances are fully complied with.

(Code 1987, 7-702)

4-703. PARK LICENSE.

All persons operating parks existing on December 31, 1972, shall obtain a park license, with such license being issued only after approval by the inspection officer and/or health officer and only after payment of the required fee. All persons developing new parks after December 31, 1972, shall obtain a park license before occupancy of such park, with such license being issued only after approval of the required application by the inspection officer and/or health officer and only after payment of the required fee. The park licenses for both existing and new parks shall be renewed annually, 12 months from the date of the previous license, after approval by the inspection officer and/or health officer, and after payment of the required fee. No person shall operate a park without a current park license. (Code 1987, 7-703)

4-704. CAMP LICENSE.

All persons operating camps existing on December 31, 1972, shall obtain a camp license, with such license being issued only after approval by the inspection officer and/or health officer, and only after payment of the required fee. All persons developing new camps after December 31, 1972, shall obtain a camp license before occupancy of such camp, with such license being issued only after compliance with, and in accordance to, the procedure as described in section 4-703 for issuance of a park license involving approval by appropriate officers, annual renewal and payment of the required fee. No person shall operate a camp without an approved current license. (Code 1987, 7-704)

4-705. PERMITS FOR INDIVIDUAL MOBILE HOMES AND HOUSE TRAILERS.

Prior to occupying a mobile home or a house trailer located other than within a park or camp, a permit shall be obtained as permitted by sections 4-702(c):(d) with such permit being issued only after approval of the required application by the inspection officer and after payment of property fees. (Code 1987, 7-705)

4-706. LICENSE AND PERMIT FEES.

(a)    The annual license fee for a park shall be as follows: one to 10 mobile home spaces – $50.00. Each additional rented space – $5.00.

(b)    The annual license fee for a camp shall be as follows: $2.00 per camping space with minimum of 10 spaces available.

(c)    A temporary permit may be issued for a mobile home or house trailer to be occupied other than within a park or camp, permitted in accordance with sections 4-702(c):(d) for a period not to exceed 30 days, upon the payment of a fee of $5.00. There shall not be more than two such permits issued for the placement of a mobile home or house trailer in accordance with section 4-702(c):(d) on the same property in any 12-month period.

(Code 1987, 7-706)

4-707. EXISTING PARKS.

All persons operating existing parks, containing one or more mobile home spaces with approved existing hookups and/or service facilities, as herein defined for a mobile home space, shall obtain the appropriate license as required by sections 4-703:704. The inspection officer shall determine the appropriate classification for each park. No addition shall be made to any existing park after December 31, 1972, except as permitted by section 4-708 for a new park. (Code 1987, 7-707)

4-708. APPLICATIONS FOR LICENSE FOR NEW PARKS AND CAMPS.

(a)    All persons developing new parks and camps after December 31, 1972, shall make an application to the city council of the city for the appropriate park or camp license. Applications for mobile home parks may be made only after a development plan has been approved by the city council. When platting is not required, a sketch plan showing the relationship of the mobile home spaces to the roadways, parking, open space, and other information affecting the overall environment of the park may be submitted at any time for approval by the city council.

(b)    The application to the city council shall be in triplicate, in writing, signed by the applicant, and shall include the following: the name, address and telephone number of the applicant; the location and legal description of the park or camp; three complete sets of plans showing compliance with all applicable provisions of this article, including a plan drawn to scale not less than one inch equal to 100 feet, showing the park or camp dimensions; number and location of mobile home or house trailer spaces; location and width of roadways, sidewalks, off-street parking and easements; location, size and specifications of buildings, sewers, water lines and gas lines; the location and specifications of any sewage disposal system and water supply system; the existing topography and drainage grading plan. The submitted plans may be approved by the city council for construction only after they have been reviewed and approved by the inspection officer and/or health officer and returned to the applicant. Approval and issuance of a park license for such new parks, and a camp license for such new camps shall not be made until construction in accordance with the approved plans has been completed.

(c)    An application for any addition to an existing park shall be processed as an application for a new park. The expansion of any park shall conform to this article and under no circumstances shall the total park area be less than the area required for a new park.

(Code 1987, 7-708)

4-709. APPLICATION FOR TEMPORARY PERMIT FOR PLACEMENT OF INDIVIDUAL MOBILE HOME OR HOUSE TRAILER.

Any person desirous of locating a mobile home or house trailer in accordance with sections 4-702(c):(d) shall make an application to the city council for a temporary permit. Such application shall be in writing, signed by the applicant, and shall include the following: the name, address, and telephone number of the applicant; the location and legal description of property where the mobile home or house trailer is requested to be located; and shall provide all other applicable information as follows:

(a)    Those applications requested in accordance with sections 4-702(c):(d) shall give the reason such application is being applied for, and shall give the number of days the mobile home or house trailer is intended to be parked which in no event shall exceed 30. The application shall be accompanied by a plot plan drawn to scale, showing the legal description and boundaries of the application area, location of existing buildings, and the location of where the mobile home or house trailer will be parked.

(b)    The connection of the mobile home or house trailer to any utility shall be in accordance with all applicable regulations of the code of the city.

