Chapter 92

MOBILE HOMES AND MOBILE HOME PARKS

[HISTORY: Adopted by the Town Board of the Town of Troy 3-17-1970 by Ord No. 70-1. Amendments noted where applicable.]  

GENERAL REFERENCES

 Impact fees — See Ch. 70.

 Subdivision of land — See Ch. 135.

 Zoning — See Ch. 170.

  

§ 92-1.  Definitions.

Whenever used in this chapter, unless a different meaning appears from the context, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated: 

DEPENDENT MOBILE HOME — A mobile home which does not have complete bathroom facilities.[1]  

MOBILE HOME — Any trailer, coach, cabin, or other vehicle or structure intended for or capable of human dwelling or sleeping purposes, mounted upon wheels or supports and/or capable of being transported by another vehicle, except those for recreation, having dimensions less than eight feet by 35 feet, and/or tourism or devices used exclusively upon stationary rails or tracks.  

MOBILE HOME PARK — Any park, court, campsite, plot, parcel, or tract of land designed, maintained, intended or used for the purpose of supplying a location or accommodation for more than two mobile homes and shall include all buildings used or intended for use as part of the equipment thereof, whether or not a charge is made for the use of the mobile home and its facilities. “Mobile home park” shall not include automobile or trailer sales on lots on which unoccupied trailers are parked for purpose of inspection.  

NONDEPENDENT MOBILE HOME — A mobile home equipped with complete bath and toilet facilities, all furniture, cooking, heating, appliances and complete year-round facilities.[2]  

PERSON — Includes an individual, partnership, firm, company, or corporation, whether tenant, owner, lessee, licensee, or his or its agent, heir or assign.  

SPACE — A plot of ground in a mobile home park of not less than 5,000 square feet of space or such as may be set by county and/or state ordinances, designed for the location of only two automobiles and/or one mobile home, with a minimum width of 50 feet at the frontage and 15 feet setback from the property or lot line.  

UNIT — A mobile home. These units must be capable of being transported as one unit only.  

§ 92-2.  Location of mobile homes; removal of abandoned mobile homes. 

A.     Location outside parks. 

(1)    It shall be unlawful, except as provided in this chapter, for any person to park any travel trailer or mobile home on any street, alley, or highway, or other public place, or on any tract of land owned by any person, within the Town of Troy, St. Croix County, Wisconsin. 

(2)    Emergency or temporary stopping or parking is permitted on any street, alley or highway for not longer than four hours subject to any other and further prohibitions, regulations or limitations imposed by the traffic and parking regulations or ordinances for the street, alley or highway. 

(3)    No person shall park or occupy any mobile home on any premises which is situated outside an approved mobile home park or trailer park (except under special permit as provided in Subsection B). The parking of only unoccupied mobile homes in any accessory private garage building, or in a rear yard, is permitted provided that no living quarters shall be maintained or any business practiced in said mobile home which such mobile home is parked or stored.   

B.      Permit for location outside of mobile home park. 

(1)    The Town Board may issue special written permits allowing the location of a mobile home outside of a mobile home park for placement on a farm. 

(2)    A special permit shall be required for any mobile home of a lesser size than 600 square feet of living space. 

(3)    The person to whom such a permit is granted shall be subject to taxes as levied by said Town. 

(4)    Permits shall be granted only upon written consent of the owner, legal agent of the owner or the lessee of the location for which the permit is issued. 

(5)    No more than one mobile home shall be permitted per farm. It shall be the duty of the Town Board to designate and rule on what is a farm. This permit may be issued to a family member or employee of said farm. Unincorporated residential areas under the jurisdiction of the Town government shall abide by this chapter. 

(6)    In the event of a fire or natural disaster, a special permit for a mobile home may be granted by the Town Board. 

