Mobile home utilities in Alabama

Alabama has no dedicated mobile home park utility law. Where the Alabama Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (Ala. Code Title 35, Chapter 9A) governs, it sets the landlord's maintenance duties; otherwise the written lease and the Public Service Commission's general regulation apply. The information below describes how the law generally works; anyone disputing a specific charge or outage should consider consulting a licensed attorney in Alabama.

What the statute says

Under Ala. Code §35-9A-204(a), where the Act governs, a landlord shall "comply with the requirements of applicable building and housing codes materially affecting health and safety"; "make all repairs ... to put and keep the premises in a habitable condition"; "maintain in good and safe working order and condition all electrical, plumbing, sanitary, heating, ventilating, air-conditioning, and other facilities and appliances ... supplied or required to be supplied by the landlord"; and "supply running water and reasonable amounts of hot water at all times and reasonable heat," subject to limited exceptions where the dwelling is not required to be equipped for that purpose. The Act has no provision capping a utility markup or prescribing a submetering method, and Alabama has no dedicated mobile-home-park utility statute.

How it works in general

Where the Alabama Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act applies, a park that supplies electricity, water, heat, or similar utilities has to keep those systems in safe working order and keep running water and reasonable heat flowing. But Alabama doesn't cap what a park can charge for utilities or require a particular metering method, so where a park bills for utilities the written lease sets the terms, and regulated utility service and rates fall to the Alabama Public Service Commission. As with other issues, coverage matters: a resident who owns the home and rents only the lot may fall outside the Act, leaving the lease and general law to govern.

Common scenarios

General examples Alabama park residents commonly encounter:

• The park's supplied utilities fail. Where the Act applies, the landlord must keep them in safe working order and supply running water and heat (§35-9A-204(a)).
• A resident questions a utility markup. No statute caps it; the lease controls, and the Public Service Commission regulates utility rates.
• A park threatens to cut utilities over a dispute. Where the Act applies, self-help is barred; eviction must go through court.

Other authorities that may apply

The Alabama Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (Ala. Code §35-9A-204) sets the landlord's utility-maintenance duties for covered tenancies; the Alabama Public Service Commission regulates jurisdictional utility service and rates. Because Alabama has no dedicated park act, this guide flags the absence of a markup cap honestly. The written lease sets the billing terms.