Huntington discusses mobile-home and RV park standards, proposed age limits

Huntington's Planning and Zoning Commission spent substantial time discussing possible regulation of mobile-home parks and RV parks, including whether to impose age limits on units, how to align standards across code sections, and whether the city can legally adopt stricter rules than state baseline requirements.

Gary Arrington, the city's zoning administrator, summarized the staff and mayoral concerns and said the existing HUD sticker threshold for manufactured homes dates to July 1976. "Right now, it's gotta be HUD, HUD stickers gotta be on it, which was July of 76," Arrington said, noting the mayor had proposed a stricter cutoff (a February date was mentioned) but that the city attorney's advice was required to confirm legality.

Commissioners and staff discussed that any age limit applied to manufactured homes would likely need to be applied consistently to RV parks and similar uses to avoid disparate treatment that could prompt legislative or legal challenges. "If you're gonna do it to us, you have to do it to everybody," one owner's concern relayed by commissioners said; Arrington warned that treating RVs and mobile homes differently could lead to litigation.

The group reviewed local practice: older units brought into parks have, in many cases, been stripped, rewired, and finished to current standards. Arrington said some remodeled units have copper wiring and interior finishes; he reported that permits and inspections accompany many of those projects but noted the city does not perform routine in-park inspections beyond permit reviews.

Commissioners also discussed setbacks in mobile-home parks. Historically the code included a smaller in-park setback (five feet) but residential setbacks were increased to 20 or 25 feet in a recent update; several members observed mobile-home sites often lack physical room to meet larger setbacks without displacing existing units.

Practical issues such as the physical ability to move older units, disposal logistics, and the local landfill's occasional assistance breaking down units for disposal were raised by members and staff. Arrington noted that some very old units cannot be moved on public roads and that on-site demolition and disposal can be costly.

Why it matters: Changes to age limits, setback requirements, or inspection protocols would directly affect residents of mobile-home parks and RV lots and the owners/operators of those parks. Commissioners repeatedly emphasized that if a stricter local standard is adopted it should apply uniformly to avoid claims of unequal treatment.

Ending: No ordinance change was adopted at the meeting. Commissioners asked staff to obtain legal guidance on whether Huntington can adopt a stricter manufactured-home age cutoff than the state baseline, to clarify how any new rule would apply to RV parks, and to provide a clearer redline of code changes for further review.