California’s Mobilehome Residency Law, found at Civil Code sections 798 through 799.11, sets the rules and regulations that govern mobile home parks in California. It exists because park residents are in an unusual spot: they own the home but rent the land beneath it, and without statutory guardrails that gives park management enormous leverage. The MRL applies statewide, though local rent stabilization ordinances and individual park rules add another layer on top.
Who Parks Can Accept as a Resident
Management is allowed to screen applicants, but the field of inquiry is narrow. Under Civil Code 798.74, the only two things management may evaluate are whether the applicant can pay the rent and park charges, and whether the applicant is likely to comply with park rules.1California Legislative Information. California Code CIV 798.74 Anything outside those two areas is off-limits. Financial thresholds have to reflect actual park costs, not be set high enough to screen out lower-income applicants who can genuinely afford the rent. Credit reports pulled during screening must comply with the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act.
Senior parks that restrict residency by age must follow the federal Housing for Older Persons Act, which requires at least 80 percent of occupied units to have one resident 55 or older. Civil Code 798.76 authorizes parks to enforce that restriction against prospective purchasers so long as the rule tracks federal fair housing law.2California Legislative Information. California Civil Code 798.76 Proof of age can be required, but the request has to be applied evenly.
Separately, California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act prohibits housing discrimination based on race, religion, national origin, disability, familial status, sexual orientation, gender identity, and other protected characteristics.3Official website of the State of California. Housing Discrimination A denial that looks like a discrimination case rather than a legitimate finance or conduct concern can be reported to the California Civil Rights Department.
How Park Rules Are Made and Changed
Every park has its own rules. Rental agreements must be in writing and include specific disclosures, and management has to redistribute a copy of the MRL itself before February 1 each year in which the statute has changed.4California Legislative Information. California Code CIV – Rental Agreement
Changing a rule is not a quick process. Management first has to hold a meeting with homeowners after at least 10 days’ written notice describing the proposed change. From there, the rule can take effect one of two ways: the homeowner consents, or the homeowner doesn’t, in which case management must give at least six months’ written notice before enforcement.5Justia. California Civil Code Article 3 – Rules and Regulations Two exceptions run on shorter timelines: rules governing recreational facilities need 60 days’ notice, and rules mandated by a change in law also take 60 days but the notice has to cite the specific statute or ordinance that triggered the change. Any rule amendment that creates a new fee not already agreed to in the rental agreement is void and unenforceable.
Pets, Guests, and Companions
A park cannot forbid homeowners from keeping at least one pet. Civil Code 798.33 lets management charge a pet fee only if the park actually provides special pet facilities or services, and the fee has to be reasonably related to the cost of those facilities.6California Legislative Information. California Civil Code 798.33 “Pet” under the statute means a domesticated bird, cat, dog, aquarium animal, or another animal management and the homeowner agree on. Rules against pets don’t apply to guide, signal, or service dogs, and fair housing law bars parks from charging fees or imposing breed restrictions on legitimate service or assistance animals.
Guest rules come from Civil Code 798.34. A guest staying no more than 20 consecutive days, or 30 total days in a calendar year, cannot be charged a fee or forced to register.7California Legislative Information. California Code CIV 798.34 A homeowner living alone may designate one companion to share the home at no extra charge. Live-in caregivers cannot be charged for either, though management may ask for written confirmation of medical need from a licensed health care professional if it isn’t obvious.
Rent Increases and Local Rent Control
Statewide, management must give homeowners at least 90 days’ written notice before any rent increase, and the notice has to state the new amount and effective date.8California Legislative Information. California Civil Code 798.30 – Notice of Rent Increase The 90-day floor applies whether or not a local rent stabilization ordinance also covers the park.
Many California cities and counties add mobile home rent control on top of the state minimum. Local caps typically use the Consumer Price Index, a flat percentage ceiling, or a combination. A survey of Bay Area jurisdictions found caps commonly at or below 100 percent of CPI, with many capping increases at 5 percent or less regardless of inflation.9Association of Bay Area Governments. Mobile Home Rent Stabilization Profile The specific formula depends on where the park sits, so checking with the city or county rent stabilization office is worth doing. Some ordinances require park owners to justify large increases with documented operating costs or capital improvements and impose mediation or a public hearing before the increase takes effect.
Maintenance: Who Is Responsible for What
The MRL splits maintenance between management and homeowners. Park management has to keep common areas, roads, utilities, and shared amenities in good condition, and those obligations must appear in writing in the rental agreement.4California Legislative Information. California Code CIV – Rental Agreement Beyond that, the Mobilehome Parks Act, enforced by the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD), imposes health and safety standards covering water, sewer, fire safety, and more.10Justia. California Mobilehome Parks Act – 2025 California Health and Safety Code
Homeowners are responsible for their own home and any personal improvements like decks or landscaping. Utility hookups belong to management up to the connection point. When management ignores a park-infrastructure problem, homeowners can complain to HCD, which can inspect the park and take enforcement action.
