California Mobile Home Park Laws: 90-Day Rent Notice, 7 Reasons

By Steve Levine · Updated November 3, 2026

Short answer: California mobile home park laws, collected in the Mobilehome Residency Law (Civil Code § 798 and following), require 90 days’ written notice before any space rent increase (Civ. Code § 798.30). Management can end your tenancy only for one of the reasons listed in § 798.56, and only after a written notice giving you at least 60 days to sell or remove your home (§ 798.55).

The Mobilehome Residency Law, or MRL, is Chapter 2.5 of Title 2 of Part 2 of Division 2 of the Civil Code. It protects “homeowners,” people who own a mobilehome and rent the space it sits on. The Legislature put its reason right into § 798.55(a): moving a mobilehome is expensive, can damage the home and requires costly installation and lot preparation, so park homeowners need protection from actual or constructive eviction that ordinary renters do not get. The Senate Housing Committee publishes the full current text each year in its MRL handbook, which this guide cites.

California mobile home park laws in one table

Rule	California	Statute
Space rent increase notice	90 days in writing	Civ. Code § 798.30
Statewide rent cap	Only for parks governed by two or more cities: lower of 3% + CPI or 5% a year	Civ. Code § 798.30.5
Termination notice	At least 60 days to sell or remove the home	Civ. Code § 798.55(b)
Nonpayment	Unpaid 5 days, then a 3-day notice to pay	Civ. Code § 798.56(e)
Rule changes without consent	Meeting on 10 days’ notice, then 6 months’ written notice	Civ. Code § 798.25
Change of use	6 months after permits; 12 months if none needed	Civ. Code § 798.56(g)
Transfer or selling fee	Only if management performs a requested service	Civ. Code § 798.72

Space rent: 90 days’ notice, caps only in some places

Civil Code § 798.30 is one sentence: management must give you written notice of any rent increase at least 90 days before the date of the increase. The MRL itself does not set a statewide ceiling for most parks. Many California cities and counties have their own mobilehome space rent ordinances, so the amount you can be charged often depends on local law.

There is one statewide cap with a narrow reach. Section 798.30.5 applies to a “qualified mobilehome park,” meaning a park located within and governed by two or more incorporated cities. In those parks, management may not raise the gross rent over any 12-month period by more than 3 percent plus the change in the cost of living, or 5 percent, whichever is lower, and may not raise it in more than two steps in that period. The cap does not cover deed-restricted affordable spaces or spaces already under a local rent ordinance, and the section is set to expire January 1, 2030.

Fees are limited too. Under § 798.31, you can be charged only for rent, utilities and incidental reasonable charges for services actually rendered, and you cannot be charged a fee for getting a lease of 12 months or a shorter term you request. Section 798.18 requires management to offer a 12-month agreement, a shorter one if you ask, or a longer one by mutual agreement.

Worked example: Maria in Santa Rosa

Maria owns a single-wide in a Santa Rosa park and pays $1,050 a month for her space. If management wants a new rent to start July 1, its written notice must be delivered by April 2, which is 90 days before July 1. A notice handed to her on April 20 could not lawfully raise her rent until mid-July.

Later that year, Maria misses the November 1 rent. Under § 798.56(e), the rent must go unpaid for at least five days after the due date, not counting the due date itself, so management cannot serve a pay-or-vacate notice until November 7. That notice gives her three days to pay, and paying within that time cures the default. The park can serve it alongside the separate 60-day termination notice.

The seven reasons a park can evict a homeowner

Under Civ. Code § 798.56, management may terminate a tenancy only for:

failing to fix a violation of a local or state mobilehome law within a reasonable time after a notice from the government agency;
conduct on park premises that is a substantial annoyance to other residents;
a conviction for listed crimes, such as prostitution or a felony controlled-substance offense, committed on the park premises;
breaking a reasonable park rule that is part of the rental agreement, but only after written notice and seven days to comply;
nonpayment of rent, utility charges or reasonable incidental service charges, under the five-day and three-day steps above;
condemnation of the park; or
a change of use of the park or part of it.

