Committee hears bill to notify owners when mobile‑home parks fall behind on utilities, adds receivership option and narrows some local zoning limits

House Bill 1477, a bill addressing mobile‑home community matters, was presented to the House Local Government Committee and held for further work after testimony and questions from county and municipal representatives.

The bill’s sponsor, Representative Zimmerman, told the committee the measure would require park owners to receive notice if the community is behind on a water payment and would also send that notice to the State Department of Health so the department can begin enforcement before water is shut off. "We don't want owners of mobile home communities to receive money for tenants paying their water bills, not pay the water utility at the end of the day," the sponsor said.

Why it matters: Park owners on a single meter sometimes fall into arrears, witnesses told the committee, and municipalities have been reluctant to shut off service to avoid leaving residents without water. The bill would add enforcement steps intended to avert a mass shutoff and, if unpaid after a statutory period, would permit courts to appoint a receiver to operate or force sale of a community.

Testimony and key details

Campbell Ricci, representing AIM (cities and towns), said the utility‑notice provision was driven by local experiences in which out‑of‑state owners who had collected resident utility dollars failed to pay the water utility. "This essentially is trying to give tools to deal with that before you have to go to a water shut off," Ricci said, adding that the amendment sent to the committee would make the Department of Health able to begin enforcement when the property owner is notified.

Ron Breimeyer, executive director of the Indiana Manufactured Housing Association and RV Indiana Council, said the receivership language mirrors a statute previously used for problem apartment properties and that the bill is aimed at situations where owners "have collected the money. They have not paid." Breimeyer clarified later that single‑wide manufactured homes referenced in the bill are built to the HUD code and that four or more homes on one parcel already trigger licensure as a manufactured‑housing community under state law.

Counties push back on zoning preemption

Brian Hoff, with the Association of Indiana Counties, opposed a separate portion of the bill that would remove county planning and zoning authority over placement of single‑wide manufactured homes in unincorporated areas. Hoff said the change would preempt county processes by which neighbors can object and that unincorporated land can resemble populated suburban lots in many parts of the state.

Senators on the panel questioned the scope of the zoning provision. Senator Niemeyer said counties rely on planning commissions to manage placement, setbacks and public‑health protections; the bill’s sponsor said health rules such as septic permitting would still apply but that the bill would allow a single‑wide manufactured home on private rural parcels where local governments currently can prohibit them.

Action and next steps

The sponsor agreed to work with county officials and other stakeholders to refine the zoning language. The committee did not vote on the bill; the sponsor said he would hold the bill and pursue amendments before the next committee meeting.

Ending

Committee members said they want the utility notice and receivership tools preserved while seeking compromise on the zoning changes. The bill remains pending as the sponsor and interested local governments continue negotiations.