Selling Your Home in the Park
One of the strongest rights in the MRL is the ability to sell the home in place. Under Civil Code 798.70 through 798.73, management cannot force removal of a home sold to a third party, with narrow exceptions for homes that are significantly deteriorated or fail to meet current size standards the park has established for upgrades. Management cannot charge the seller a transfer or selling fee unless the seller specifically requests in writing that management perform a service in connection with the sale. Sellers may post a “for sale” sign, choose any agent or dealer, and cannot be required to use a management-preferred broker.
The buyer is screened on the same two factors as any new applicant, and approval has to come within a reasonable time. Management that unreasonably withholds approval of a qualified buyer faces liability under the MRL.
When Management Can Evict
Because residents own the home, park evictions are nothing like apartment evictions. The MRL limits termination of tenancy to seven grounds, and management cannot evict for anything outside this list:
- Failure to comply with a local or state law after the homeowner receives a notice of noncompliance from the responsible government agency.
- Conduct that substantially annoys other residents, occurring on park premises.
- Conviction for certain serious crimes committed on park premises, including assault, arson, certain sex offenses, or felony drug offenses. Tenancy cannot be terminated on this ground if the convicted person has permanently moved out.
- Repeated failure to follow a reasonable park rule. Management must first give written notice of the violation, and the homeowner must fail to comply on seven or more occasions within 12 months after that first notice before termination can begin.
- Failure to pay rent, utility charges, or reasonable service charges.
- Condemnation of the park.
- Change of use of the park, subject to separate notice requirements.
The rule-violation route is deliberately slow. After the initial written notice and seven or more violations in 12 months, management must give a 30-day written notice, and on another violation must issue a second notice and invite the homeowner to a meeting within 10 days to discuss the problem and build a plan to prevent it from happening again. Only then can management proceed toward termination.
For nonpayment, the process starts with a three-day notice to pay or quit, in writing, that can only demand past-due rent, not late fees or other charges.11Judicial Branch of California. Types of Eviction Notices Tenants Pay within three days and the matter ends. Contest it in court and management has to prove the legal basis.
If the Park Closes or Changes Use
Park closures and conversions carry some of the strongest notice protections in the MRL. When local permits are required for the conversion, the park owner must give residents 60 days’ notice before appearing at any hearing on those permits. After all permits are issued, residents get at least six months’ notice before their tenancy ends. If no permits are required, the notice period is a full year.
Government Code 65863.7 layers on another requirement. Before closure or conversion, the person proposing the change files an impact report with the local government and provides a copy to every resident at least 60 days before any hearing on the report.12California Legislative Information. California Government Code 65863.7 If a displaced resident cannot find space in another park, the owner must pay the in-place market value of the home as determined by a state-certified appraiser. That protection matters, because a mobile home that cannot be relocated is essentially worthless without it.
A Note on Financing
The MRL governs the landlord-tenant relationship, not how the home was financed, but financing shapes what happens if you default. Homeowners who lease space typically finance through a chattel loan, which treats the home as personal property. Chattel loans fall outside the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act, which means fewer federal disclosure protections at closing and repossession rather than foreclosure on default.13Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Manufactured Housing Finance: New Insights from the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act Data Owners of both the land and the home can usually get a conventional mortgage with the standard consumer protections.
Resolving Disputes and Enforcing Your Rights
Rent, maintenance, and rule-enforcement disputes are common, and California law pushes toward resolution short of litigation. The Mobilehome Residency Law Protection Program, run by HCD, accepts complaints from homeowners alleging MRL violations and may refer cases to contracted nonprofit legal service providers for investigation and enforcement.14California Department of Housing and Community Development. Mobilehome Residency Law Protection Program Many local governments run mediation or arbitration programs designed for mobile home park disputes.
When informal channels fail, the MRL has teeth. Civil Code 798.85 entitles the prevailing party in any MRL lawsuit to reasonable attorney’s fees and costs, so management risks paying both sides’ lawyers if it loses, and homeowners who win aren’t stuck with their own bills.15California Legislative Information. California Civil Code 798.85 For willful violations, Civil Code 798.86 allows courts to award up to $2,000 per violation on top of actual damages, with punitive damages available in egregious cases. Together those provisions make it hard for management to treat MRL penalties as a manageable cost of doing business.