Township of Lancaster, PA Mobile Home Parks

Permit required. It shall be unlawful for any person to maintain, construct, alter or extend any mobile home park within the limits of the Township unless a permit from the Township has been issued. The Township may grant a mobile home park permit for a period not to exceed 12 months from the date of approval of such permit, which shall be renewed every 12 months thereafter. The Township shall inspect each mobile home park prior to granting an annual permit for conformance with the provisions of this article and any other applicable regulations.

The owner(s) or proprietor(s) of every mobile home park shall keep a register, and shall file a true and correct copy of the same with the Township on each annual anniversary date of such mobile home park's mobile home park permit, stating the name of the person or head of family occupying each mobile home; the date when each such person or head of household commenced to occupy a mobile home in the mobile home park; the serial number, make and size of each mobile home, and the names of all persons using or residing in said mobile home; and the previous permanent address of the person or head of family occupying each mobile home.

Said register and mobile home park shall be subject to inspection periodically by the Township.

(4)

License from the Pennsylvania Department of Health. As a prerequisite to the final issuance of any Township permit, a valid license must have already been issued by the Pennsylvania Department of Health.

(5)

Change of ownership; registration. Within 10 days after a mobile home park has been sold, transferred, given away or otherwise disposed of, or interest in or control of any mobile home park has been so sold or transferred, the Township shall be notified. If the certificate of registration is transferred by the Pennsylvania Department of Health, proof of such transfer shall be furnished to the Township forthwith.

(6)

Fees. A fee shall be paid for the issuance of an original permit; a renewal permit fee shall be paid annually for each mobile home park, which shall accompany the original application or the renewal application. The fee set forth herein shall be as stated on the Township's Fee Resolution.[2]

[2]

Editor's Note: The Fee Resolution is on file in the Township office.

(7)

Limited applicability to existing parks. Mobile home parks in existence upon the effective date of this article shall be required to meet the standards of the Pennsylvania Department of Health as a prerequisite for the issuance of a permit, in addition to the payment of fees at the renewal rate, and all other minimum standards prescribed herein shall be applicable only to those parks which are constructed or expanded after the effective date hereof.

Inspections.

Inspection of mobile home park. The Township may inspect a mobile home park at reasonable intervals and at reasonable times to determine compliance with this article.

Upon receipt of an application for a permit, the Township shall forthwith inspect the applicant's park to determine compliance with the provisions hereof. Upon favorable determination of same and upon being furnished a copy of the license issued by the Pennsylvania Department of Health to the applicant, and upon payment of the fee prescribed herein, the Township shall issue a mobile home park permit to the applicant, which shall be valid for a period of one year thereafter.

Failure to meet inspection standards. Whenever, upon inspection of any mobile home park, it is determined that conditions or practices exist which are in violation of any provision of this article or of any regulations adopted pursuant thereto, the Township shall give notice, in writing, to the person to whom the certificate was issued, his agent and/or person in charge, advising them that unless such conditions or practices are corrected within a reasonable period of time specified in the notice, the permit to operate in the Township shall be suspended. At the end of such period, such mobile home park shall be reinspected, and if such conditions or practices have not been corrected, the Township shall suspend the permit and give notice, in writing, of such suspension to the person to whom the certificate was issued, his agent and/or person in charge.

§ 243-39 Development standards.

Park street system.

A safe and convenient vehicular access shall be provided from abutting public streets. Where feasible, as determined by the Township, two park entrances shall be provided.

The entrance roads connecting the park with a public street shall have a minimum pavement width of 34 feet and shall have adequate streetlighting.

Other surfaced roadways shall be 24 wide, plus curbs, to accommodate anticipated traffic, and shall meet the following minimum requirements:

(a)

Minimum right-of-way width shall be 50 feet.

(b)

Cul-de-sac streets shall be provided at the closed end with a turnaround having an outside roadway diameter of at least 80 feet.

(c)

All parks shall be furnished with lighting units so spaced and equipped with luminaries placed at such mounting heights as will provide average levels of illumination for the safe movement of pedestrians and vehicles at night.

Walks.

All parks shall provide safe, convenient, all-season pedestrian walkways of adequate width for intended use, which are durable and convenient to maintain. Sudden and abrupt changes in alignment and gradient shall be prohibited.

Where pedestrian traffic is concentrated and a common walkway system is provided, such common walkway shall have a minimum width of four feet.

All mobile home lots shall be connected to common walks or to streets, or to driveways or parking spaces connecting to a paved street. Such individual walks shall have a minimum width of four feet.

Mobile home lots. Each mobile home lot shall be improved with a mobile home foundation which shall be in accordance with the Uniform Construction Code.[1] Anchors or tie-downs, such as cast-in-place concrete "dead men," eyelets embedded in concrete, screw augers or arrowhead anchors shall be placed at least at each corner of the mobile home stand, and each device shall be able to sustain a minimum load of 4,800 pounds.

[1]

Editor's Note: See Ch. 126, Construction Codes, Uniform.

Stormwater management.

The ground surface in all parts of every mobile home park shall be graded and equipped to drain all surface water in a safe efficient manner, in accordance with the requirements of the Township Engineer.

Surface water collectors and other bodies of standing water capable of breeding mosquitoes and other insects shall be eliminated or controlled in a manner approved by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.

Landscape screening. All mobile home parks located adjacent to industrial, commercial, or residential land uses shall be required to provide screening so as to block out the view of such areas. Such screening may be of fencing or of natural growth or a combination of fences and natural growth. All such screening shall be of a minimum height of six feet and shall be placed on the property boundary line separating the park and such adjacent nonresidential uses.

§ 243-40 Utilities.

Water supply.

General requirements. An adequate supply of water shall be provided for mobile homes, service buildings and other accessory facilities as required by this article. Where a public water supply system of satisfactory quantity, quality and pressure is available, the connection shall be made thereto, and its supply shall be used exclusively. Where public water is not available, the development of a private water supply system shall be approved by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. In any instance where public sewer and/or water facilities are available and are capable of being extended to the development site, the developer shall connect the project to such facilities. If the cost of the connector facility or line is more than the cost for the installation of an interim treatment facility, the developer shall not be required to connect to the public system. Central water service shall be supplied to each structure to be erected in the development. A fire hydrant shall be provided within 600 feet of each structure.

Construction specifications. Water distribution systems shall be constructed in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.

Sanitary sewer system.

The plans for installation of a sanitary sewer system shall be approved by the engineer of the sewerage system to which it will be connected and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, its agents or assigns.