Mobile home utilities in Indiana
Indiana requires a mobile home community to provide an approved water supply and gives residents at least 30 days' advance written notice before the whole community's water service is disconnected, requires the landlord to maintain supplied plumbing and a reasonable supply of hot and cold water, and bars the landlord from shutting off a tenant's utilities as a self-help eviction — though it sets no cap on a park's utility markup.
Published June 3, 2026
Indiana protects residents on utilities mainly through the mobile home community water rules (Ind. Code §16-41-27-10), the landlord's general maintenance duties (Ind. Code §32-31-8-5), and the ban on self-help (Ind. Code §32-31-5-6). The information below describes how the law generally works; anyone disputing a specific charge or outage should consider consulting a licensed attorney in Indiana.
What the statute says
Under Ind. Code §16-41-27-10(a), "a mobile home community shall provide a water supply through the use of a public water system if the water supply is reasonably available," or otherwise "by a system approved by the environmental commissioner." Section 16-41-27-10(b) adds a notice protection: before the entire community is disconnected from water service, "the owner of a mobile home community and the state department must be provided written notice at least thirty (30) days before" the disconnection notice is sent.
The landlord's general duties under §32-31-8-5 include providing and maintaining, in good and safe working order, the "plumbing systems sufficient to accommodate a reasonable supply of hot and cold running water at all times" and the electrical, sanitary, and HVAC systems supplied with the premises. And §32-31-5-6 bars a landlord from "interrupting, reducing, shutting off, or causing termination of" a tenant's utilities except by judicial order. Indiana has no provision capping a park's utility markup or prescribing a submetering method.
How it works in general
An Indiana mobile home community has to provide an approved water supply, and residents get an early warning — at least 30 days' advance written notice — before a community-wide water disconnection. The landlord has to keep the supplied plumbing and water systems working, with a reasonable supply of hot and cold water, and can never shut off a resident's utilities to force them out; that's barred self-help, and a utility cutoff has to go through a court. What Indiana doesn't do is 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 Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission.
Common scenarios
General examples Indiana park residents commonly encounter:
- The community plans to cut off water. Residents get at least 30 days' advance notice of a community-wide disconnection (§16-41-27-10(b)).
- A landlord threatens to shut off utilities over a dispute. That's barred self-help (§32-31-5-6).
- A resident questions a utility markup. No statute caps it; the lease controls, and the IURC regulates utility rates.
Other authorities that may apply
The mobile home community chapter (Ind. Code §16-41-27-10) governs the water supply and disconnection notice; the general landlord-tenant law (§§32-31-8-5, 32-31-5-6) sets the maintenance duty and the ban on self-help; and the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission regulates jurisdictional utility service and rates. Because Indiana sets no markup cap, this guide flags that gap honestly.
Frequently asked questions
- Does an Indiana community have to warn me before cutting off water?
- Yes, for a community-wide disconnection. Under Ind. Code §16-41-27-10(b), before the entire community's water service is disconnected, 'the owner of a mobile home community and the state department must be provided written notice at least thirty (30) days before' the disconnection notice is sent. This is general information, not advice about a specific outage — consider consulting a licensed attorney in Indiana.
- Can an Indiana landlord shut off my utilities to force me out?
- No. Under Ind. Code §32-31-5-6(c), 'except as authorized by judicial order, a landlord may not deny or interfere with a tenant's access to or possession of the tenant's dwelling unit,' including by 'interrupting, reducing, shutting off, or causing termination of' utilities to the tenant.
- Does Indiana cap how a mobile home park bills for utilities?
- No. Indiana has no dedicated mobile home park act, so there is no statutory cap on a park's utility markup and no submetering formula. The community must provide an approved water supply (Ind. Code §16-41-27-10), the landlord must keep supplied plumbing and water working (§32-31-8-5), and regulated utility service and rates fall to the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission — a gap this guide flags honestly.