Landlord Atlas

Ohio Mobile Home Park Laws

Verified August 19, 2026 All Ohio topics →

Ohio regulates manufactured home park lot tenancies in sections 4781.36 to 4781.52 of the Revised Code, backed by the Department of Commerce park rules: a park operator must offer every home owner a written lot agreement of one year or more, must give 30 days' written notice of any rent or fee increase and may not raise rent at all during a term, and must give residents at least 180 days to leave if it sells the park for another use.

Cited to Ohio Rev. Code § 4781.40 and 5 more sources · Verified August 19, 2026

There is no ceiling on how much lot rent may rise and no way to contest the amount, and residents have no right to buy the park. A home owner may sell the home where it stands on ten days' notice and the park may not require it to be moved because of the sale or unreasonably refuse the buyer a lot agreement. Termination is not limited to a list of causes: a resident who stays past the end of a term may be evicted for holding over, though a material rule violation carries a written notice and 30 days to fix it, and a park may not retaliate against a resident who complains to a government agency or organizes with neighbors.

Governing actManufactured home park rental agreement and residents' rights provisions of the Manufactured Homes chapter — Ohio Rev. Code §§ 4781.36–4781.52; Ohio Adm. Code ch. 4781-12
General law that also appliesOhio Rev. Code ch. 1923 (forcible entry and detainer) supplies the eviction procedure for manufactured home park residents
Federal lender protections already required by state law3 of 8 (see the table)

Each row below is a state rule (with its citation) or an honest "no state rule" with what governs instead — lease terms and the general landlord-tenant law still apply where the park act is silent. This page covers a resident who owns the home and rents the lot; a home rented from the park is an ordinary Ohio tenancy.

On this page: Scope · Lot rent, fees and utilities · Lease, rules and disclosure · Termination and eviction · Closure and change of use · Sale of the park · The resident's home · Federal lender protections · Common questions · Citations

A. Scope — who and what the act covers

Rule Ohio law Source
State agency with a role in park tenancies Ohio Department of Commerce, Division of Industrial Compliance The Division of Industrial Compliance licenses and inspects manufactured home parks and enforces the park rules. It issues the annual park license, inspects each park before the first license and at least once a year afterward, and may fine a person up to $1,000 per violation per day after a hearing. The Ohio Manufactured Homes Commission was abolished and every reference to it in Ohio law now means the Department of Commerce. Dealer and broker licensing sits with the department's Division of Real Estate and Professional Licensing instead. Residents' rights under the rental agreement provisions are enforced by the resident in court, not by the division, although a court finding that a park operator violated § 4781.40 is also treated as a violation of the division's rule. Ohio Rev. Code § 4781.27 (A)(1), (B); Ohio Rev. Code § 4781.011; Ohio Rev. Code § 4781.121 (B); Ohio Rev. Code § 4781.54 (A), (B); Ohio Adm. Code 4781-12-29 (O)
Resident may sue under the act Yes A resident may sue the park operator under the act. The act gives a resident actual damages and reasonable attorney's fees for a violation of the rental agreement provisions, the operator's maintenance duties or the security deposit rules, and allows the resident to terminate the rental agreement instead. In any action under §§ 4781.36 to 4781.52 either party may recover damages for breach of contract or of a duty imposed by law. Ohio Rev. Code § 4781.40 (I); Ohio Rev. Code § 4781.46; Ohio Rev. Code § 4781.38 (B); Ohio Rev. Code § 4781.50 (C)
