(A) General.
(1) Mobile homes are increasingly becoming a part of the urban scene, therefore it has become necessary to establish a zone for them containing basic and uniform regulations and performance standards in order to protect the safety, health, and welfare of their occupants as well as the total community.
(2) A mobile home park must be sufficient to accommodate the desired number of units, parking area for motor vehicles, access roads and walkways, and recreational facilities - all as required in this section. Among the features to be considered in the planning of mobile home parks shall be: size, shape, topography, land costs, local codes and ordinances, uses of adjoining properties, availability of water supply and sewage disposal. Prior to filing an application for an MHR Mobile Home Residence Zone the interested persons shall consult with local and state health authorities to determine the suitability of the site.
(B) Standards. The following standards shall be complied with in any plan, application, or request for a change in zone to permit a mobile home park. Such standards shall be over and above those which may be required by other local or State agencies. State standards in I.C. 22-15-4-1 et seq. as amended and 410 I.A.C. 6-6 as amended are minimum standards.
(1) Roads: Parking. All streets intended to be dedicated to the public shall be constructed and designed in compliance with the standards set forth in the subdivision regulations. All streets intended to be privately owned and maintained shall be constructed and designed in compliance with the standards specified herein. All internal streets shall have a minimum width of 24 feet of pavement. If parking is prohibited on both sides of an internal street, the width may be reduced to 18 feet of pavement. Internal streets shall be two-way streets if they are 500 feet or less in length or serve less than 25 mobile homes.
(a) They shall be one-way streets regardless of length if they provide access to mobile homes on one side of the street only. Dead-end streets shall be provided with a turn-around having at least 60 feet in diameter.
(b) Entrance streets connecting with internal streets shall be not less than 34 feet in width if parking is permitted on both sides. If parking is permitted on one side only, such a street may have a width of 27 feet, provided the entrance street is more than 100 feet in length and does not provide access to abutting mobile home lots within the first 100 feet.
(c) All streets shall intersect at right angles. Street intersections should be at least 150 feet apart and the intersection of more than two streets at one point shall be avoided.
(d) Grades shall be less than 8%. Short runs up to 12% could be used if necessary. All streets shall be provided with a smooth, hard, and dense surface properly drained and according to the most recent city or county specifications.
(e) To reduce traffic hazards, parking or individual parking spaces on each lot shall be provided at a ratio of eight spaces for every four mobile home lots. Every parking space shall be located within 100 feet of the mobile home it is intended to serve.
(2) Walkways. Where traffic is expected to be heavy such as in the proximity of recreation areas, management or service areas, three and one-half foot common walks shall be provided. Walks shall also be provided on each mobile home lot so as to connect it with the street. Such walk shall have a minimum width of two feet.
(3) Lots. Every lot in a mobile home park shall contain 3,500 square feet in area to avoid overcrowding and in order that modern mobile homes and appurtenances can be properly accommodated. There shall be a 15-foot clearance between mobile homes, including mobile homes placed end to end. No mobile home shall be closer to any park property line than 25 feet, 30 feet to any street or right-of-way, 15 feet to any recreational area. In determining clearances and open spaces, accessory structures having a horizontal area in excess of 25 square feet located within ten feet of a window shall be considered as a part of the mobile home. Driveways for individual mobile home lots shall be at least eight feet in width with an extra two feet if they serve as walks. The on-lot parking space served by a driveway shall be nine feet wide and 20 feet long.
(4) Recreation. Every mobile home park shall provide recreation areas in a ratio of at least 100 square feet of space for each mobile home lot. No outdoor recreation area, however, shall be less than 2,500 square feet. Recreation areas shall be located on sites substantially free from traffic interference and hazards. The same shall be properly buffered with trees, evergreens and/or other vegetative growth.
(5) Service buildings. There shall be a service building on every mobile home park to accommodate laundry and storage facilities whose construction shall conform to local and state building regulations. Such building shall be of permanent construction and shall have a weather-resistant exterior finish of moisture-resistant material. Floors shall be impervious to water and sloped to drains connected to a sewerage system.
(C) Permits.
(1) It shall be unlawful for any person to construct, alter, or extend any mobile home park unless he or she has been issued a zoning permit by the Plan Commission. Application for such permits shall be filed with said Plan Commission and shall contain the following information: Name and address of the applicant; location and legal description of the property; and complete engineering plans and specifications for the proposed park. Engineering plans shall include the area and dimensions of tract; number, location, and size of all mobile home lots; location and width of all roadways and walkways; location of service buildings and other buildings; location of water, plans, and specifications for the water supply systems; plans and specifications for buildings constructed or to be constructed within the mobile home park; and the location and details of the lighting and electrical systems. Copies of all information shall be supplied to the Plan Commission for obtaining a permit.
