Selling a mobile home in Indiana

Indiana has no dedicated park sell-in-place statute, so selling a home that sits on a rented lot turns mainly on the written lease and the park's rules — but Indiana does bar local governments from regulating homes by age or size, and the home transfers through its certificate of title. The information below describes how the law generally works; anyone selling should consider consulting a licensed attorney in Indiana.

What the statute says

Indiana's mobile home community chapter does not create a statutory right to sell a resident-owned home in place, limit buyer approval, or guarantee a "for sale" sign. It does limit local interference: Ind. Code §16-41-27-32 provides that "a governmental body other than the state department may not license or regulate mobile home communities" except for listed health, zoning, and small-group exceptions, and (per the section's terms) local regulations based on the age or size of a mobile, manufactured, or industrialized residential home are void and unenforceable after March 14, 2022. The home itself is personal property titled by the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles (Ind. Code title 9, article 17), and a sale transfers that certificate of title.

How it works in general

Because Indiana has no dedicated park tenancy act, selling a mobile home on a rented lot depends largely on the written lease and the park's rules — there's no statute that stops a park from refusing to rent the lot to your buyer, requiring removal of the home on a sale, or charging a transfer fee, so the lease and rules will usually control. What Indiana does provide is protection against local age- or size-based restrictions: a city or county can't use a home's age or size to force it out, which helps when selling or relocating an older home. The home transfers by reassigning its BMV certificate of title (or with the land if the title was retired on affixation). Reading the lease and park rules before listing is essential.

Common scenarios

General examples Indiana park residents commonly encounter:

• A resident wants to sell the home in place. There's no sell-in-place statute; the lease and park rules control.
• A local ordinance targets older or smaller homes. Age- or size-based local regulation is void (§16-41-27-32).
• The home changes hands. Ownership transfers through the BMV certificate of title (Ind. Code title 9, art. 17).

Other authorities that may apply

Indiana's lack of a dedicated park tenancy act means the written lease, the park rules, and general law govern a sale; §16-41-27-32 limits local regulation; and the home transfers through its BMV certificate of title. Federal law such as the Fair Housing Act can apply to buyer screening, and the bill of sale and any financing documents also control. This guide flags the absence of sell-in-place protections honestly.