Minimum park size for the act to apply (lots) 3 lots A manufactured home park is any tract of land where three or more manufactured or mobile homes used for habitation are parked, free of charge or for revenue. The definition takes in the roadways, buildings and other facilities of the park. It does not reach land used only to display or store homes, or land divided into lots sold individually where the roads have been dedicated to the local government. Ohio Rev. Code § 4781.01 (D); Ohio Adm. Code 4781-12-01
Other size thresholds that switch rules on
  • 15 lots — A park area developed after January 20, 2020 with more than 15 lots, or whose water supply serves more than 25 people, must take its water from a public water supply approved by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency; a park at or under that size may use a private water system meeting the state health rules.
One size threshold changes what a park must do. A park area developed after January 20, 2020 with more than 15 lots, or serving more than 25 people, must be on a public water supply approved by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency; smaller parks may use a private system that meets Ohio Adm. Code chapter 3701-28. The tenancy rules themselves apply to every licensed park regardless of size. 		Ohio Adm. Code 4781-12-11 (B)(1)
Park-owned rental homes Partly covered by this act Someone who rents a lot without owning the home on it is a resident under the act and has the act's protections. Ohio splits residents into owners, who own the home on the lot, and tenants, who do not; both are residents, and the act's rules on disclosure, fee increases, rules changes, retaliation and possession apply to both. What the act does not reach is the home itself: its protections attach to the lot and the shared grounds and facilities of the park, so the condition of a park-owned rental home is not governed by these sections. Several protections are written for owners only, including the offer of a one-year agreement and the right to sell the home in place. Ohio Rev. Code § 4781.01 (T), (U), (V), (W); Ohio Rev. Code § 4781.40 (A)(1), (B)
RVs and park-model homes Included A recreational vehicle parked on a lot in a licensed manufactured home park is covered by the act's possession and abandoned-home provisions. The act's eviction ground for a thirty-day absence names a recreational vehicle parked in the park alongside manufactured and mobile homes, and the eviction, writ and abandoned-property sections do the same throughout. A recreational vehicle park is a different regulated category and is not a manufactured home park, and only manufactured and mobile homes count toward the three-home threshold that makes a tract a park. Ohio Rev. Code § 4781.37 (A)(5); Ohio Rev. Code § 1923.02 (A)(12); Ohio Rev. Code § 4781.01 (D)
Local rent regulation of park lots Preempted — local governments may not regulate lot rents Two state preemptions reach a local lot-rent ordinance. Section 4781.52 says no municipal corporation may adopt or keep an ordinance, and no township a resolution, that conflicts with §§ 4781.36 to 4781.52 or that regulates rights and obligations of the parties to a rental agreement that those sections regulate; § 4781.40(B) regulates rent and fee increases and § 4781.40(L) treats rent as a term of the agreement. Since September 2022 the general landlord-tenant chapter adds its own bar: § 5321.19 stops any political subdivision from regulating the rights and obligations of parties to a rental agreement, including by imposing rent control or rent stabilization in any way, with exceptions only for housing the subdivision owns and voluntary incentive programs. Neither section has been applied to a park lot-rent ordinance by an Ohio court, and § 4781.52 names municipal corporations and townships rather than counties; both expressly leave local housing, building, health and safety codes in place. Ohio Rev. Code § 4781.52; Ohio Rev. Code § 4781.40 (B), (L); Ohio Rev. Code § 5321.19 (A), (B)

