§ 159.131 MOBILE HOME PARKS.
   (A)   Intent. The intent and purpose of this section is to assure quality development equal to that found in other types of residential areas throughout the city. Excellence of design, development, and maintenance is the desired objective.
(Prior Code, Ch. 300 § 732.01)
   (B)   "Mobile" designation. Any dwelling unit which is not designed for easy and ready travel on the highway and which is intended rather for special transport to a site for permanent or semi-permanent occupancy affixed on a lot to the ground in some manner may be considered as a relocated, permanent structure subject to zoning and Building Code regulations applied to conventional construction. The Planning Advisory Commission shall determine if a dwelling unit is "mobile" or is to be considered as a permanent structure.
(Prior Code, Ch. 300 § 732.02)
   (C)   Permit required. No person shall attempt to develop or operate a mobile home park within the city without first obtaining a conditional use permit therefor. The requirements of a conditional use permit shall prevail over all other standards and requirements, notwithstanding the more restrictive sections of this chapter. A conditional use permit for a mobile home park may contain other requirements beyond those mentioned in this section.
(Prior Code, Ch. 300 § 732.03)
   (D)   Permit application. The application for a conditional use permit, in addition to other requirements, shall include the name and address of the developer and a general description of the construction schedule and construction cost. The application for a conditional use permit shall be accompanied by 12 copies of plans which indicate the following:
      (1)   Location and size of the mobile home park;
      (2)   Location, size, and character of all mobile home lots, mobile home stands, storage areas, recreation areas, laundry drying areas, central refuse disposal, roadways, parking spaces and sites, and all setback dimensions;
      (3)   Detailed landscaping plans and specifications;
      (4)   Location and width of sidewalks;
      (5)   Plans for sanitary sewage disposal, surface drainage, water systems, electrical service, telephone service, and gas service;
      (6)   Plans for an overhead street lighting system shall be submitted for approval by the City Engineer;
      (7)   The method of disposing of garbage and refuse;
      (8)   Location and size of all streets abutting the mobile home park and all driveways from such streets to the park;
      (9)   Plans and specifications for all road construction either within the park or directly related to park operation;
      (10)   Floor plans of all service buildings to be constructed within the mobile home park;
      (11)   Such other information as may be required or requested by the city; and
      (12)   Detailed description of maintenance procedures and grounds supervision.
(Prior Code, Ch. 300 § 732.04)
   (E)   Application fees. The applicant shall pay to the city an application fee as set forth in § 33.01 at the time the application is filed. When a permit is issued hereunder, the applicant shall pay an amount per lot as set forth in § 33.01. If only a portion of a proposed park is constructed at a time, the fee shall be paid for the lots in the portion being constructed, but the initial construction shall include at least 50 lots.
(Prior Code, Ch. 300 § 732.05)
   (F)   Performance standards for mobile home parks.
      (1)   A mobile home park shall contain at least 150 fully developed lots. A minimum of 50 mobile home stands must be fully developed, together with all required auxiliary buildings and areas, before any mobile home may be occupied.
      (2)   All mobile homes shall be properly connected to a central water supply and a public sanitary sewer system. All water and sewer systems shall be constructed in accordance with plans and specifications approved by the City Engineer. Where a public water supply is available to the mobile home park or at the boundary of the park, a connection to the public water supply shall be provided for each mobile home. All water supply and sanitation facilities must conform to the current regulations in Chapter 4 of the Washington County Development Code.
      (3)   All mobile home parks shall have 1 or more recreational areas, which shall be easily accessible to all park residents. Recreational areas shall be so located as to be free of traffic hazards and should, where the topography permits, be centrally located. The size of the recreational area shall be based upon a minimum of 15% of the land area (exclusive of streets), but no outdoor recreational area shall contain less than 2,000 square feet. All equipment installed in such an area shall be owned and maintained by the owner or operator at that owner or operator's own expense.
      (4)   Each mobile home park shall maintain a paved off-street overload parking lot for guests of occupants in the amount of 1 space for each 3 coach sites and located within 300 feet of the unit to be served.
      (5)   All utilities, such as sewer, water, fuel, electric, telephone antenna lead-ins, shall be buried to a depth specified by the City Engineer, and there shall be no overhead wires or support poles except those essential for street or other lighting purposes. All utility connections shall be approved by the Zoning Administrator prior to connection and electrical service shall be at least 110 volt, 50 ampere capacity. Plans for the disposal of surface stormwater shall be approved by the City Engineer.
      (6)   A properly landscaped area shall be adequately maintained around each mobile home park. All mobile home parks located adjacent to industrial or commercial land uses shall be provided with screening, such as fences or natural growth, along the property boundary lines separating the park from such adjacent nonresidential uses.
      (7)   No mobile home, off-street parking space, or building shall be located within 30 feet of the exterior boundary of any mobile home park. No mobile home shall be located within 125 feet of the existing or planned centerline of a public street.
