Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Land Use Housing topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Commissioners review draft manufactured-home ordinance; discussion centers on HUD safety date and protections for existing homeowners
Summary
Board previewed proposed changes limiting permitted manufactured homes to HUD-standard units not older than 30 years and discussed adding explicit grandfathering language to allow residents to move existing older homes within the county.
The Scotland County Board of Commissioners reviewed draft language June 2 to amend the county’s manufactured-home ordinance and asked staff to include explicit protections for residents who already occupy older homes.
County legal counsel and planning staff proposed two key provisions: require any manufactured home set up in the county to meet HUD safety standards with a baseline date of July 13, 1994 (the HUD Code change referenced in the draft), and add a second requirement capping eligible units at a maximum age of 30 years. Staff said the 30-year standard is intended to create a rolling, constant age limit rather than re-adopting a fixed calendar year each time the ordinance is updated.
Several commissioners argued the draft should explicitly allow an existing resident who must move a home within the county — for example if a mobile-home park is sold — to transfer and set up their home elsewhere in the county even if the unit predates the 1994 HUD baseline or is older than 30 years. "If you have an existing resident with a home, I don't care how old it is, as long as it's safe to move along our roadway, you should be allowed to move it within the county without violating this ordinance," one commissioner said.
Planning staff said similar grandfathering language had been included in an initial draft but was removed at the planning board's request; commissioners instructed staff and the county attorney to reinsert language clarifying that existing manufactured homes located in the county may be moved and re-set on other parcels within the county provided they meet safety inspection requirements and other ordinance conditions.
The board did not adopt the ordinance at the June 2 meeting; staff will publish notice and schedule a public hearing in July after the revised language is circulated.