B. Lot rent, fees and utilities

Rule Ohio law Source
Notice before a lot-rent increase 30 days A park operator must give at least 30 days' written notice before a lot rent or fee increase takes effect. The operator has to disclose every fee, charge, assessment and rental fee in writing before the resident signs the agreement and moves in, and may not raise any disclosed amount without stating an effective date at least 30 days after the written notice. The same 30 days applies to a change in the park rules. Ohio Rev. Code § 4781.40 (B); Ohio Adm. Code 4781-12-29 (C)
How often rent may be raised Rent may not be raised at all during the term of a rental agreement; an increase can take effect only when a new term begins or, for a month-to-month agreement, on 30 days' written notice. Lot rent may not go up during the term of a rental agreement. Section 4781.40(B) says no fee, charge, assessment or rental fee shall be increased during the term of any tenant's or owner's rental agreement, so a resident on a one-year agreement has a fixed lot rent for that year. On a month-to-month agreement there is no limit on how often rent may rise beyond the 30 days' written notice each increase needs. Ohio Rev. Code § 4781.40 (B); Ohio Adm. Code 4781-12-29 (C)
Statewide limit on lot-rent increases No state rule Ohio sets no ceiling on how much lot rent may rise. The rent provisions of the act govern timing and disclosure only: 30 days' written notice, and no increase during the term of an agreement. Nothing in §§ 4781.36 to 4781.52 or in the park rules limits the size of an increase or requires the operator to justify it, and cities and townships may not fill the gap because § 4781.52 bars local rules on what these sections regulate. Ohio Rev. Code § 4781.40 (B); Ohio Rev. Code § 4781.52
How a resident can challenge an increase No state rule There is no process for contesting the amount of a lot rent increase in Ohio. The act creates no mediation, no petition to a state agency and no reasonableness standard for rent. A resident can raise two narrower points: an increase made because the resident complained to a government agency, complained to the operator about its maintenance duties or organized with other residents is prohibited retaliation, and a fee that was never disclosed in writing cannot be collected at all. Ohio Rev. Code § 4781.36 (A), (C); Ohio Rev. Code § 4781.40 (B)
Entrance fee prohibited Yes A park operator may not charge a fee for moving a home into the park beyond its own actual costs. Section 4781.40(H)(5) bars any fee, charge or assessment because a home is moved into or out of the park or because ownership of a home is transferred, except a charge for the actual costs and expenses the operator incurs in moving the home. Ordinary lot rent and any other fee remain chargeable if they were disclosed in writing before the resident signed. Ohio Rev. Code § 4781.40 (H)(4), (H)(5); Ohio Adm. Code 4781-12-29 (I)(5)
Exit or removal fee prohibited Yes A park operator may not charge an exit or transfer fee beyond its own actual costs. The same clause bars a fee because a home is moved out of the park and a fee because ownership of a home is transferred, allowing only a charge for the actual costs and expenses the operator incurs in moving the home. A separate provision bars any rental agreement term requiring the resident to pay the operator a sum tied to the sale of the home unless the operator is acting as the seller's agent. Ohio Rev. Code § 4781.40 (H)(5), (K); Ohio Adm. Code 4781-12-29 (I)(5), (L)
Undisclosed fees uncollectible Yes A fee the park operator never disclosed in writing cannot be collected. Section 4781.40(B) says failure to fully disclose all fees, charges or assessments prevents the operator from collecting the undisclosed amounts, and adds that if a resident refuses to pay them the refusal shall not be used as a cause for eviction in any court. The operator also may not charge any fee that is not set out in the rental agreement or, for an oral agreement, in a written disclosure given before the agreement was made. Ohio Rev. Code § 4781.40 (B), (H)(4); Ohio Adm. Code 4781-12-29 (C), (I)(4)
Utility billing rules No state rule Ohio sets no rules on how a park bills residents for utilities. The park rules regulate the systems themselves rather than the billing: the water supply, storm water and sewage systems, the location of water and sewer lines, home connections and the electrical system all have standards, but none of them addresses metering, rates or charges to residents. A charge for utilities is treated like any other fee, so it must be disclosed in writing before the resident signs and cannot rise during the term of an agreement or without 30 days' written notice. Ohio Adm. Code 4781-12-11; Ohio Rev. Code § 4781.40 (B)
Submetering required or regulated No state rule No Ohio rule requires or regulates submetering of park lots. Neither §§ 4781.36 to 4781.52 nor the park rules in Ohio Adm. Code chapter 4781-12 mention individual meters, meter reading or billing from a meter. The water and electrical rules cover pipe sizes, supply approval and system safety only. Ohio Adm. Code 4781-12-11; Ohio Rev. Code § 4781.40 (B)
Lot security deposit rules A deposit above the greater of $50 or one month's rent earns 5 percent interest a year once the resident has been in possession six months, and the operator must return the balance with an itemized written statement of any deductions within 30 days after the tenancy ends and possession is given back. Ohio caps nothing but sets interest and a 30-day return deadline for lot security deposits. Any deposit above $50 or one month's periodic rent, whichever is greater, bears interest on the excess at 5 percent a year if the resident stays six months or more, computed and paid annually. On termination the operator may apply the deposit to past-due rent and to damage from the resident's breach, and must deliver an itemized written notice of every deduction together with the amount due within 30 days after the agreement ends and possession is returned. The resident has to give the operator a forwarding address in writing; without one the resident loses the right to damages and attorney's fees. If the operator misses the deadline the resident recovers the money withheld, an equal amount in damages, and reasonable attorney's fees. Ohio Rev. Code § 4781.50 (A), (B), (C)

