CHAPTER IV. BUILDINGS AND CONSTRUCTIONCHAPTER IV. BUILDINGS AND CONSTRUCTION\ARTICLE 9. MOBILE HOMES

For the purpose of this article, the following words and phrases shall have those meanings ascribed and designated to them as follows:

(a)   Travel Trailer House (Mobile Home) shall mean any portable dwelling unit designed for short term occupancy on an irregular basis, including, without limitation, travel trailers, campers, buses converted for occasional travel occupancy, and similar units, whether the same be pulled, self-propelled, hauled or otherwise designed primarily for highway travel.

(b)   Trailer House (Mobile Home) shall mean a portable dwelling unit designed and equipped for long term occupancy with a flush toilet, bathing facilities, the usual basic kitchen facilities, including a sink of construction and use installation specifications in accordance with the International Building Code, and which has a width of less than 14 feet and a length of more than 25 feet, and which requires a special permit for highway transportation.

(c)   Modular House shall mean a portable dwelling unit, or units, designed for occupancy of long term with a flush toilet, bathing facilities, and, kitchen facilities, including a sink capable of an installation in accordance with the International Building Code, unless otherwise excepted by the governing body of the city, as hereinafter provided, which dwelling has a width of not less than 20 feet and a length of not less than 30 feet, and a minimum of 600 square feet of usable floor space in the same.

(d)   Trailer House Space or Lot shall mean a tract of land designated for accommodation of one trailer house, which provides service facilities for water, sewage, and electricity, which has a minimum area of 4,000 square feet and which has dimensions that would permit compliance to all setback provisions of the laws of the city, pertaining to residential housing.

(e)   Modular House Space or Lot shall mean a plot of ground to accommodate one modular house, which provides service facilities for water, sewage and electricity, which has a minimum area of 4,800 square feet and which has dimensions which would permit compliance to all setback provisions of the laws of the city, pertaining to residential housing.

(f)   Mobile Home Community or Park shall mean any area, tract or site within or upon which a minimum of 10 trailer houses or modular house space lots are located for dwelling units, and which meet the following requirements:

(1)   The mobile home community shall be located on a well-drained site, properly graded to insure rapid drainage and freedom from stagnant water.

(2)   Mobile home spaces shall be provided consisting of a minimum of 4,800 square feet for each modular house space or lot and a minimum of 3,750 for each trailer house space or lot, which lot or space shall be clearly defined and marked.

(3)   Each mobile home space shall be provided with a paved patio of at least 180 square feet and having a storage locker of at least 96 cubic feet.

(4)   Dwellings shall be harbored on each space so that there shall be at least a 20 foot clearance between each dwelling, provided however, that with respect to dwellings parked end to end, the end to end clearance may not be less than 15 feet. No dwelling shall be located closer than 20 feet from any building within the mobile home community or · from any property line bounding the mobile home community.

(5)   All spaces or lots shall be adjacent to a roadway of not less than 32 feet in width where vehicles are permitted to park on the roadway adjacent to dwellings; otherwise, off-street or off-roadway parking lots shall be maintained at a minimum ratio of one and one-half car spaces for each space or lot and the roadway may then have a minimum width of 24 feet. All such roadways shall have unobstructed access to a public street or highway, provided further that the sole vehicular access shall not be by an alley and that all dead-end roadways shall include adequate vehicular turning space at the end thereof.

(6)   All roadways and walks within the mobile home community shall be hard surfaced and lighted pursuant to residential street lighting requirements.

(7)   A park and recreational area shall be provided having a minimum of 150 square feet per dwelling space or lot, provided however, this requirement may be waived by the governing body for good cause shown. The above regulations are in addition to any requirement included in the city’s zoning ordinance.

(Code 1988; Code 2015)

(a)   It shall be unlawful for any person to establish, maintain, operate or permit to be established, maintained or operated any mobile home community or park within the city limits, without first having secured a permit therefore as herein required, except those mobile home communities or parks and trailer parks that are already established. Each such presently established mobile home community and trailer park shall be considered a non-conforming use and will be permitted to remain as long as the use is continuous.

(b)   The applicant for a permit for a mobile home community shall submit three copies of the plan showing location, size and topography of the site for review of the zoning commission and governing body. The plan must show the trailer or modular house spaces or lots, roadways, sidewalks, parking areas, electrical lines, utility lines, methods of defining each mobile home or trailer space or lot and the location of paved patios in such a way to demonstrate that the proposed mobile home community will meet the requirements set out in section 4-901 herein. All mobile home parks shall be developed in accordance with the city’s zoning ordinance.

(Code 1988)

(a)   It shall be the duty of the licensee to keep a register containing a record of all trailer or modular house owner and occupants located within the park. The register shall contain the following information:

(1) Name and address of each occupant.

