Mobile home storm rules in New Jersey

New Jersey addresses storm and disaster issues for park residents through the park's obligation to bear the cost of any forced relocation and reimburse damage, state regulation and inspection of parks by the Department of Community Affairs, and the federal HUD construction code for the home. The information below describes how the law generally works; anyone dealing with a specific situation should consider consulting a licensed attorney in New Jersey.

What the statute says

N.J.S.A. 46:8C-2(a)(3) protects a resident whose home must be moved within the park: a park may not "move, or require to be moved or relocated within the park, any mobile home ... unless reasonably necessary and unless written notice is served personally on the mobile home dweller 30 days prior to such proposed move, except in case of an emergency requiring a temporary move or relocation. All costs and fees related, directly or indirectly, to any such move or relocation shall be borne by the owner or operator. In addition, the dweller ... shall have a right to reimbursement for any loss or damage caused by any such move or relocation, and this right shall not be waived."

Mobile home parks are also regulated and inspected by the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (Division of Codes and Standards), and a municipality "may, by ordinance, provide for the regulation and licensing of mobile home parks" (N.J.S.A. 46:8C-8). The home's wind-zone construction comes from the federal HUD code (24 C.F.R. Part 3280).

How it works in general

If a New Jersey park needs to move a resident's home within the park — for repairs, site work, or after storm damage — it generally must give 30 days' written notice (except in an emergency), pay all costs of the move, and reimburse the resident for any loss or damage, a right that can't be waived. For the broader safety of the community, the Department of Community Affairs regulates and inspects parks, and municipalities can add licensing rules. The home itself is built to the federal HUD wind-zone standards, and its installation is overseen through the DCA's manufactured-housing program. Disaster assistance is handled through federal and state emergency-management programs.

Common scenarios

General examples New Jersey park residents commonly encounter:

• A park needs to relocate a home within the park after storm work. It must give 30 days' notice (absent emergency), pay the costs, and reimburse damage (N.J.S.A. 46:8C-2(a)(3)).
• A resident has a park-safety concern. The DCA Division of Codes and Standards regulates and inspects parks, and the town may license them (N.J.S.A. 46:8C-8).
• Questions arise about how a home is built or anchored. The federal HUD code governs construction; installation runs through the DCA program.

Other authorities that may apply

The mobile-home-park statute (N.J.S.A. 46:8C-2) governs forced relocations, and these rights cannot be waived (N.J.S.A. 46:8C-5). The federal HUD code governs home construction. The New Jersey Department of Community Affairs regulates and inspects parks, the New Jersey Office of Emergency Management and FEMA administer disaster assistance, and a homeowner's insurance policy — not statute — usually governs storm-damage claims.