C. Lease, rules and disclosure

Rule Ohio law Source
Written lease Not required A written lease is not required, but the park operator must offer every home owner one of at least a year. The offer has to go out before the home is installed or before the owner's current agreement expires, by certified mail with return receipt requested or in person against a signed receipt, and its terms must be essentially the same as any month-to-month agreement the park offers. The owner may decline, and the act expressly contemplates an oral rental agreement. Where the agreement is oral the operator must give the resident a written notice of the owner's and any agent's name and address at the start of occupancy, along with the notice of rights the act requires in bold type. Ohio Rev. Code § 4781.40 (A)(1), (A)(2); Ohio Rev. Code § 4781.51 (A), (B), (D)
Minimum lease term that must be offered 12 months A park operator must offer each home owner a written lot agreement with a term of one year or more. The terms have to be essentially the same as any alternative month-to-month agreement offered to current and prospective residents. If the owner declines, the operator owes no further offers; if the owner accepts, the operator must offer another agreement at the end of each successive term on mutually agreed terms that again match the month-to-month alternative. Later offers may go by ordinary mail or personal delivery. A buyer of the park is bound by the agreements its predecessor made. Ohio Rev. Code § 4781.40 (A)(1), (A)(2); Ohio Adm. Code 4781-12-29 (A)
Notice to end a tenancy without cause No state rule Ohio sets no notice period for ending a lot tenancy without cause. A fixed-term agreement runs out on its stated date, and a resident who stays on can be evicted as holding over after the three-day written notice to leave that every eviction action requires. The act's one counterweight is the standing offer duty: an operator who offered a home owner a one-year agreement and had it accepted must offer another agreement at the end of each successive term, on mutually agreed terms matching the park's month-to-month alternative. Ohio Rev. Code § 1923.02 (A)(1); Ohio Rev. Code § 1923.04 (A); Ohio Rev. Code § 4781.40 (A)(2)
Notice before park rules change 30 days Park rules may not change without at least 30 days' written notice. The operator must specify the date the change takes effect and that date must be at least 30 days after the written notice. A copy of any amendment goes to every resident by personal delivery or first class mail and the rules must be posted conspicuously in the park; a rule the operator failed to deliver that way cannot be enforced against the resident. Ohio Rev. Code § 4781.40 (B), (C)(1); Ohio Adm. Code 4781-12-23 (B), (C)
Disclosure document Written rules and terms must be given Before a resident signs, the park operator must disclose in writing every fee, charge, assessment and rental fee and give a copy of the park rules. There is no state-prescribed form. The rules must also be posted conspicuously in the park and may not be unreasonable, arbitrary or capricious. Every written agreement has to carry the owner's and any agent's name and address, and a notice in ten-point bold type telling the resident that the rights of both sides are protected by §§ 4781.36 to 4781.52. Ohio Rev. Code § 4781.40 (B), (C)(1); Ohio Rev. Code § 4781.51 (A), (D)
Residents' right to meet and organize Yes Residents may organize and deal with the park operator collectively without being punished for it. A park operator may not raise a resident's rent, cut services, refuse or threaten to refuse renewal, or bring or threaten a possession action because the resident joined with other residents to negotiate or deal collectively with the operator on the terms of a rental agreement. A resident hit with such a step may use it as a defense to a possession action, recover possession or end the agreement, and recover actual damages and reasonable attorney's fees. Ohio Rev. Code § 4781.36 (A)(3), (B); Ohio Adm. Code 4781-12-28 (A)(3)
Owner entry onto the lot or into the home The park operator must give reasonable notice before entering the lot or the home and may enter only at reasonable times; 24 hours' notice is presumed reasonable, and no notice is needed in an emergency or where notice is impracticable. A park operator must give reasonable notice and enter only at reasonable times, with 24 hours presumed reasonable. The exceptions are an emergency and a case where giving notice is impracticable. The operator may not abuse the right of access, and a resident may not unreasonably withhold consent to entry to inspect utility connections or the premises, make necessary or agreed repairs and improvements, deliver oversized parcels or supply agreed services. A resident faced with an unlawful entry or with repeated demands for entry that amount to harassment may recover actual damages, obtain an injunction, recover reasonable attorney's fees on a judgment, or end the agreement. Ohio Rev. Code § 4781.38 (A)(5), (A)(6), (B); Ohio Rev. Code § 4781.39 (B)
Retaliation prohibited Yes Retaliation against a resident is prohibited. A park operator may not raise the rent, cut services owed to the resident, refuse or threaten to refuse renewal, or bring or threaten a possession action because the resident complained to a government agency about a building, housing, health or safety code violation that materially affects health and safety, complained to the operator about its own maintenance duties, or joined with other residents to bargain collectively. The resident may use the retaliation as a defense, recover possession or end the agreement, and recover actual damages with reasonable attorney's fees. The operator may still raise rent to reflect the cost of improvements it installed or a rise in other operating costs, and may still bring a possession action on the grounds § 4781.37 lists. Ohio Rev. Code § 4781.36 (A), (B), (C); Ohio Rev. Code § 4781.37 (A)

