Chapter 3 - Enforcement, Actions and Proceedings

California Health and Safety Code — §§ 18400-18407

Sections (11)

Amended by Stats. 1988, Ch. 799, Sec. 16.

(a)The department shall enforce this part and the rules and regulations adopted pursuant to this part, except as provided in Section 18300.

(b)The officers or agents of the enforcement agency may do either of the following:

(1)Enter public or private property to determine whether there exists any park to which this part applies.

(2)Enter and inspect all parks, wherever situated, and inspect all accommodations, equipment, or paraphernalia used in connection therewith, including the right to examine any registers of occupants maintained therein in order to secure the enforcement of this part and the regulations adopted pursuant to this part.

§ 18400.1

Amended by Stats. 2024, Ch. 387, Sec. 1. (AB 2247) Effective January 1, 2025. Repealed as of January 1, 2030, by its own provisions.

(a)In accordance with subdivision (b), the enforcement agency shall enter and inspect mobilehome parks, as required under this part, with a goal of inspecting at least 5 percent of the parks per year, to ensure enforcement of this part and the regulations adopted pursuant to this part. The enforcement agency’s inspection shall include an inspection of the exterior portions of individual manufactured homes and mobilehomes in each park inspected. Any notices of violation of this part shall be issued pursuant to Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 18420).

(b)In developing its mobilehome park maintenance inspection program, the enforcement agency shall inspect the mobilehome parks that

the enforcement agency determines have complaints that have been made to the enforcement agency regarding serious health and safety violations in the park. A single complaint of a serious health and safety violation shall not automatically trigger an inspection of the entire park unless upon investigation of that single complaint the enforcement agency determines that there is a violation and that an inspection of the entire park is necessary.

(c)This part does not allow the enforcement agency to issue a notice for a violation of existing laws or regulations that were not violations of the laws or regulations at the time the mobilehome park received its original permit to operate, or the standards governing any subsequent permit to construct, or at the time the manufactured home or mobilehome received its original installation permit, unless

the enforcement agency determines that a condition of the park, manufactured home, or mobilehome endangers the life, limb, health, or safety of the public or occupants thereof.

(d)Not less than 30 days prior to the inspection of a mobilehome park under this section, the enforcement agency shall provide individual written notice of the inspection to the registered owners of the manufactured homes or mobilehomes, with a copy of the notice to the occupants thereof, if different than the registered owners, and to the owner or operator of the mobilehome park and the responsible person, as defined in Section 18603.

(e)At the sole discretion of the enforcement agency’s inspector, a representative of either the park operator or the mobilehome owners may accompany the inspector during the

inspection if that request is made to the enforcement agency or the inspector requests a representative to accompany them. If either party requests permission to accompany the inspector or is requested by the inspector to accompany them, the other party shall also be given the opportunity, with reasonable notice, to accompany the inspector. Only one representative of the park owner and one representative of the mobilehome owners in the park may accompany the inspector at any one time during the inspection. If more than one representative of the mobilehome owners in the park requests permission to accompany the inspector, the enforcement agency may adopt procedures for choosing that representative.

(f)The enforcement agency shall coordinate a preinspection orientation for mobilehome owners and mobilehome park operators with

the use of an audiovisual presentation furnished by the department to affected local enforcement agencies. Enforcement agencies shall furnish the audiovisual presentation to park operators and mobilehome owner representatives in each park subject to inspection not less than 30 days prior to the inspection. Additionally, it is the Legislature’s intent that the department shall, where practicable, conduct live presentations, forums, and outreach programs throughout the state to orient mobilehome owners and park operators on the mobilehome park maintenance inspection program and their rights and obligations under the program.

(g)This section shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2030, and as of that date is repealed.

§ 18400.2

Added by Stats. 1999, Ch. 520, Sec. 3. Effective September 27, 1999. Operative January 1, 2000, by Sec. 11 of Ch. 520.

Enforcement agencies responsible for the enforcement of this part and the regulations adopted pursuant to this part shall maintain all records on file of mobilehome park inspections conducted since January 1, 1991.

§ 18400.3

Amended by Stats. 2010, Ch. 314, Sec. 2. (SB 951) Effective January 1, 2011.

(a)The department shall convene a task force of representatives of mobilehome owners, mobilehome park operators, local enforcement agencies that conduct mobilehome park inspections, and the Legislature, every six months, to provide input to the department on the conduct and operation of the mobilehome park maintenance inspection program, including, but not limited to, frequency of inspection, program information, and recommendations for program changes. The department shall submit a written report to the task force semiannually that shall include, but not be limited to, all of the following:

(1)The amount of fees collected and expended for the inspection program.

(2)The number of parks and spaces that were inspected.

(3)The number of violations issued to mobilehome owners.

(4)The number of violations issued to mobilehome park owners.

(5)The number of violations reported pursuant to paragraphs (3) and (4) that have been corrected, the number of violations that remain uncorrected at the end of the reporting period, and the progress in correcting the uncorrected violations.

(6)The most common park violations and the most common homeowner violations.