(7)    Application for the permit shall be made to the Town Clerk-Treasurer and shall be accompanied by an inspection fee as set by the Town Board in the current fee schedule on file with the Clerk-Treasurer and shall state the name and permanent addresses of the occupants of the mobile home, the license number of their trailer and towing vehicle, place of last stay, intended purpose of stay at requested location, whether the occupants are nonresident tourists, whether any occupant is employed in this state; the exact location of the premises, the name of the owner and the occupant of any dwelling on the premises and the owner's and/or occupant's permission to locate; a statement of the nature and location of sanitary facilities and the permission of the occupant of the dwelling house for their use; and a statement that all wastes from trailer occupancy will be disposed of in a sanitary manner.  

(a)     Application for location outside a mobile home park must meet the specifications of the St. Croix Zoning Ordinance and must be accompanied by a sanitary permit issued by the Zoning Administrator for St. Croix County, Wisconsin. 

(b)     The applicant will furnish a deposit of $250 to the Town of Troy Clerk-Treasurer prior to approval. The balance of this deposit will be returned after all taxes, fees, administrative costs, penalties, and other costs are paid. [Added 2-8-1988]   

(8)    All occupants for any mobile home located outside of a park shall register with the Town Clerk-Treasurer as provided in § 92-8 of this chapter. All provisions of this chapter governing the location, use and sanitation of mobile homes located in a licensed mobile home park shall, so far as they are applicable, apply to any mobile home located outside of such park.   

C.     All abandoned mobile homes within the Town of Troy shall be condemned and removed from the premises. An abandoned home shall be defined as being unoccupied for 12 months.   

§ 92-3.  Permanent occupancy restricted. 

A.     Mobile homes shall not be used as a permanent place of abode or as a permanent dwelling or for an indefinite period of time unless the provisions of § 92-10 are complied with, provided that any nondependent mobile home properly connected with a sanitary sewage system and a well may be permitted on any premises if such mobile home shall be constructed and located in compliance with all requirements of the building, plumbing, health, sanitary, electrical and zoning ordinances of the Town, county, and state and complies with all requirements set forth in § 92-2 of this chapter. 

B.      Any action toward the removal of wheels, except for temporary purposes of repair, or other action to attach the mobile home to the ground by means of posts, piers, or foundation shall subject the mobile home to the requirements of any building codes as well as this chapter.   

§ 92-4.  License for mobile home park; application and issuance. 

A.     It shall be unlawful for any person to establish, operate or maintain or permit to be established, operated or maintained upon property owned, leased, or controlled by him a mobile home park within the limits of the Town of Troy without having first secured a license for each such park from the Town Board pursuant to this chapter. Such license shall expire one year from the date of issuance but may be renewed for an additional period of one year. 

B.      The application for such license or the renewal thereof shall be filed with the Town Clerk-Treasurer and shall be accompanied by a fee for each space in the existing or proposed park, with a minimum fee for the first 50 spaces or fraction thereof, as set by the Town Board in the current fee schedule on file with the Clerk-Treasurer, and a surety bond in the sum of $5,000 shall accompany said application. This bond shall guarantee the collection by the licensee of the monthly parking permit or tax provided for in § 92-10 and the payment of such fees or tax to the Town Clerk-Treasurer, the payment by the licensee of any fine or forfeiture, including legal costs, imposed upon or levied against said licensee for a violation of the ordinances of said Town, county or state pursuant to which said license is granted, and shall also be for the use and benefit and may be prosecuted and recovery had thereon by any person, firm or corporation who or which may be injured or damaged by reason of the licensee violating the provisions of this chapter. A fee of as set by the Town Board in the current fee schedule on file with the Clerk-Treasurer shall be paid for each transfer of license. Said license transfer must be approved by the Town Board in writing. 

C.     Before any license is issued, the applicant must have met all of the specifications and codes set up by the Town, St. Croix County and the State of Wisconsin on mobile home parks and must file with the Clerk-Treasurer a statement from the State of Wisconsin stating that the applicant has met and conformed with all specifications set forth by the Town, county and state. 