D. Termination and eviction

Rule Ohio law Source
Just cause required to end a tenancy No Ohio does not limit the end of a lot tenancy to a list of causes. A resident who stays past the end of a term can be evicted for holding over, without any reason being given. What the act does is protect a home owner who accepted the offered one-year agreement, because the operator must offer another agreement at the end of each successive term, and it bars a refusal to renew that is retaliation for a code complaint, a maintenance complaint or organizing with other residents. Section 4781.37 lists the grounds on which the operator may bring a possession action notwithstanding the retaliation rule, but it is not the only route to possession. Ohio Rev. Code § 1923.02 (A)(1); Ohio Rev. Code § 4781.37 (A); Ohio Rev. Code § 4781.40 (A)(2); Ohio Rev. Code § 4781.36 (A)
Grounds for termination
  • Default in the payment of rent.
  • A building, housing, health or safety code violation the resident complained of that was primarily caused by the resident, a member of the resident's household or a person on the premises with the resident's consent.
  • Holding over after the end of the term.
  • Violation of the state park rules or of the park's own rules adopted under them.
  • Absence from the park for thirty consecutive days with the home or recreational vehicle left unoccupied, without notice to the park operator and without payment of rent.
  • A second material violation of park rules, state park rules or health and safety codes within six months of a written notice of the first.
These are the grounds Ohio names for a park operator to recover possession of a lot. The first five come from § 4781.37, which lets the operator sue notwithstanding the anti-retaliation rule; the sixth comes from the eviction chapter, which also lists breach of a written rental agreement. The list is not exclusive, because a resident holding over after a term ends may be evicted without any stated reason. Any of these routes still requires the three-day written notice to leave before the action is filed. 		Ohio Rev. Code § 4781.37 (A)(1)–(5); Ohio Rev. Code § 1923.02 (A)(1), (A)(9)–(12); Ohio Rev. Code § 4781.45
Notice for nonpayment of lot rent 3 days A park operator must give a resident three or more days' written notice to leave before filing for possession over unpaid rent. The notice goes by certified mail with return receipt requested, by hand to the resident, or by leaving it at the resident's usual place of abode or at the lot, and it must carry the statutory warning in a conspicuous form telling the resident that an eviction action may follow and that legal help is advisable. The same three-day notice applies to every ground for possession, and the act sets no grace period before a late fee may be charged and no statutory right to cure by paying within the notice. Ohio Rev. Code § 1923.04 (A); Ohio Rev. Code § 1923.02 (A)(2), (A)(10), (B); Ohio Rev. Code § 4781.37 (A)(1)
Notice for a rule or lease violation 30 days A material violation of the park rules or of health and safety codes gets a written notice and at least 30 days to fix it. The notice must describe the violation, say that the agreement ends on a stated date not less than 30 days after the notice is received unless the resident puts the violation right, say that the violation was material and that a second material violation within six months ends the agreement immediately, and set out the defenses the resident may raise. If the resident fixes the problem, by repair, by paying for the damage or otherwise, the agreement does not end. Ohio Rev. Code § 4781.45 (A)–(D)
Repeat-violation rule A second material violation of park rules, state park rules or health and safety codes within six months after a written notice of the first ends the rental agreement immediately, subject to three defenses. A second material violation within six months of a written notice ends the agreement at once. The first notice must have warned of this. The resident may still defend on the ground that the park rule is unreasonable, that the rule or code is not being enforced against other residents in the park, or that the two violations were not willful and not committed in bad faith. A resident put on notice of two such violations may be sued for possession under the eviction chapter. Ohio Rev. Code § 4781.45 (C), (D); Ohio Rev. Code § 1923.02 (A)(11)
Time to sell or remove the home after termination 14 days After an eviction the resident has 14 days from delivery of a written notice to get the home off the lot. The park operator may give that notice once an eviction judgment has been entered and the home has been left unoccupied on the lot for three days after the judgment. If the home is still there when the 14 days run out, the operator may go to the sale, title-transfer and disposal steps of the eviction chapter. Before any of that, the titled owner may take the home out of the park at any time up to the day before a scheduled sale or title transfer by paying the officer's costs, any outstanding tax liens and, unless indigent, unpaid court costs. Ohio Rev. Code § 1923.12 (A); Ohio Rev. Code § 1923.13 (B); Ohio Rev. Code § 1923.14 (B)(5)
Abandoned-home procedure Yes Ohio has a detailed procedure for a home left behind in a park. It starts with the 14-day notice to remove the home after an eviction judgment, then a writ of execution in a form the statute sets out. A home worth more than $3,000 goes to a sheriff's sale on notice to everyone with an interest in it, with the proceeds paying removal and storage costs, then tax liens, then other security interests, then any judgment for the park; a home worth $3,000 or less has its title transferred to the park free of liens. A lienholder may stop a sale by starting a repossession and paying the lot rent from the date of the writ. A purchaser at the sale has no right to keep the home in the park without the operator's consent, and buyers must be told so before bidding. Separately, the state division may contract with a local board of health to have an abandoned home that is a nuisance abated and removed at the operator's cost. Ohio Rev. Code § 1923.12 (A), (B); Ohio Rev. Code § 1923.14 (B)(2)–(B)(7); Ohio Rev. Code § 4781.56 (A)
Mediation or dispute-resolution requirement No state rule Ohio requires no mediation or other dispute resolution step before a park dispute goes to court. Disputes under the act are settled in court: a resident may sue for damages and attorney's fees, and a resident whose park has failed its maintenance duties may give written notice and then, if the problem is not fixed within a reasonable time or 30 days, whichever is sooner, deposit the rent with the clerk of court or ask the court to order the repair and reduce the rent meanwhile. The state division that licenses parks handles licensing and safety, not rent or lease disputes. Ohio Rev. Code § 4781.41 (A), (B); Ohio Rev. Code § 4781.46