(7)Recommendations for statutory or administrative changes to the program.

(b)The Senate Committee on Rules and the Assembly Committee on Rules shall each designate a member of its respective house to be a member of the task force. Each legislative member of the task force may designate an alternate to represent him or her at task force meetings.

(c)With the input of the task force, the department may reorganize violations under this part and the regulations adopted pursuant to this part into the following two categories:

(1)Those constituting imminent hazards representing an immediate risk to life, health, and safety and requiring immediate correction.

(2)Those constituting unreasonable risk to life, health, or safety and requiring correction within 60 days.

(d)Any matter that would have constituted a

violation prior to January 1, 2000, that is not categorized in accordance with subdivision (c) on or after January 1, 2000, shall be of a minor or technical nature and shall not be subject to citation or notation on the record of an inspection conducted on or after January 1, 2000.

§ 18400.4

Added by Stats. 1999, Ch. 520, Sec. 5. Effective September 27, 1999. Operative January 1, 2000, by Sec. 11 of Ch. 520.

For purposes of this chapter, “mobilehome owner” or “mobilehome owners” means the occupant of the manufactured home or mobilehome, or the registered owner of the manufactured home or mobilehome, if different from the occupant.

§ 18401

Repealed and added by Stats. 1992, Ch. 345, Sec. 3. Effective January 1, 1993. Operative July 1, 1993, by Sec. 4 of Ch. 345.

Any notice of violation of this part, or any rule or regulation adopted pursuant thereto, issued by the enforcement agency shall be issued to the appropriate persons designated in Section 18420 and shall include a statement that any willful violation is a misdemeanor under Section 18700.

§ 18402

Amended by Stats. 2002, Ch. 141, Sec. 2. Effective January 1, 2003.

The owner or operator of a park shall abate any nuisance in the park within five days, or within a longer period of time as may be allowed by the enforcement agency, after the owner or operator of a park has been given written notice to remove the nuisance. If the owner or operator of a park fails to do so within that time, the district attorney of the county in which the park, or the greater portion of the park, is situated shall bring a civil action to abate the nuisance in the superior court of the county in the name of the people of the State of California. In addition to the district attorney, the Attorney General, a county counsel of the county in which the park, or the greater portion of the park, is situated, or a city attorney or city prosecutor if the park is located within the jurisdiction of a city, may bring a civil action to abate the nuisance in the superior court of the county in the name of the people of the State of California.

§ 18403

Amended by Stats. 1988, Ch. 799, Sec. 19.

In any action or proceeding to abate a nuisance in a park, proof of any one of the following facts is sufficient for a judgment or order for the abatement of the nuisance, violation, or operation of the park:

(a)A previous conviction of the owner or operator of a violation of this part or a regulation adopted pursuant to this part which constitutes a nuisance or failure on the part of the owner or operator to correct the violation after the conviction.

(b)The violation is the basis for the proceeding.

§ 18404

Amended by Stats. 1988, Ch. 799, Sec. 20.

(a)If any park or portion thereof governed by this part is constructed, altered, converted, used, occupied, or maintained in violation of this part, the regulations adopted pursuant to this part, or any order or notice issued by the enforcement agency which allows a reasonable time to correct the violation, the enforcement agency may institute any appropriate action or proceeding to prevent, restrain, correct, or abate the violation.

(b)The superior court may make any order for which application is made pursuant to this part.

§ 18406

Amended by Stats. 1988, Ch. 799, Sec. 21.

No enforcement agency shall approve any park fronting upon any coastline, shoreline, river, or waterway or upon any lake or reservoir owned in whole or part by any public agency, including the state, unless the city, county, or city and county having jurisdiction over the property has determined that reasonable public access by fee or easement from public highways exists to the coastline, shoreline, river, waterway, lake or reservoir.

Any public access route or routes required to be provided by the owner shall be expressly designated on a map filed with the county recorder of the county in which the park lies, and the map shall specify the name of the owner of, and particularly describe the property involved, and designate the governmental entity to which the route or routes are dedicated. A governmental entity shall accept the dedication within three years after the recordation or the dedication shall be deemed abandoned.

Any public access required pursuant to this section need not be provided through or across the park if the city, county, or city and county having jurisdiction has made a finding that reasonable public access is otherwise available within a reasonable distance from the park. Any such findings shall be set forth on the recorded map required by this section.

Nothing in this section shall be construed as requiring a park owner to improve any access route or routes which are primarily for the benefit of nonresidents of the park.

§ 18407

Added by Stats. 2003, Ch. 815, Sec. 2. Effective January 1, 2004.

The Legislature finds and declares that, because the health and safety of mobilehome park occupants is a matter of public interest and concern, it is necessary, pursuant to a complaint about a violation of this part to the enforcement agency, that the enforcement agency should notify the complainant in advance of the date when the agency’s inspector or representative is scheduled to investigate the complaint, to give the complainant an opportunity to be present to speak to the inspector or representative, and that following an inspection of the complaint, the agency contact the complainant to advise him or her of the inspector’s or representative’s findings concerning the complaint.