Manufactured Home Parks

Park Rules

A park “rule” is any rental agreement provision, regulation, rule, or policy established by a park owner to control or affect the behavior of residents. There are reasonable rules and unreasonable rules:

Reasonable Rules

Under Minnesota law, park leases, rules, and regulations must:

Unreasonable Rules

Unreasonable rules are not allowed. Unreasonable rules include (but are not limited to) the following:

Changes to Park Rules

A park can change or modify its rules, but the law requires that:

Substantial Modifications to Park Rules

A substantial modification is a rule change that:

If a new rule does not “substantially modify” a rule that was in effect when a resident signed a lease, the new rule is enforceable.

The following rule change is an example of a substantial modification:

The following are examples of rule changes that are not substantial modifications:

A park may attempt to evict a resident for violating a new or amended rule. A court may consider the following factors when deciding if a new rule is a substantial modification or not:

If a court finds the rule reasonable, and not a substantial modification of the original agreement, the court will order the resident to comply with the rule within ten days. If the resident does not comply, or violates the rule again, the resident may be evicted. (Click here for eviction information.)

Illegal Rules

Parks cannot make rules that unreasonably conflict with the following rights of residents:

Privacy of a Resident’s Home

A park’s owner or employees may only enter a resident’s home to respond to an emergency or to prevent damage to the manufactured home park.

The park owner or employees may come onto a manufactured home park rental lot to inspect the lot, to supply necessary or agreed upon goods, services, or repairs, or to show the lot to buyers, residents, workers, contractors, or mortgagees.

Except in the case of an emergency, the park owner or employees cannot come onto a lot at unreasonable times, or in a way that unreasonably disrupts the resident’s use and enjoyment of the lot.

Guests and Additions to a Household

The park cannot require a resident to pay a fee for guests or additions to the household.

The park can set reasonable limits on the number of people who may permanently live in a manufactured home if the limit is reasonably related to the home’s size and the number of rooms it contains.

Freedom of Expression

The park cannot prohibit a resident or anyone else from peacefully organizing, assembling, canvassing, or distributing leaflets in the park for non-commercial purposes. But, just like a municipality, the park can set reasonable limits on the time, place, and manner of these activities. Also, the park can prohibit commercial activities in the park, such as selling products door-to-door.