E. Closure and change of use

Rule Ohio law Source
Notice before closure or change of use 6 months A home owner must be given at least 180 days, about six months, to leave when the park is sold for a use other than a manufactured home park. A resident who does not own the home on the lot gets at least 120 days. The notice must go to every tenant and owner by certified mail with return receipt requested or by hand against a signed receipt, and it must state both the sale of the park and the date by which the resident must leave, counted from receipt of the notice. Nothing triggers the notice unless the park is being sold for another use, so a sale that keeps the park running as a park requires none. Ohio Rev. Code § 4781.40 (A)(3); Ohio Adm. Code 4781-12-29 (B)
Variants (by trigger or park size)
  • Home owner: the resident owns the home on the lot: At least 180 days after receipt of the written notification (Delivered by certified mail with return receipt requested, or by hand against a signed receipt, stating the sale and the date to leave).
  • Tenant: the resident rents the lot but does not own the home on it: At least 120 days after receipt of the written notification (Same notice, same delivery, shorter period to leave).
The closure notice comes in two lengths depending on who owns the home. A home owner gets at least 180 days from receipt; a resident who does not own the home gets at least 120 days. Both are triggered only by a sale of the park for a use other than a manufactured home park, and both are delivered the same way. 		Ohio Rev. Code § 4781.40 (A)(3); Ohio Adm. Code 4781-12-29 (B)
Relocation payment required No state rule Ohio requires no relocation payment when a park closes. The change-of-use provision gives residents time to leave and nothing more, and there is no state relocation fund for displaced park residents. Moving costs fall on the resident, subject to the separate rule that a park operator may not charge a fee for a home leaving the park beyond the operator's own actual costs. Ohio Rev. Code § 4781.40 (A)(3), (H)(5)
Relocation amounts No state rule No relocation amounts are set because Ohio requires no relocation payment. The change-of-use provision sets only the periods to leave, 180 days for a home owner and 120 days for a tenant, and names no sum. Ohio Rev. Code § 4781.40 (A)(3)
Who pays relocation None required Nobody is required to pay relocation costs on a park closure in Ohio. There is no park owner obligation and no state fund. The only money rule attached to a home leaving a park is that the park operator may not charge for the move beyond its own actual costs. Ohio Rev. Code § 4781.40 (A)(3), (H)(5)
Notice to a government body on closure No state rule A park operator need not tell any government body that a park is closing. The change-of-use notice runs to residents only. The state division learns of a closure indirectly, because a park license lasts no more than a year, must be renewed each December, and cannot be transferred to a new operator when the park is sold. Ohio Rev. Code § 4781.40 (A)(3); Ohio Rev. Code § 4781.27 (A)(1), (A)(3)

F. Sale of the park

Rule Ohio law Source
Residents must be told the park is for sale Yes Residents must be told in writing when the park is sold for a use other than a manufactured home park. The notice goes to every tenant and owner by certified mail with return receipt requested or by hand against a signed receipt, and states the sale together with the date by which the resident must leave. A sale to another operator who will keep running the park triggers no notice at all; the buyer simply steps into the rental agreements its predecessor made. Ohio Rev. Code § 4781.40 (A)(2), (A)(3); Ohio Adm. Code 4781-12-29 (A), (B)
What triggers the notice Sale of the park for a use other than a manufactured home park; the notice must state the sale and the date by which the resident must leave. The notice is triggered by a sale of the park for another use, not by putting the park on the market. There is no duty to tell residents that the park is listed, that an offer has come in, or that a sale to another park operator is going ahead. The trigger and the notice to leave are the same event, so residents learn of the sale and of their deadline at once. Ohio Rev. Code § 4781.40 (A)(3); Ohio Adm. Code 4781-12-29 (B)
Residents' purchase right None required Ohio gives residents no right to buy the park. There is no right of first refusal, no opportunity to negotiate and no notice before the park is marketed or sold. The only sale duty is the notice on a sale for another use, and that notice arrives with a date to leave rather than a chance to make an offer. Ohio Rev. Code § 4781.40 (A)(2), (A)(3)
Time for residents to respond No state rule No response period exists because residents have no purchase right. The sale provision sets only the periods to leave after a sale for another use. Ohio Rev. Code § 4781.40 (A)(3)
Resident-association threshold No state rule Ohio sets no resident-association threshold. No provision recognizes a residents' association or homeowners' committee, and none sets a share of residents needed to act together on a purchase. Residents are free to organize, and the act protects them from retaliation for joining together to bargain with the park operator. Ohio Rev. Code § 4781.36 (A)(3); Ohio Rev. Code § 4781.40 (A)(3)
Transfers exempt from the sale rules No state rule No transfers are carved out, because Ohio has no purchase-right rules to be exempt from. The one sale duty, the notice on a sale for a use other than a park, carries no exceptions of its own; a sale that keeps the park in operation simply does not trigger it. Ohio Rev. Code § 4781.40 (A)(2), (A)(3)
Residents may assign the right to a nonprofit or municipality No state rule There is no right to assign a purchase opportunity to a nonprofit or a local government, because Ohio gives residents no purchase right to assign. The act does bar a rental agreement term forcing a resident to sell, lease or sublet an interest in the agreement or in the home to a named person or through a named agent. Ohio Rev. Code § 4781.40 (A)(3), (J)
Penalty for violating the sale rules A resident may recover actual damages and, on obtaining a judgment, reasonable attorney's fees, or may end the rental agreement; a court finding that the operator violated § 4781.40 also counts as a rule violation, exposing the operator to a state fine of up to $1,000 per violation per day. Breaking the sale and rental agreement rules costs the park operator damages, fees and possibly a state fine. Section 4781.40(I) lets the resident recover actual damages, take reasonable attorney's fees on a judgment, or terminate the rental agreement. The park rule that mirrors § 4781.40 treats a court's finding of a violation as a violation of the rule, and the licensing division may then hold a hearing and impose a fine of up to $1,000 per violation per day, appealable to court. Ohio Rev. Code § 4781.40 (I); Ohio Adm. Code 4781-12-29 (J), (O); Ohio Rev. Code § 4781.121 (B)