Section 798.55(b) then requires written notice, served the way Code of Civil Procedure § 1162 requires, giving you at least 60 days to sell or remove the home at your choice. Copies must be mailed within 10 days to the home’s legal owner, any junior lienholder and the registered owner if that is someone else. A lender can cure unpaid rent within 30 calendar days of that mailing, though no more than twice in 12 months. Three or more pay-or-vacate notices in 12 months can cost you the three-day cure for the next one, and each notice must warn you of that count in bold type. The court process is in our California eviction process guide.

Park rules and selling your home in place

Rules cannot change overnight. Under § 798.25, management must give all homeowners at least 10 days’ written notice of a meeting to consult about a proposed amendment. After that meeting, the change applies to you right away only with your consent; without consent, it needs written notice of at least six months, with limited exceptions such as recreational facility rules.

Selling is where the MRL is most detailed:

Management may not show or list your home without your written authorization, and cannot ban you from listing or selling it yourself (§ 798.71).
No transfer or selling fee is allowed unless management performs a service in the sale that you requested in writing (§ 798.72).
Your lease cannot give management a right of first refusal to buy your home, though you can sign a separate agreement for separate payment (§ 798.19.5).
Within 15 days of learning of the sale, management must give you and your buyer its approval standards, including any minimum credit score, and a list of required documents (§ 798.74(b)).
Approval may be withheld only if the buyer’s past tenancies show they won’t follow park rules, they can’t afford the rent and charges, or they committed fraud on the application. Management must decide in writing within 15 business days of receiving everything (§ 798.74(c), (e)).

When a home is sold to a third party, § 798.73 lets management require removal of older homes that fail health and safety standards on inspection, among other listed conditions.

Change of use or park closure

Section 798.56(g) sets out a sequence. First, management must give homeowners at least 60 days’ written notice that it will appear before a local board or commission to request permits for a change of use. Once all permits are approved, it must give six months’ or more written notice of termination. If no local permits are needed, notice must come 12 months or more before management’s decision that the change will occur, and it must describe the change in detail. Prospective homeowners must be told before moving in. Section 798.56(h) also requires management to give residents the relocation impact report required by Government Code § 65863.7 at the same time as the change-of-use notice.

Residents’ organizations and a park sale

California gives organized residents advance warning of a sale. Under Civ. Code § 798.80, a park owner must send written notice of intent to sell, by first-class mail or personal delivery, to the president, secretary and treasurer of a qualifying resident organization at least 30 days and no more than one year before listing the park with a broker or offering it for sale. The organization must be one formed by homeowners, such as a nonprofit or stock cooperative, to buy the park or convert it to resident ownership. If you want that notice, your residents need to form such an organization before the park is listed.

Where to complain in California

The MRL is enforced in court: the Senate handbook’s introduction explains that the Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) has no authority to enforce these Civil Code provisions, so homeowners and parks must sue each other. HCD does run the Mobilehome Residency Law Protection Program, which takes complaints on form HCD MAC 425 or online and can be reached at (800) 952-8356. Local legal aid offices are listed by county in Appendix A of the handbook.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a statewide limit on how much my California park can raise space rent?

Only if your park is governed by two or more incorporated cities, under § 798.30.5. Otherwise the MRL requires 90 days’ notice under § 798.30 but sets no cap, and any limit comes from a city or county mobilehome rent ordinance.

How much time do I get after a termination notice?

At least 60 days to sell or remove your home under § 798.55(b), and the notice must state one of the seven reasons in § 798.56. A change of use requires longer notice under § 798.56(g).

Can management charge my buyer a transfer fee?

Not unless management performed a service in the sale that you asked for in writing, under § 798.72. Management can screen the buyer, but only on the three grounds listed in § 798.74(c).

Can a new rule take effect without my agreement?

Yes, but only after a homeowner meeting noticed at least 10 days ahead and then at least six months’ written notice to you, under § 798.25. With your consent, it can apply sooner.

If you have just received a notice, write down the date it was delivered and compare it with the 90-day, 60-day and change-of-use timelines above, then call HCD’s MRL Protection Program or a local legal aid office. More reading: our mobile home park rights overview, California rent increase laws, California security deposit law and the mobile home park laws by state index. This page is general information, not legal advice; LSC’s get legal help page can point you to free help.

Sources

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