D.     All mobile home parks now licensed shall meet all standards set forth in this chapter within one year after said chapter has been adopted. 

E.      Prior to the approval of any mobile home park plan and issuance of the first license, there must be a public hearing.   

§ 92-5.  Inspections; right of entry.

No mobile home park license (or permit for location outside of a licensed mobile home park) shall be issued until the premises have been inspected by the Zoning Administrator for St. Croix County and/or proper officials of the State of Wisconsin, and these officials shall inspect or cause to be inspected each application and the premises to determine whether the applicant and the premises on which mobile homes will be located comply with the regulations, ordinances and laws applicable thereto. No license shall be renewed without a reinspection of the premises. For the purpose of making inspections and securing enforcement, such officials or their authorized agents shall have the right and are hereby empowered to enter on any premises on which a mobile home is located or about to be located and to inspect the same and all accommodations connected therewith at any reasonable time. 

§ 92-6.  Location of mobile home parks. 

A.     No mobile home or trailer park shall be located in any hazardous fire district. 

B.      An occupied mobile home within the limits of the Town of Troy, St. Croix County, Wisconsin, shall not be located between the recognized setback line for the zoning district in which such mobile home is located and the street or highway and no less than 35 feet from any building or other trailer or from the boundary of the premises on which located.   

§ 92-7.  Park plan. 

A.     All applicants for mobile home permits or mobile home parks must first conform to all of the specifications and codes as set up by the Town of Troy, County of St. Croix and the State of Wisconsin which have been adopted by the Town of Troy and any additional requirements which may be adopted by said Town. This also includes park additions. 

B.      All drives, roadways or streets must be at least 36 feet wide and shall be hard surfaced (asphalt or concrete). 

C.     There shall be a curb extending along all streets or roadways. 

D.     There shall be a hard-surfaced (asphalt or concrete) parking space of 500 square feet in area per lot. 

E.      There shall be a hard-surfaced (asphalt or concrete) area four feet wide leading from the parking area to the mobile home entrance. 

F.      There shall be one combined entrance and exit from the mobile home park to the main highway. 

G.     All mobile home sites shall be sodded or seeded and shall be attractively maintained. 

H.     There shall be storage space of at least 5% of the mobile home site area and this area shall be fenced and screened from the balance of the mobile home park. 

I.       A municipal-type sewage system shall be installed in any mobile home park hereinafter erected.[3] 

J.       Unless adequately screened by existing vegetative cover, the mobile home park shall be screened by a temporary planting of fast-growing material capable of reaching a height of 15 feet or more, such as hybrid poplar, and a permanent evergreen planting such as white or Norway pine, the individual trees to be such a number and so arranged that within 10 years they will have formed a screen equivalent in capacity to a solid fence or wall. Such permanent planting shall be grown or maintained to a height of not less than 15 feet.   

§ 92-8.  Management. 

A.     In every mobile home park there shall be located the office of the attendant or person in charge of said park. A copy of the park license and of this chapter shall be posted therein, and the park register at all times shall be kept in said office. 

B.      It is hereby made the duty of the attendant or person in charge together with the licensee to: 

(1)    Keep a register of all guests to be open at all times to inspection by state and federal officers and the Town Board or its agents, which shall show for all guests: 

(a)     Names and addresses. 

(b)     Number of children of school age. 

(c)     State of legal residence. 

(d)     Dates of entrance and departure. 

(e)     License numbers of all trailers and towing or other vehicles. 

(f)      State issuing such license. 

(g)     Purpose of stay in park. 

(h)     Place of last location and length of stay. 

(i)      Place of employment of each occupant.   

(2)    Maintain the park in a clean, orderly and sanitary condition at all times. 

(3)    Ensure that the provisions of this chapter are complied with and enforced and report promptly to the proper authorities any violations of this chapter and/or any other violations of law which come to his attention. 