G. The resident's home

Rule Ohio law Source
Right to sell the home in place Yes A home owner may sell the home where it stands after giving the park operator ten days' notice. The operator may not deny that right and may not require the home to be taken out of the park just because it has been sold. The operator also may not unreasonably refuse to enter into a rental agreement with the buyer, so a sale can carry the lot with it. Separate provisions bar a rental agreement term forcing the owner to sell through a named person and allow the owner to use a licensed manufactured housing dealer or broker or a licensed real estate agent. Ohio Rev. Code § 4781.40 (H)(1), (H)(2), (H)(3), (J), (M); Ohio Adm. Code 4781-12-29 (I)(1), (I)(2), (I)(3)
Park may not take a commission on the sale Yes A park operator may not take a cut of the sale price unless the owner chose it as the sales agent. The act bars a rental agreement that requires a home owner to pay the operator any fee or sum arising from the sale of the home as a condition of the tenancy, with the single exception of an owner who uses the operator or a person the operator names as the owner's sales agent. A separate clause bars any fee tied to a transfer of ownership beyond the operator's actual moving costs. Ohio Rev. Code § 4781.40 (K), (H)(5); Ohio Adm. Code 4781-12-29 (L)
Park may screen the buyer Yes A park operator may screen the buyer of a home, but may not unreasonably refuse. Section 4781.40(H)(3) bars the operator from unreasonably refusing to enter into a rental agreement with someone who buys a home inside the park, which leaves room for a refusal that is reasonable. A resident refused unreasonably may recover actual damages and reasonable attorney's fees on a judgment, or end the rental agreement. Ohio Rev. Code § 4781.40 (H)(3), (I); Ohio Adm. Code 4781-12-29 (I)(3)
Buyer-approval standard and deadline The park operator may not unreasonably refuse to enter into a rental agreement with a person who buys a home located in the park; Ohio sets no deadline for the decision and no list of permitted grounds. The standard is that a refusal must not be unreasonable. Ohio gives the operator no deadline to decide, requires no written reasons and lists no approved screening criteria, so the reasonableness of a refusal is settled case by case in court. Any park rule governing the sale or the buyer must itself be reasonable and not arbitrary or capricious, and must have been delivered to the resident and posted in the park to be enforceable. Ohio Rev. Code § 4781.40 (H)(3), (C)(1); Ohio Adm. Code 4781-12-23 (C)
Home may not be rejected for age, size or style alone Yes A park operator may not make a home leave the park just because it has been sold. Section 4781.40(H)(2) bars requiring removal of the home solely on the basis of the sale, and it carries no exception for the home's age, size or style. The act does not otherwise speak to a park's right to set standards for homes moving in, but any such park rule must be reasonable and not arbitrary or capricious, and the operator may specify only the style or quality of skirting, tie-downs and similar equipment, which the owner may buy from any vendor. Ohio Rev. Code § 4781.40 (H)(2), (C)(1), (D); Ohio Adm. Code 4781-12-29 (I)(2), (E)
Park may require repairs before sale No state rule Ohio does not say whether a park may require repairs to a home before it is sold. Nothing in §§ 4781.36 to 4781.52 addresses pre-sale condition. What sits either side of the question is that a resident must keep the part of the premises the resident occupies safe and sanitary and follow the park rules, that park rules must be reasonable and not arbitrary or capricious, and that the park operator must keep the homes and facilities in the park in a condition satisfactory to the licensing division. Ohio Rev. Code § 4781.39 (A)(1), (A)(3); Ohio Rev. Code § 4781.40 (C)(1), (H); Ohio Rev. Code § 4781.57
Right to post a For Sale sign No state rule Ohio does not protect a For Sale sign on a home in a park. The rules provision that lists displays a park may not restrict covers flags only: the United States flag, the POW and MIA flag, the Ohio flag and service flags such as blue star and gold star banners, together with the flagpole and bracket arrangements for them. A sign rule is left to the park's own rules, which must be reasonable and not arbitrary or capricious and must have been delivered to the resident and posted in the park. Ohio Rev. Code § 4781.40 (C)(1), (C)(2); Ohio Adm. Code 4781-12-23 (A)–(C)

H. The eight federal lender protections — which ones Ohio law already requires

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac require eight tenant site lease protections in every manufactured housing community loan they buy. Where state law already requires a protection of every park, a resident has it whether or not the park has agency financing. Ohio law requires 3 of 8. All 50 states are compared in our research study, including the 2018 federal survey baseline.