(2) No zoning permit shall be issued by the Plan Commission for the installation of a mobile home park until a zone change has been favorably completed and all the requirements of this section have been met. Any extension of an existing park which was not a part of the original plan shall meet all the requirements of this section and a permit shall be obtained from said Officer based on the number of additional lots and the per-lot fee as stated in this chapter. The zoning permit for the mobile home park shall not be considered as a permit for common buildings constructed in conjunction with the park. All recreation buildings, service buildings, and other buildings housing common facilities shall be considered commercial buildings for the purpose of obtaining all applicable permits.
(D) Sewage-water.
(1) No mobile home park shall be permitted unless the same shall be connected to existing sewerage facilities or unless it provides a sewage disposal plant which shall adequately serve the proposed park and any future extension of it. Any sewage disposal plant shall have the approval of the State of Indiana Board of Health.
(2) No mobile home park shall be permitted unless the same is connected to a public water supply system or shall provide its own adequate centralized water facility acceptable to the State Board of Health. Written certification from the agency shall be furnished to the Plan Commission. The sanitary sewer system and the storm sewer system shall be separate and shall be sized and designed according to standard engineering practice. Storm sewers shall provide a minimum velocity of two and five tenths per second when flowing full. Written certification from an appropriate body or agency shall be furnished to the Plan Commission that the storm sewers are installed as such or that the drainage system has been approved.
(E) Pest control. Mobile home parks shall establish and operate under the most rigid practices to control mosquitoes, flies, roaches, rats, fleas, ticks, chiggers, and other pests.
(F) Refuse collection. Mobile homes shall each be equipped with a 30-gallon container. Such container shall be regularly sprayed with suitable insecticides to reduce odors and to eliminate fly incidence. All refuse containing garbage shall be collected at least once weekly. The mobile home park shall include a central collection area for garbage and solid waste with room for an enclosed dumpster or other suitable collector approved by the city’s garbage collection official.
(G) Electrical distribution.
(1) Electrical wiring, equipment, and appurtenances shall be installed and maintained in accordance with applicable permits, codes, and regulations. Where such codes do not exist the provisions of the National Electrical Code shall control.
(2) All streets, walkways, buildings, and other facilities shall be adequately lighted. An average illumination level of at least six-tenths (0.6) footcandle and a minimum illumination level of one-tenth (0.1) footcandle shall be maintained on all streets. Potentially hazardous locations such as intersections, steps or ramps shall be illuminated with a minimum level of three-tenths (0.3) footcandle.
(H) Mobile home requirements. All mobile homes permitted to be installed in said mobile home residence zone shall comply with the following requirements:
(1) Manufactured home. The following manufactured homes are permitted:
(a) A dwelling unit fabricated on or after January 1, 1981, in an off-site manufacturing facility for installation or assembly at the building site, bearing a seal certifying that it is built in compliance with the federal Manufactured Housing Construction and Safety Standards Code, being 24 C.F.R. 3280, or I.C. 36-7-9-4, as promulgated by the Indiana Administrative Building Council. Should a court, either federal or state, determine that the fabrication date of January 1, 1981, is arbitrary or a violation of any federal or state right, including equal protection laws, this chapter shall not be interpreted to exclude fabricated dwelling units constructed after July 15, 1976, which manufactured homes comply with all HUD Code requirements.
(b) Built with Manufactured Housing Construction and Safety Standards Code. Title IV of the 1974 Housing and Community Development Act (42 U.S.C. §§ 5401 et seq), as amended (previously known as the federal Mobile Home Construction and Safety Act, 42 U.S.C. §§ 5401 et seq.), rules and regulations adopted thereunder, which include H.U.D. approved information supplied by the home manufacturer, and regulations and interpretations of said code by the Indiana Administrative Building Council.
(2) Mobile home. The following mobile homes are permitted in the MHR Zone: A transportable structure built after June 15, 1976, the effective date for the Federal Mobile Home Construction and Safety Act of 1974, larger than 700 square feet, and designed to be used as a year-round residential dwelling.
(3) The home shall meet all requirements applicable to single-family dwellings subject to minimum requirements herein and possess all necessary improvement location, building, and occupancy permits and other certifications required by the code.
(4) The home shall be larger than 768 square feet of occupied space if it is a manufactured home and 700 square feet if it is a mobile home, or meet the minimum square footage requirements for the appropriate zone.
(5) The home shall be attached, tied down, and anchored to a permanent foundation with adequate skirting installed in conformance with the regulations in the Indiana One and Two-Family Dwelling Code and with manufacturer’s installation specifications.
(Ord. 1991-07, passed 1-7-1991) Penalty, see § 10.99