Fees in California mobile home parks

California's Mobilehome Residency Law (Civil Code §§798–799.11) tightly restricts the types of fees a mobilehome park may charge. Beyond rent and utilities, a park may impose only "incidental reasonable charges for services actually rendered." What follows is a general explanation of those limits; for a specific charge or billing dispute, consider consulting a licensed attorney in California.

What the statute says

The general fee limitation is Civil Code §798.31:

A homeowner shall not be charged a fee for services actually rendered which are not listed in the rental agreement unless he or she has been given written notice thereof by the management, at least 60 days before imposition of the charge.

And for the baseline limit, §798.31 states that a homeowner "shall not be assessed" anything beyond "rent, utilities, and incidental reasonable charges for services actually rendered."

For new charges not in the existing agreement, §798.32(a) requires:

A homeowner shall not be charged a fee for services actually rendered which are not listed in the rental agreement unless he or she has been given written notice thereof by the management, at least 60 days before imposition of the charge.

Section 798.32(b) further requires that any fee with a limited duration or amortization period state its expiration date on the initial notice and every subsequent billing.

For guests, §798.34(a) prohibits charging a fee "for a guest who does not stay with the homeowner for more than a total of 20 consecutive days or a total of 30 days in a calendar year."

For pets, §798.33(b) states: "A homeowner shall not be charged a fee for keeping a pet in the park unless the management actually provides special facilities or services for pets."

How it works in general

The fee framework has two layers. First, management may only charge for rent, utilities, and actual service charges. Second, any charge for a service not listed in the rental agreement requires at least 60 days' advance written notice and must then be separately itemized on bills. Together these provisions prevent parks from adding hidden or undisclosed charges.

The guest-fee and pet-fee rules are specific carve-outs that limit the park's ability to charge for ordinary social use of a home. Live-in caregivers for homeowners with documented medical needs cannot be charged as guests under §798.34(c).

Common scenarios

General examples California park residents commonly encounter:

• A bill arrives with a new line item for a "maintenance fee" or "amenity fee" that does not appear in the existing rental agreement. Section 798.32 is the applicable provision — the park must have given at least 60 days' advance written notice.
• A park proposes to charge for guests staying regularly in the home. The 20-consecutive-day or 30-day-per-calendar-year threshold in §798.34(a) defines when a guest fee becomes permissible.
• A homeowner has a dog and receives a monthly pet charge. Whether that charge is permissible depends on whether the park actually provides special pet facilities or services under §798.33(b).

Other authorities that may apply

Beyond the MRL, the written rental agreement specifies which charges were agreed to at move-in and is the first place to look when a new charge appears. Local ordinances in some California jurisdictions provide additional consumer protections. Federal laws, including the Fair Housing Act, govern how fee policies are applied. California's consumer-protection statutes — enforced by the Attorney General and local District Attorneys — may also apply to deceptive billing practices.