It would be easy to say that the legal distance between mobile homes is something like 20 feet but it’s not as simple as that, lots of things are taken into account when determining if there is a legal distance and if someone is in fact breaching that legal distance.
As well as that different types of mobile homes have different requirements.
The minimum for a single wide mobile home is 40 feet from any side of a property line to be within city lims and a double wide mobile home needs to be at least 60 feet from any side of a property line.
A triple wide mobile home needs to have at least 100 feet from a property line.
In the United States it is not technically illegal for mobile homes to be built on top of a property that already has a home existing on it, what matters is that they are a certain distance away from said properties.
It is important to know however, that if you are building a mobile home to know how legally close they can be to each other.
States
In parts of California mobile homes are prohibited from being in any way located 100 feet from any property that would be on the same lot as it. Without written consent from the owner of the property and the owner of whatever structure is on that said property.
However, in places like New York they cannot come closer than 35 feet unless both owners are in agreement to the distance.
It is also useful knowledge to know before you go ahead and buy a mobile home that the NMHC (national mobile home council) says that it is up to the communities and counties to determine on the closeness that a mobile home can be to an already existing house.
The state of California rules that mobile homes need to be 500 feet from an inhabited building in order to meet the requirements for zoning.
However, in Florida there is no legal distance so if it is the choice of someone to build a mobile home next door to you it is in fact their right to do so.
That being said, all states do in fact need an area around swamps or any bodies of water where you will not be allowed to place a mobile home.
Legally there is no distance that needs to be followed if mobile homes are built on separate foundations but there must be enough space to allow access to and from the mobile homes such as access routes and space for parking.
Why It’s Important
The reason that it is important that these distances are followed is mainly for health and safety reasons, it’s no surprise that if there were no zoning laws in place you could probably fit 3 mobile homes in the space that it would take for one home.
But just because that is the case doesn’t mean that it is in fact safe to do so. All access routes need to be taken into account in the case of a fire for example.
Idf the guidelines aren’t followed then it could unfortunately leave somebody trapped without proper ability to escape the fire fr example. It is also good to know that you are not allowed to block any roads, gates or footpaths to enable proper access for everyone. Including emergency vehicles or just any other car.
It is also expected that in case of the event of a fire that there is proper water supply. In any land with permanent structures such as buildings it is a law that one external fire hydrant is made accessible to emergency services to deal with the fire.
This is for the general safety of anyone who may be on the land in the event of a fire. It is also expected that fire points are adequate and have firefighting equipment that is accessible and maintained by someone with the relevant expertise.
At these fire points it is expected that there are fire warnings such as alarms and that they should be tested regularly to avoid any unwanted issues.
Fire notices should also be applied to the area telling people where they need to evacuate or to show any action that may be required such as pulling a fire alarm or to call the emergency services.
In Summary
It is feasible to believe that different states or counties have different distances that need to be met but this can be confusing for most people, your best bet is to contact the local governing body where you want to set your mobile home up and enquire from them before you do anything.
If it’s your plan to purchase a mobile home, it is imperative that you know all the laws and regulations regarding them. Locally speaking you will probably be required to have at least 10 feet between mobile homes just so that insurance companies and authorities can see them as safe for people to live in.
The size of the lot in question will also need to be taken into account to determine the actual amount of mobile homes that can be placed on it.
It is also stated above that due to the risk of a fire that all plots of land that are for mobile homes have an external water supply to help emergency services in the event of a fire.
As well as access to water for emergency services the lot will need to have correct fire notices explaining whether to call emergency services, to evacuate or pull the fire alarm.
They will also need to have the correct equipment such as fire alarms and for them to be tested often by a trained professional.
Fire points are also needed to be made accessible with fire fighting equipment which will also need to be looked after and maintained by a person with the relative expertise.
While tiny homes are becoming increasingly popular, there are still many people that are unaware of the best accessories, and necessities to purchase. This is why I decided to set up Clothesline Tiny Home, to share my experiences with others.
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