(Code 1987, 7-709)

4-710. PARK AND CAMP LOCATIONS.

All parks and camps shall be located in accordance with this code and all ordinances of the city and shall be located on a well drained site properly graded to ensure adequate drainage and freedom from stagnant pools of water. Plans and specifications for the drainage and grading systems, including roadways, storm sewers and appurtenances, and general drainage and grading shall be prepared by a licensed professional engineer. (Code 1987, 7-710)

4-711. PARK AND CAMP LAYOUTS.

(a)    Area. Mobile home parks shall contain a minimum of 5,000 square feet for each mobile home space. Trailer camps shall contain a minimum of 1,000 square feet for each camping space.

(b)    Lighting. All park and camp roadways shall be lighted at night.

(Code 1987, 7-711)

4-712. SERVICE BUILDING.

Each park serving or intended to serve 109 or more house trailers or mobile homes and all camps may be provided with one or more service buildings which shall:

(a)    Be located no nearer than 20 feet from a mobile home or house trailer in a park, nor nearer than 20 feet from a house trailer in a camp.

(b)    Be so located that any house trailer which it serves shall not be parked more than 200 feet from it.

(c)    Be of permanent type constructed and be adequately lighted.

(d)    Be of moisture resistant material to permit frequent washing and cleaning.

(e)    Have one flush type toilet, one lavatory and one shower or bathtub for females; and one flush type toilet, one lavatory, one shower or bathtub for males for up to nine house trailers. One additional unit of the above plumbing facilities shall be provided for each sex for each 10 additional house trailers served or major fraction thereof. All lavatories, bathtubs and showers shall be connected with both hot and cold running water.

(f)    Have adequate heating facilities to maintain a temperature of 70 degrees Fahrenheit in the building and provide hot water (140 degrees F) at a minimum rate of eight gallons per hour for the required fixture units.

(g)    Have an accessible, adequate, safe and potable water supply of cold water.

(h)    Have all rooms well ventilated with all openings effectively screened.

(i)    Have at least one slop water closet or other facility suitable for the cleaning and sanitizing of bedpans or other waste receptacles.

(j)    Be maintained in a clean sanitary condition and kept free of any condition that will menace the health of any occupants or the public or constitute a nuisance.

(Code 1987, 7-712)

4-713. WATER SUPPLY.

(a)    Required. An accessible, safe and potable supply of water as approved by the health officer shall be provided in each park or camp. If city water is available to the park or camp, it shall be used.

(b)    Layout. The size and location of water mains and fire hydrants shall be designed by a licensed professional engineer and shall be in accordance with the requirements of the water department and fire department of the city. When city water is available, a utility easement for the distribution system shall be granted to the water department for operation and maintenance purposes. The distribution system shall become the property of the city.

(c)    Service Connections. Individual water service connections shall be provided at each mobile home space. Such connections shall be located at least four inches above ground surface, at least three-quarters inch in diameter and equipped with a three-quarters-inch valve outlet. The outlet shall be protected and all pipes shall be protected from freezing. Below ground shutoff valves may be used but stop and waste valves shall not be used. When service connections are provided for house trailer spaces, they shall comply with the above requirements.

(d)    Private Water Supply. When a private water supply is provided, it shall provide an adequate water supply with minimum flow rates of four gallons per minute for each of the first five mobile home or house trailer spaces and an additional two gallons per minute for each additional space for the next 10 spaces and an additional one and one-half gallons per minute for each additional space for the next 25 spaces and an additional one gallons per minute for each additional space. Such system shall provide a minimum of 20 pounds per square inch of pressure at all connections provided.

(Code 1987, 7-713)

4-714. SEWAGE DISPOSAL.

(a)    Individual Sewer Connections. Sewer connections shall be provided for each mobile home space in accordance with the sewage codes of the city. If individual connections are provided for house trailers, they shall be of similar construction.

(b)    Design. Any sewage system connecting to the city sewer systems shall be in accordance with all applicable requirements of the city sewage codes. All sewage systems shall be designed by a licensed professional engineer and shall be submitted for approval of the city council of the city.

(c)    Treatment Plant. When the sewer lines of the park or camp are not connected to a public sewer, a sewage treatment plant or sewage disposal system approved by the health officer shall be provided. The design of such facilities for new parks and camps shall be based on their ultimate maximum capacity. The approval of the health officer shall be obtained on the type of treatment proposed and on the design of the facility prior to the construction.

(d)    Camps shall provide sanitary stations for the sole purpose of removing and disposing of wastes from holding tanks in a clean, efficient and convenient manner. Sanitary stations shall be approved by the health officer, connected to the sewage system, located not less than 50 feet from any space or other residential area, and be screened from other activities by visual barriers such as fences, walls or natural growth.

(Code 1987, 7-714)

4-715. GARBAGE AND REFUSE.

Provisions for garbage and refuse storage, collection and disposal shall be maintained so as to create no health hazards, rodent harborage, insect breeding areas, accident hazards or air pollution and shall comply with the requirements set forth in this code and all ordinances of the city. (Code 1987, 7-715)

4-716. RODENTS AND INSECTS.