      (8)   Signs shall be limited to 1 nameplate or identification sign not to exceed 25 square feet, with lighting, height, and location as approved by the Zoning Administrator, and have a 15-foot setback from the front line.
      (9)   The area beneath all mobile homes shall be enclosed with a material that shall be generally uniform throughout the entire mobile home park, except that such an enclosure must be so constructed that it is subject to reasonable inspection. No obstruction shall be permitted that impedes the inspection of plumbing, electrical facilities, and related mobile home equipment.
      (10)   Each mobile home lot shall be served by a central fuel supply system such as natural gas or a central LP system. No separate private fuel containers, such as fuel oil tanks or LP tanks, shall be allowed in the mobile home park.
      (11)   All mobile home parks shall have an area or areas set aside for dead storage. Boats, boat trailers, hauling trailers, and all other equipment not generally stored within the mobile home or within the utility enclosure, that may be provided, shall be stored in a separate place provided by the park owner. This storage place shall be screened. The equipment shall not be stored upon a mobile home lot which is occupied by a mobile home nor upon the street within the mobile home park.
      (12)   Each mobile home lot within a mobile home park shall abut on and have access to a private road used by the inhabitants of the park and built and maintained by the owner thereof. This road shall lead to and furnish ingress and egress from a public street through controlled driveways, which shall have a right-of-way at least 60 feet in width. The private roads and access roads to public streets shall be paved with a concrete or a bituminous material complying with the specifications for the construction of any city street. The paved surface shall be at least 36 feet in width from curb to curb. A concrete curb and gutter shall comply with all applicable city ordinances. There shall also be a paved 3-foot wide walkway from the slab to the frontage curb. Access drives off roads to all parking spaces and mobile home slab sites shall be paved.
      (13)   Each mobile home park shall have 1 or more central city buildings with central heating, which must be maintained in a safe, clean, and sanitary condition. The buildings shall be adequately lighted during all hours of darkness and shall contain laundry washers, dryers and drying areas, public telephones and public mail boxes, in addition to public toilets and lavatory. For each 100 mobile home lots or fractional part thereof, there shall be 1 flush toilet and 1 lavatory for each sex.
      (14)   Every structure in the mobile home park shall be developed and maintained in a safe, approved, and substantial manner. The exterior of every such structure shall be kept in good repair and shall be repainted or refinished when so directed by the City Building Inspector. All of the structures must be constructed to meet existing city codes. Portable fire extinguishers rated for electrical and liquid fires shall be kept in all service buildings and other locations conveniently and readily accessible for use by all occupants.
      (15)   All structures shall require a building permit. It is not the intent of this section to repeal or abrogate any part of the Building Code. The provisions of this section shall be enforced in addition to and in conjunction with the provisions of the Building Code.
(Prior Code, Ch. 300 § 732.06)
   (G)   Mobile home park lots.
      (1)   Each mobile home site shall contain at least 6,000 square feet of land area for the exclusive use of the occupant and shall be at least 60 feet wide, which size site allows for a maximum length mobile home of 55 feet. Larger mobile homes will require longer lots to comply with the following requirements of this chapter.
      (2)   Mobile homes shall be placed upon mobile home lots so that there shall be at least a 20-foot clearance between mobile homes and 20 feet between the front of the mobile home and the front lot line and 25 feet between the rear of the mobile home and the rear lot line. Mobile homes shall be parked no closer than 10 feet to a side lot line.
      (3)   The area occupied by a mobile home shall not exceed 50% of the total area of a mobile home site; land may be occupied by a mobile home, a vehicle, a building, a cabana, a ramada, a carport, an awning, storage closet or cupboard, or any structure.
      (4)   The yards shall be landscaped except for necessary driveway and sidewalk needs which shall not exceed 1/2 the width of the site. Landscaping shall include at least 1 tree, hedges, grass, fences, windbreaks, and the like. Temporary storage shall not be allowed in the lawn area.
      (5)   Each mobile home lot shall have paved off-street parking space for at least 2 automobiles. Each space shall be 10 feet by 20 feet minimum or as approved by the Zoning Administrator.
      (6)   The corners of each mobile home lot shall be clearly marked and each site shall be numbered.
      (7)   Each mobile home lot shall be so designed that automobiles may not be parked within 5 feet of the side of any mobile home or within 5 feet of the front or back of the mobile home.
(Prior Code, Ch. 300 § 732.07)
   (H)   Mobile home stands. The area of the mobile home stand shall be improved to provide adequate support for the placement and tie-down of the mobile home, thereby securing the superstructure against uplift, sliding, rotation, and overturning.
      (1)   The mobile home stands shall not heave, shift, or settle unevenly under the weight of the mobile home, due to frost action, inadequate drainage, vibration, or other forces acting upon the structure.
      (2)   The mobile home stand shall be provided with anchors and tie-downs, such as cast-in-place concrete foundations or runways, screw augers, arrowhead anchors, or other devices providing for stability of the mobile home.
      (3)   Anchors and tie-downs shall be placed at least at each corner of the mobile home stand, and each anchor shall be able to sustain a minimum tensile strength of 2,800 pounds or as approved by the current Minnesota State Uniform Mobile Home Standards Code, whichever is more restrictive.
