Mobile home park fees in Tennessee

Tennessee controls the security deposit by statute in larger counties but has no dedicated mobile home park fee law. The information below describes how the law generally works; anyone disputing a specific charge should consider consulting a licensed attorney in Tennessee.

What the statute says

Where the URLTA applies, Tenn. Code §66-28-301(a) requires a landlord that takes security deposits to "deposit all tenants' security deposits in an account used only for that purpose, in any bank or other lending institution subject to regulation by the state or any agency of the United States government," and §66-28-301(b) gives the tenant "the right to inspect the premises to determine the tenant's liability for physical damages that are the basis for any charge against the security deposit." Section 66-28-203 lists provisions a lease may not contain. Tennessee sets no statutory dollar cap on the deposit, and there is no dedicated mobile-home-park statute banning entrance, exit, or transfer fees. The URLTA "applies only in counties having a population of more than seventy-five thousand (75,000)" (§66-28-102(a)).

How it works in general

In a Tennessee county over 75,000 people, the URLTA gives a resident some deposit protection: the landlord has to keep deposits in a separate account and let the resident inspect for damage before charging the deposit, and the landlord has to account for what it keeps. Tennessee doesn't cap the deposit, doesn't ban entrance, exit, or transfer fees, and has no mobile-home-specific fee limits — so beyond the deposit rules, those charges come down to the written lease and general law. In a smaller county, even the URLTA deposit rules don't apply, so the lease controls. Either way, reading the lease for every charge is the key step.

Common scenarios

General examples Tennessee park residents commonly encounter:

• A deposit dispute (larger county). The deposit must be in a separate account, with inspection and accounting rights (§66-28-301).
• A park charges an entrance or transfer fee. No statute bans it — the lease controls.
• A resident is in a small county. The URLTA deposit rules may not apply; the lease governs (§66-28-102(a)).

Other authorities that may apply

The URLTA (Tenn. Code §§66-28-203, 66-28-301) governs the security deposit and prohibited lease terms in larger counties; elsewhere the written lease and common law govern. Because Tennessee has no dedicated park fee act, this guide flags the absence of fee limits honestly. Federal law can apply in particular situations.