Midwest City updates manufactured-homes code after extended council debate

The Midwest City Council voted to adopt an ordinance amending Chapter 23 of the Midwest City Municipal Code to update rules for manufactured homes, mobile home parks and related permits.

The measure, presented by city staff, replaces portions of a code last broadly revised in 1985 and revises definitions, licensing, permit procedures and technical requirements for new manufactured homes brought into the city. City staff said the rewrite was a yearlong, multi-department effort intended to modernize language and align city practice with current state and local processes.

“Some parts have not been touched since 1985 and we needed to bring the language up to date,” said Mr. Summers, the staff presenter, summarizing the multi-department work. Summers listed changes that include updated definitions (removing outdated terms such as “bridal trailers”), clarified notice and violation procedures, renewed annual park licensing, and removal of several historical exceptions tied to properties that existed in 1985.

The ordinance adds operational requirements for connections to water and sewer and requires a permit to transport a new manufactured home on city streets so the city can coordinate traffic and street impacts. It also establishes a new age limit for units being placed in the city: new manufactured homes must be less than five years old at the time of placement, a rule staff said applies only to units newly set in the city and does not require removal of existing homes.

“Now that it is new, that specific new unit would have to meet current requirements, which would mean it would have to be less than five years old,” Summers said when explaining nonretroactivity for existing parks and units.

Council members pressed staff on whether the rewrite had included outreach to manufactured-home owners, park operators or outside industry experts. Summers acknowledged the drafting group included multiple city departments but said, “We did not consult any manufactured home or park experts. No.”

One councilmember said they would abstain from the final vote to allow time for conversations with business owners and operators; that member said they did not want to vote without further stakeholder input. Council discussion also urged creation of a standing ordinance-review process so future code chapters do not go long periods without updates.

Council members then voted to approve the ordinance. The motion passed and roll-call recorded affirmative votes. The ordinance will take effect according to the language in the adopted code amendment.

The action follows a broader push inside the city to update multiple code chapters together; staff said departments including public works, fire, neighborhood services, legal and the city clerk participated in monthly reviews of the chapter prior to its presentation.

For residents and park operators, the ordinance means newly installed manufactured homes must meet the updated standards and transport permitting requirements. Existing parks and units remain in place unless substantial reconstruction or damage triggers standard nonconforming-structure rules that require rebuilding to current code.