(Prior Code, Ch. 300 § 732.08)
   (I)   Operating conditions.
      (1)   The mobile home park office shall be clearly marked and illuminated during all hours of darkness. An illuminated map of the park noting all roads and location of each unit shall be displayed outside and adjacent to the office.
      (2)   An adult caretaker must be on duty at all times in the mobile home park.
      (3)   The operator of every mobile home park shall maintain a register in the office of the park indicating the name and address of each permanent resident of the park, and the make, type, license, and serial number of each mobile home and automobile of each permanent resident, and the date of arrival and departure of each mobile home. This information shall be kept for at least 3 years after date occupant departs from park and shall be available at all times to law enforcement officers, health authorities and all other officials whose duties necessitate the acquisition of information contained in the register.
      (4)   All land areas shall be adequately drained and properly maintained free of dust, refuse, garbage, rubbish, or debris. The proposed method of garbage, waste, and trash disposal must be approved by the city and must conform to the regulations of the State Pollution Control Agency. Refuse collection stands shall be provided for all refuse containers. The stands shall be so designed as to prevent containers from being tipped, to minimize spillage and container deterioration and to facilitate cleaning around them. The storage, collection, and disposal of refuse in the mobile home park shall be so conducted as to create no health hazards, rodent harborage, insect breeding areas, accident or fire hazards, or air pollution.
      (5)   No mobile homes shall be located in the mobile home park that do not conform to the requirements of the most current Minnesota State Uniform Mobile Home Standards Code and has the State Seal of Compliance affixed to it. No mobile home shall be allowed therein which is in an unsanitary condition, or which has an exterior in bad repair, or which is structurally unsound, or which fails to protect the inhabitants of the mobile home against all the elements.
      (6)   No person shall erect, place, construct, reconstruct, relocate, alter, maintain, use, or occupy a structure in a mobile home park without the written consent of the owner or operator of the park.
      (7)   Dogs and animals shall not be permitted to run at large within the mobile home park.
      (8)   No public address or loud speaker system shall be permitted.
      (9)   No tents shall be erected or occupied, and there shall be no outdoor camping anywhere in the trailer park.
      (10)   Laundry and clothes shall be hung out to dry only on lines located in approved areas established and maintained exclusively for that purpose.
      (11)   No person shall bring or keep an automobile into the mobile home park that does not have a current license and is not in operable condition.
      (12)   Land in the mobile home park shall be used for residential purposes only.
      (13)   Notification to the City Building Inspector shall be made 24 hours in advance of the occupancy of any mobile home not now occupied whether on a lot heretofore occupied or not, for purposes of inspection for compliance with plumbing and electrical and other requirements. A fee as set forth in § 33.01 shall be paid as the inspection fee for inspection of the mobile home and hook-ups.
      (14)   Each mobile home shall be equipped with an approved fire extinguisher.
      (15)   No open fires shall be permitted within the park and no fires in burners or incinerators shall be left unattended at any time. The operator shall provide safe, adequate incinerator service in full compliance with any state laws or local ordinances pertaining thereto.
(Prior Code, Ch. 300 § 732.09)
   (J)   Inspection.
      (1)   On or before January 10 of each year following the first 12-month period that a permit has been in force under this chapter, the operator shall pay an annual inspection fee to the city. Such inspection fee shall be as set forth in § 33.01. Occupancy of lots for determining this fee shall be as of January l.
      (2)   All mobile home parks established prior to the adoption of this chapter shall be subject to inspection provisions of this chapter and shall pay the inspection fee provided in division (J)(1) of this section commencing January 1 of the year following adoption of this chapter. Before any enlargement, intensification or alteration of such pre-existing mobile home parks may occur, application for and approval of a conditional use permit must be completed. Any such enlargement, intensification, or alteration shall be treated as a new park, and the same rules and regulations of this section shall apply.
      (3)   Periodic inspections by the City Zoning Administrator of the entire park and all its facilities may be required. Utility and heating facilities may be inspected at least once every 6 months.
(Prior Code, Ch. 300 § 732.10)
   (K)   Noncompliance. Failure to comply with any provision or requirement of this chapter or with any provision or requirement imposed upon the mobile home park or owner or operator by the terms of the permit or the terms of any contract, agreement, or stipulation entered into or imposed by the city as part of or in connection with the permit shall be cause of revocation of the mobile home park permit by the city after 10-day mailed notice of violation and time and place of hearing to the owner and operator and a hearing by the City Council. Compliance with the terms of this chapter shall be a condition precedent to the issuance of a state license and shall run with the license so as to be an essential part thereof. Upon revocation of a permit by the city, no further occupancy of the mobile homes in the park shall be allowed, but the city may allow a reasonable time for termination of occupancy. This section shall apply in all respects to any violation of provisions previously in effect that continue to control existing occupied mobile home park areas.
(Prior Code, Ch. 300 § 732.11)