(4)    Report to the County Health Officer all cases of persons or animals affected or suspected of being affected with any communicable disease. 

(5)    Maintain in convenient places approved by the Fire Chief hand fire extinguishers in the ratio of one to each ninth unit. 

(6)    Collect the monthly parking permit fee or tax provided for in § 92-10 of this chapter. A book shall be kept showing the names of the person paying said service charges and the amount paid. 

(7)    Prohibit the lighting of open fires on the premises.   

C.     The cars parked in the parking space on the mobile home site shall be parked so that the rear of the car is facing the street. 

D.     There shall be no parking on the lawn in front of the mobile home. 

E.      All mobile homes shall be skirted from the mobile home to the ground with the same material as or equal to that from which the mobile home is made. 

F.      Every unit shall be provided with a substantial flytight, watertight, rodentproof garbage depository from which the contents shall be removed in a sanitary manner by the park custodian at least weekly between May 1 and October 15 and otherwise weekly.   

§ 92-9.  Construction standards; recreation areas. 

A.     Applicability of plumbing, electrical and building ordinances. 

(1)    All plumbing, electrical, building and other work on or at any park licensed under this chapter shall be in accordance with the ordinances of the Town of Troy and St. Croix County, Wisconsin, and the requirements of the State Plumbing, Electrical and Building Codes and the regulations of the State Board of Health. Licenses and permits granted under this chapter grant no right to erect or repair any structure, to do any plumbing work or to do any electrical work, except for normal maintenance. 

(2)    No electric or telephone transmission lines shall be erected along or in front of any lots, and all lines and wires for the transmission of utility services to said park shall be installed underground. In addition, all tanks for the storage of oil or gas in said park shall be installed underground.   

B.      Recreation areas for mobile home parks. There shall be an open recreation area of 10% of the park area for recreation and playgrounds for children in the park. This does not include any area for buffers or any undesirable area.   

§ 92-10.  Fees; number of mobile homes permitted. 

A.     Imposition, payment and collection of a monthly parking fee shall be as set forth in § 66.435, Wis. Stats. 

B.      There will be no more than 50 mobile homes in any one mobile home park. 

C.     A forfeiture as provided in Chapter 39, Citations, of this Code shall be imposed for the failure to notify the Town Clerk-Treasurer and Town Assessor within five days of placement of an occupied mobile home within the Town as per § 66.435(3), Wis. Stats. Each day after five is considered a separate violation. [Added 3-11-1985] 

D.     The park operator shall be responsible for payment of any special assessments imposed, through the Town, by the fire associations or departments. This payment must be paid within 30 days of notification by the Town. [Added 3-11-1985]   

§ 92-11.  Revocation of license or permit.

The Town Board is hereby authorized to revoke any license or permit issued pursuant to the terms of this chapter and in accordance with Chapter 563 of the Laws of 1953. 

§ 92-12.  Violations and penalties.

Any person violating any further provision of this chapter shall, upon conviction thereof, be subject to a forfeiture as provided in Chapter 39, Citations, of this Code and the costs of prosecution and, in default of payment of such forfeiture and costs, shall be imprisoned in the county jail until payment of such forfeiture and the costs of prosecution, but not to exceed 90 days for each violation. Each day of violation shall constitute a separate offense. 

§ 92-13.  Repealer; conflicts with other laws.

All ordinances or parts of ordinances inconsistent with or contrary hereto are hereby repealed, except that nothing in this chapter shall be interpreted so as to conflict with state laws or orders regulating trailers or mobile home parks or any of the requirements of any ordinances of the Town of Troy, County of St. Croix, Wisconsin, not mentioned or made inapplicable by the terms of this chapter. 


[1].  Editor's Note: Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I).

[2].  Editor's Note: Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I).

[3].  Editor's Note: Original § 7(j), which immediately followed this subsection and required all mobile home parks to be located within a single town, was deleted at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I).