A mobile home park is a residential development where individual lots are rented to residents who own their own manufactured or mobile homes. Mobile home parks require R (Residential) zoning, typically under a specific manufactured home park or mobile home park sub-classification that is separate from standard single-family or multi-family residential zoning. This dedicated classification regulates the unique characteristics of park communities, including lot density, infrastructure standards, and common area requirements.
Most jurisdictions have a specific zoning category for mobile home parks (sometimes labeled MHP, RMH, or similar). This zoning classification addresses minimum lot size per home site, lot width and setback requirements within the park, density limits (maximum homes per acre), internal road width, paving, and circulation standards, utility infrastructure (water, sewer, electrical service to each lot), common area and open space requirements, and buffer zones between the park and adjacent properties.
These standards ensure that mobile home parks provide adequate infrastructure and livability for residents while managing the density and impact of the development on surrounding areas.
New mobile home park development has been rare for decades. Land costs, regulatory requirements, community opposition, and the availability of higher-return development options have made new park construction economically unattractive in most markets. When new parks are proposed, they face significant zoning and permitting hurdles including rezoning from the current classification to the mobile home park category (which requires public hearing and planning commission approval), site plan review with detailed engineering for roads, utilities, drainage, and grading, environmental review for sites near wetlands, flood zones, or sensitive habitats, and community opposition during the public hearing process.
The public hearing process for a new mobile home park is often contentious. Neighboring property owners frequently oppose park development, citing concerns about property values, traffic, and neighborhood character. These concerns, while politically powerful, must be balanced against the housing need that mobile home parks serve.
Existing mobile home parks operate under their established zoning classification and are typically protected as legal nonconforming uses even if current zoning would not permit a new park at that location. Many states have enacted laws that protect existing parks from rezoning, closure, or conversion to other uses without adequate notice and relocation assistance for residents. These protections reflect the recognition that mobile home park residents are often low-income homeowners who cannot easily relocate.
Park closures and conversions to higher-density housing or commercial use have displaced thousands of mobile home residents in growing markets. Some jurisdictions have responded with closure moratoriums, right-of-first-refusal laws that give residents the opportunity to purchase the park as a cooperative, and relocation assistance requirements for park owners who close their properties.
Mobile home parks are responsible for maintaining internal roads, water and sewer systems, electrical distribution, stormwater management, and common areas. State and local health departments inspect park infrastructure, and deferred maintenance can result in compliance orders, fines, and in extreme cases, closure. Water system compliance is particularly important, as many older parks operate their own water supply systems that are subject to Safe Drinking Water Act requirements.
Start by confirming the zoning on the property. You can look up your property's zoning on ZoningPoint.com to identify the current classification. For new development, contact your local planning department to discuss the rezoning process and site plan requirements. For purchasing an existing park, review the park's zoning compliance, infrastructure condition, state licensing status, and any applicable tenant protection laws. Engage a civil engineer to assess road, utility, and drainage infrastructure, and a Phase I environmental assessment to identify potential contamination from historical operations.
It is important that you look up the specific zoning type for your parcel of land, because every jurisdiction has their own unique zoning and this is just a generalization.