(2) The make, model, and year of all automobiles and trailer houses and modular houses.

(b)   The park shall keep the register available for inspection, at all times, by law enforcement officers, public health officials and other officials whose duties necessitate acquisition of the information contained in the register. The register records shall not be destroyed for a period of three years following the date of registration.

(Code 1984)

No person shall establish a mobile home park or court or park any mobile home for purpose of using same for living quarters or for office purposes within the fire limits of the city.

(Ord. 912)

It shall be unlawful for any trailer house to be parked in any street or alley overnight. At no time shall a trailer house be parked on a sidewalk or in the parking between the walk and curb. If a trailer house is temporarily parked overnight, it must be parked in the rear yard, as defined in the zoning ordinance, unless the trailer house is parked in an approved trailer court.

(Code 1959, 5-701)

No mobile home shall be maintained as a permanent office within the fire limits: provided, that such office use as shall be compatible with the demonstration and sale of such articles or services as may be transported in a mobile home by a distributor or salesperson may be permitted in a mobile home for a period of time not exceeding three continuous days, if the location and time is approved by the chief of police.

(Ord. 1173)

Emergency or temporary stopping or parking, not exceeding one hour at any one time, if permitted by traffic regulations and other laws of this city, shall be allowed.

(Code 1984)

(a)   Travel trailer houses may be parked while occupied in conforming and nonconforming mobile home communities and in public areas located in the city parks for the travel trailer houses for a period not to exceed two weeks.

(b)   It shall be permissible for a bona fide guest of any householder outside of the fire limits to park a mobile home in the rear yard for a period of time not to exceed 15 days: provided, however, that such mobile home shall be used for sleeping purposes only.

(c)   Travel trailer houses may be stored while unoccupied on property owned or leased by the owner of the travel trailer house in residential and multiple dwelling districts so long as the placement of the travel trailer house while stored conforms with the setback and side yard requirements of residential housing.

(Ord. 912; Code 1984)

It shall be unlawful for the owner of any mobile home community or the owner or occupant of any trailer house or modular house which has the facility to make sewer connection to permit the trailer or modular house to be parked and occupied by a person or persons without first connecting the trailer to the city sewer system for the purpose of disposing of substances from the trailer.

(Code 1959, 5-703; Code 1984)

Tightly covered metal garbage cans shall be provided in quantities adequate to permit disposal of all garbage and rubbish. Garbage cans shall be located no farther than 200 feet from any trailer or modular house space or lot. The cans shall be kept in sanitary condition at all times. Garbage and rubbish shall be collected and disposed of as frequently as may be necessary to insure that the garbage cans shall not overflow.

(Code 1984)

Every park shall be equipped at all times with one fire extinguisher in good working order for every three trailers or modular house space located not further than 100 feet from each trailer or modular house space. No open fires shall be permitted at any place which could endanger life or property. No fires shall be left unattended at any time.

(Code 1984)

All mobile homes must be tied down with the use of drive or auger type anchors at least four inches into the ground and as nearly vertical as possible and located every 10 inches around the perimeter of the trailer with at least two overhead top ties at either end of the mobile home and attached to steel straps or cables that are weather resistant and at least 1.25” x .035” galvanized steel straps or 3/8” steel cable or aircraft cable of at least 1/4” diameter, and fastened to the permanent footing with at least 3/4” anchor bolts or drop forged turnbuckles at least 1/2” diameter imbedded in the footing.

(Ord. 1173)

Whenever possible the mobile home shall be placed with the narrow end facing the prevailing wind to the south or southwest and shall in all cases be skirted between the bottom of the trailer and the ground.

(Ord. 1173)

(a)   The mobile home must be located on a permanent foundation consisting of a solid footing at least 4” x 16” around the perimeter of the trailer or on footers at least 4” x 16” located at least on 10 inch centers around the perimeter. Such footings to be at least 12 inches deep.

(b)   In addition to a solid reinforced concrete wall, three kinds of wall can be used:

(1) Open celled concrete blocks with cells positioned vertically perpendicular to the I-beam on the trailer, at least 8” x 8” x 16” with solid four inch concrete cap.

(2) Solid concrete blocks of the same size.

(3) Cylinder jack piers bolted to the I-beam at the top and placed into the reinforced concrete pad footing on the bottom.

(Ord. 1173)

(a)   All mobile homes shall be located in accordance with the city’s zoning ordinance.

(b)   When parking a mobile home within the city in compliance with this section; The owner of the mobile home must be the owner of the tract of land where such home is permanently located; and The lot or tract width and setback requirements as established in the city zoning ordinance shall be adhered to.

(Ord. 1173; Code 1988)