Like every other city or county in Georgia with similar restrictions, Commerce has removed its regulations prohibiting older mobile homes from being moved into the city.
For years it has been illegal to move a mobile home older than five years into Commerce, but the council voted unanimously Monday to amend its regulations to comply with a new law passed last session by the Georgia General Assembly making it illegal to impose age restrictions on mobile homes.
But that doesn’t mean you can hook up the F-150 to a 10 by 48 1964 Champion mobile home and haul it into Ashworth Mobile Home Park. The city will still pass judgment on what can enter the city, but will do so in accordance with city codes and the condition of the mobile home, not its age.
Jackson County had a similar restriction, which it has already removed. Madison County did the same thing last week.
The restrictions have been in place for a couple of decades and were aimed at preventing substandard housing from being brought into a particular city or county.
The council approved a four-page ordinance covering the inspections. The process begins with an applicant sending photos of both the inside and the outside of the structure to the city’s planning department. If the photos indicate that the mobile home meets current standards, it can be brought in. However, the city will not issue a certificate of occupancy until a building inspector makes a personal visual inspection verifying that the structure is up to code.
“They’ve got to jump through a lot of hoops in that ordinance,” explained city manager Clarence Bryant when the issue came up at the city’s Sept. 7 work session. “There is also a substantial fee.”
Anyone moving any pre-owned mobile home into Commerce will have to prove to the building inspector that the structure meets the health and safety standards of the act, documented with photographs of both the interior and exterior. They must also submit a $1,000 refundable cash deposit or bond. The bond will be forfeited after 90 days from the date of inspection if the owner fails to meet all of the conditions and standards.
When the mobile home is on site, the building inspector will check it out and, when it meets the requirements of city codes and the new ordinance, will issue a certificate of deposit. The cost of the initial inspection will be $400; any follow-up inspections will cost $50 apiece.
Mobile homes must:
•comply with the Federal Manufactured Housing Construction and Safety Standards act
•have floors, ceilings and walls intact and in good condition, and doors and windows that are operable and water tight
•have an exterior free of loose or rotting boards or siding that might admit rain or moisture
•have siding free of rot and rust and have roofs that are structurally sound with no defects to allow rain or moisture
•have plumbing in good condition, including a kitchen sink and full bathrooms
•have safe and operable heating system (un-vented heaters are prohibited)
•have safe and operable electric systems that meet code (homes are subject to an electrical continuity test by a licensed electrician)
•have a safe and operable water heater
•have at least one operable window large enough to “allow egress if necessary”
•shall have at least one smoke detector inside and outside each bedroom and in the kitchen, installed in accordance with the manufacturer’s recommendations.
The ordinance provides that permanent connection to utilities will not be approved until the building inspector issues a certificate of occupancy.