(a)    Maintenance Free from Infestation. Mobile home parks and trailer camps shall be maintained free of excessive insect or rodent infestation.

(b)    Preventive Environmental Maintenance. The mobile home park or trailer camp management shall keep all areas outside of the confines of the individual mobile homes or house trailers reasonably free of breeding, harboring, and feeding places for rodents and insects. Such areas shall be kept free of litter, trash, salvage materials, junk and weeds or other obnoxious vegetation growths in excess of 12 inches in height. Individual mobile home or house trailer occupants shall be responsible for the extermination of any insect or rodent infestations occurring within individual mobile homes or house trailers.

(Code 1987, 7-716)

4-717. ELECTRICITY.

A weatherproof electrical outlet supply at least 110 volts shall be provided for each mobile home or house trailer space. All electrical wiring shall comply with applicable provisions of the electric code of the city. No power lines shall be permitted to lie on the ground or to be suspended less than 15 feet above the ground over any roadway, parking or service area. (Code 1987, 7-717)

4-718. FUEL GAS.

(a)    Liquefied Petroleum Gas. When liquefied petroleum gas is used, containers for such gas shall not hold more than 25 gallons water capacity; shall be the liquefied petroleum gas containers approved by the Interstate Commerce Commission for their intended purpose; and shall be integrally attached to the mobile home or house trailer in a manner approved by the Liquified Petroleum Gas Association, Inc. Such containers shall be connected to a mobile home as required by the code for any permanent structure and shall be equipped with an excess flow valve at the discharge valve of the container. Gas lines shall be buried a minimum of 18 inches below grade from the container to a point at or below the mobile home.

(b)    Natural Gas. Natural gas may be connected to mobile homes or house trailers under the following conditions:

(1)    All gas lines supplying mobile homes or house trailers shall be of adequate size to provide a sufficient supply of gas that will allow all appliances in the mobile home or house trailer to operate at their normal rate of capacity.

(2)    Where a gas utility company supplies gas to individual mobile homes or house trailers the service line to the mobile home or house trailer shall be sized as required by the utility serving the same and a meter loop shall be made in accordance with the requirements of the utility company.

(3)    All gas lines including gas service lines serving the mobile home or house trailer shall be buried not less than 18 inches below grade to a point at or below the mobile home or house trailer.

(4)    For each individual mobile home or house trailer there shall be a gas stop cock and an American Gas Association approved flexible connector.

(Code 1987, 7-718)

4-719. REGISTER.

(a)    It shall be the duty of the person operating each park and camp to keep a register containing a record of all mobile home and house trailer owners and tenants located within each park and camp. The register shall contain the name, address of each occupant; the make, model, year and manufacturer of each mobile home or house trailer; the date of arrival and departure of each mobile home or house trailer, including the name of the contractors responsible for connection to the utilities.

The person operating each park or camp shall keep the register available for inspection at all reasonable hours by law enforcement officers, assessor, public health officials and other officials whose duties necessitate acquisition of the information contained in the register. The original records of the register shall not be destroyed for a period of three years following the date of registration.

(b)    It shall be the responsibility of the person operating each park and camp to notify the inspection officer of damage exceeding $100.00 by fire or storm to any mobile home or house trailer in his or her park or camp. The inspection officer shall compile all such information into categories of losses and their causes, as nearly as can be determined, for future reference.

(Code 1987, 7-719)

4-720. ALTERATIONS AND/OR ADDITIONS.

(a)    Alterations and/or additions to mobile homes which are affected by provisions herein, within or to a park and facilities, shall be made only after application to the city council of the city, and in conformity with all of the sections of this code.

(b)    No additions of any kind shall be built onto or become a part of any mobile home or house trailer.

Exceptions: Accessory structures not exceeding an area of 100 square feet, carports and residential patio structures may be attached to or become a part of a mobile home if such structure complies in all respects to the applicable provisions of the building codes of the city and with the written approval of the inspection officer.

Skirting of mobile homes is permissible only with noncombustible material; however, skirting shall not permanently attach the mobile home to the ground, provide a harborage for rodents or create a fire hazard.

(c)    Every mobile home regulated by this article shall be anchored to the ground by a method approved by the inspection officer. This anchorage shall be adequate to withstand the minimum horizontal wind and uplift pressure set forth in the building code of the city for permanent structures. This regulation shall, from and after the date of this article, apply to all new mobile home parks and individual installations, and shall also thereafter apply whenever a mobile home is moved in, relocated, or replaced in existing parks, and furthermore, compliance shall be attained on all mobile homes not later than December 31, 1972.

(d)    A mobile home or house trailer shall not be permanently attached to the ground or placed on a concrete or masonry foundation unless it is otherwise converted to a building complying in all respects to the provisions of the code of the city for a permanent structure.

(Code 1987, 7-720)

4-721. VIOLATIONS.

Each day that a violation of this article occurs shall constitute a separate offense and shall be punishable hereunder as a separate violation. (Code 1987, 7-721)