After residents’ testimony, Mount Shasta council directs staff to craft mobile-home-park ordinance
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Summary
Following testimony from residents at Shasta Horizons about rising rents and separate utility charges, the council directed staff to prepare an ordinance regulating trailer/mobile-home parks within city limits and asked staff to compile numerical evidence of increases.
City council members instructed staff to draft a local ordinance addressing rent and utility practices at the Shasta Horizons mobile-home and RV park after residents described sustained rent and utility increases.
Planning Director Kim Fowler summarized the item’s background: the council previously discussed related concerns on Nov. 24, 2025, and staff has continued researching the issue. Fowler said residents are asking for "guardrails" that could include a rent-stabilization ordinance or oversight of rental agreements between park owners and residents.
Residents delivered specific testimony. Becky Fairless said she bought her home in the park in 2015 and paid $295 monthly that included water, sewer and trash; after the park’s sale to Boa Vita Corporation, her rent rose to $465 and utilities are now billed separately. "We own our homes but we don't own the land," Fairless said, urging protections for seniors and people on fixed incomes. Alan Roth provided compiled numbers saying rent increases over recent years plus separated utility charges amount to roughly $185.75 per month more than four years ago.
Councilmembers debated statutory constraints. Staff and council noted AB 1482 (the state rent-cap law) typically applies to developed housing and not the traditional lot-rental model in many mobile-home parks; civil code provisions govern how park owners may charge utilities, and some state statutes apply only in narrow circumstances (for example, parks that straddle jurisdictions have specific caps under other state provisions). Councilmembers asked staff for a clear numeric analysis of rent and utility changes at the park and whether current increases exceed any applicable legal caps.
After public comment and deliberation, a councilmember moved for staff to formulate an ordinance to regulate trailer/mobile-home parks within Mount Shasta city limits and to return with findings and recommended regulations. The motion passed on a voice vote with no recorded opposition. Councilmembers asked staff to compile the historical billing and rent records residents have supplied and to propose regulatory options (examples discussed included a 3% plus CPI model capped at 5% or other locally tailored limits).
Next steps: staff will gather detailed data from residents and available records, evaluate statutory constraints, and return with draft ordinance language and recommended numeric caps or alternatives for council consideration.