Mobile home utilities in North Carolina

North Carolina has no mobile-home-specific submetering statute. How a park bills utilities is governed by the written lease and, where the park resells water or sewer, by the North Carolina Utilities Commission; the general landlord-tenant law requires the landlord to maintain supplied utility systems. This page compiles that framework. For a specific bill, consider consulting a licensed attorney in North Carolina.

What the statute says

The landlord's maintenance duty is in N.C.G.S. §42-42(a)(4): the landlord shall "maintain in good and safe working order and promptly repair all electrical, plumbing, sanitary, heating, ventilating, air conditioning, and other facilities and appliances supplied or required to be supplied by the landlord," once the tenant gives written notice (except in emergencies).

On reselling utilities, a park that provides water or sewer service to residents is generally subject to the North Carolina Utilities Commission under N.C.G.S. §62-110(g), and N.C.G.S. §42-46(d) bars charging "a late fee to a lessee ... because of the lessee's failure to pay for water or sewer services provided pursuant to G.S. 62-110(g)." There is no mobile-home submetering cap or markup statute; those terms come from the lease and the Utilities Commission's rules.

How it works in general

If a North Carolina park supplies utility facilities, it must keep them in good and safe working order and repair them after notice. Where the park resells water or sewer service, it generally has to follow the Utilities Commission's rules for that service, and it can't tack a late fee onto an unpaid water or sewer charge. There is no statewide mobile-home submetering formula or markup cap — the written lease defines how utilities are metered and billed, so the lease and the Utilities Commission's rules are the reference points.

Common scenarios

General examples North Carolina park residents commonly encounter:

• A supplied utility hookup fails. The landlord must keep it in good repair after written notice (§42-42(a)(4)).
• A park resells water or sewer. That service is generally regulated by the Utilities Commission (§62-110(g)), and no late fee may be added to it (§42-46(d)).
• A resident expects a submetering cap. North Carolina has none specific to mobile homes; the lease and the Utilities Commission's rules control.

Other authorities that may apply

The general landlord-tenant law (§42-42) requires maintenance of supplied utilities, and §42-46(d) bars a late fee on water/sewer. The North Carolina Utilities Commission regulates utility service, including a park's reselling of water or sewer under §62-110(g). The written lease sets the billing terms, and federal law can apply in particular situations.