ProtectionOhio lawBasis
One-year renewable lease term unless there is good cause for non-renewal Partly A park operator must offer every home owner a written lot agreement of one year or more, with terms matching any month-to-month alternative, and must repeat the offer at the end of each successive term (Ohio Rev. Code § 4781.40(A)(1)-(2)); the cause limb is missing, because a resident holding over after a term ends may be evicted without a stated reason (Ohio Rev. Code § 1923.02(A)(1)). (Ohio Rev. Code § 4781.40; Ohio Rev. Code § 1923.02)
30-day written notice of rent increases Required A park operator may not raise any disclosed fee, charge, assessment or rental fee without written notice specifying an effective date at least thirty days later, and may not raise any of them during the term of a rental agreement at all (Ohio Rev. Code § 4781.40(B)). (Ohio Rev. Code § 4781.40; Ohio Adm. Code 4781-12-29)
5-day grace period for rent payments and the right to cure defaults on rent payments Not required Both limbs are missing: Ohio sets no period after the due date in which a late fee may not be charged and the tenancy may not be ended, and no right to cure by paying within the notice. A park operator may sue for possession once the resident is in default (Ohio Rev. Code § 4781.37(A)(1)) after the three-day written notice to leave (Ohio Rev. Code § 1923.04(A)). The thirty-day cure right in Ohio Rev. Code § 4781.45 is for rule and code violations, not for rent. (Ohio Rev. Code § 4781.37; Ohio Rev. Code § 1923.04; Ohio Rev. Code § 4781.45)
Right to sell the manufactured home without having to first relocate it out of the community Required A park operator may not require the owner to remove the home from the park solely on the basis of the sale, and may not deny an owner the right to sell the home within the park on ten days' notice (Ohio Rev. Code § 4781.40(H)(1)-(2)). (Ohio Rev. Code § 4781.40; Ohio Adm. Code 4781-12-29)
Right to sell the manufactured home in place within 30 days after eviction by the community owner Partly The sell-in-place right runs before eviction, not after it: an owner may sell the home within the park on ten days' notice (Ohio Rev. Code § 4781.40(H)(1)). After an eviction judgment the resident has only fourteen days from delivery of the notice to get the home off the lot, short of the thirty-day standard, and the statutory writ form describes that notice as one to sell or remove (Ohio Rev. Code §§ 1923.12(A), 1923.13(B)). (Ohio Rev. Code § 4781.40; Ohio Rev. Code § 1923.12; Ohio Rev. Code § 1923.13)
Right to sublease or assign the pad site lease for the unexpired term to the new buyer of the home without unreasonable restraint Required A park operator may not unreasonably refuse to enter into a rental agreement with a person who buys a home located in the park, and may not require the home's removal because of the sale (Ohio Rev. Code § 4781.40(H)(2)-(3)). (Ohio Rev. Code § 4781.40; Ohio Adm. Code 4781-12-29)
Right to post "For Sale" signs that comply with the community's rules Not required No Ohio statute or binding rule protects a For Sale sign in a park. The one display provision covers flags only, listing the United States flag, the POW and MIA flag, the Ohio flag and service flags, and signs are left to the park's own rules (Ohio Rev. Code § 4781.40(C)(1)-(2)). (Ohio Rev. Code § 4781.40)
Right to receive at least 60 days' notice of a planned sale or closure of the community Partly The closure limb is met and the sale limb is missing. A sale of the park for a use other than a manufactured home park requires written notice with a date to leave at least 180 days later for a home owner and 120 days for a tenant (Ohio Rev. Code § 4781.40(A)(3)), but a sale that keeps the park in operation requires no notice to residents at all and no minimum period before the sale closes (Ohio Rev. Code § 4781.40(A)(2)). (Ohio Rev. Code § 4781.40; Ohio Adm. Code 4781-12-29)

Notes and caveats

Common questions: Ohio mobile home park law

Each answer is the verified value from the tables above, restated as a direct answer. Free to quote with a link to this page.

How much notice must an Ohio park give before raising lot rent?
30 days. A park operator must give at least 30 days' written notice before a lot rent or fee increase takes effect.
Is there a limit on how much lot rent can go up in Ohio?
Ohio sets no state rule on this. Ohio sets no ceiling on how much lot rent may rise.
Can an Ohio park owner end a lot tenancy without cause?
Yes — Ohio law does not require a cause. Ohio does not limit the end of a lot tenancy to a list of causes.
How much notice must an Ohio park give before closing or changing use?
6 months. A home owner must be given at least 180 days, about six months, to leave when the park is sold for a use other than a manufactured home park.
Does an Ohio park have to pay residents' relocation costs when it closes?
Ohio sets no state rule on this. Ohio requires no relocation payment when a park closes.
Do Ohio residents get a chance to buy the park when it is sold?
No — Ohio law gives residents no right to buy the park. Ohio gives residents no right to buy the park.
Can an Ohio resident sell the home in place without moving it out of the park?
Yes — an Ohio resident may sell the home in place. A home owner may sell the home where it stands after giving the park operator ten days' notice.

Cite this page: "Landlord Atlas, Ohio Mobile Home Park Laws (verified August 19, 2026), landlordatlas.com/laws/mobile-home-parks/ohio/" — free to cite and quote with a link (how these records are verified).

Citations

Every row above links the section it rests on. This topic covers all 50 states; the topic hub compares them side by side.