Wisconsin Mobile Home Park Laws
Wisconsin governs manufactured and mobile home community lot tenancies through one statute section, Wis. Stat. § 710.15, and a binding state rule, Wis. Admin. Code ch. ATCP 125: every site rental must be a written lease of at least one year, a tenancy may be ended or a renewal refused only on thirteen listed grounds, a rent increase or other substantial change takes at least 28 days' written notice and may take effect only at renewal, and the owner must give at least 90 days' written notice before permanently retiring the community or a site from the rental market.
Cited to Wis. Stat. § 710.15 and 4 more sources · Verified August 19, 2026
There is no cap on lot rent, no notice to residents when a community is sold and no right for residents to buy it. The state rule also bars entrance and exit fees, caps the lot deposit at two months' rent or $750, protects a For Sale sign and keeps the operator from refusing the buyer of a resident's home except on the statutory termination grounds — and a resident who loses money through a violation of it may sue for twice the loss plus costs and a reasonable attorney fee.
| Governing act | Manufactured and Mobile Home Community Regulations, with the Manufactured Home Communities — Fair Trade Practices rule — Wis. Stat. § 710.15 and Wis. Admin. Code ch. ATCP 125 |
|---|---|
| General law that also applies | Wisconsin's general landlord and tenant law, Wis. Stat. ch. 704, and the residential rental practices rule, Wis. Admin. Code ch. ATCP 134 |
| Federal lender protections already required by state law | 4 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 Wisconsin 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 | Wisconsin law | Source |
|---|---|---|
| State agency with a role in park tenancies | The Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, which issues and enforces the ATCP 125 community rule, and the Department of Safety and Professional Services, which permits communities Two state agencies have a role in Wisconsin community tenancies. The Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection adopted ch. ATCP 125 under s. 100.20(2) and enforces it, and a resident who loses money because of a violation may sue the operator directly under s. 100.20(5). The Department of Safety and Professional Services licenses and permits manufactured home communities and inspects them on construction, on modification and on complaint under s. 101.935. Neither agency sets lot rent or decides rent disputes. | Wis. Admin. Code ch. ATCP 125 chapter note; Wis. Stat. § 100.20 (2), (5); Wis. Stat. § 101.935 (1), (2)(a), (2m) |
| Resident may sue under the act | Yes A resident may sue over a violation of the state community rule. Under s. 100.20(5) a person who suffers a monetary loss because of a violation of an order issued under s. 100.20 — which includes ch. ATCP 125 — may sue in any court of competent jurisdiction and recovers twice the amount of the loss, together with costs and a reasonable attorney fee. Section 710.15 itself creates no separate remedy of its own; the court of appeals has held that claims of improper termination are governed exclusively by s. 710.15(5m). | Wis. Stat. § 100.20 (5); Wis. Admin. Code ch. ATCP 125 chapter note |
| Minimum park size for the act to apply (lots) | 3 lots The statute reaches a community of three or more homes. Section 710.15(1)(ad) defines a community as any plot or plots of ground on which three or more mobile or manufactured homes occupied for dwelling or sleeping purposes are located, and excludes a farm where the occupants work on the farm or are family members of the farm owner. The ATCP 125 rule uses a lower line: a manufactured home community there is any tract of land containing two or more sites. | Wis. Stat. § 710.15 (1)(ad); Wis. Admin. Code § ATCP 125.01 (2) |
| Other size thresholds that switch rules on |
| Wis. Admin. Code § ATCP 125.01 (2); Wis. Stat. § 710.15 (1)(ad) |
| Park-owned rental homes | Ordinary landlord-tenant law applies Renting a home the community owns falls outside these rules. Section 710.15(1)(f) defines a resident as a person who rents a site from an operator and owns the home located on it, and s. 710.15(6) provides that a person who is not a resident or occupant and who rents a home in a community from a resident or an operator is subject to ch. 704. The ATCP 125 definition of a site likewise excludes a plot of land rented for a home that is owned by the operator and occupied as a residence. | Wis. Stat. § 710.15 (6); Wis. Stat. § 710.15 (1)(f); Wis. Admin. Code § ATCP 125.01 (7)(b) |
| RVs and park-model homes | Excluded Recreational vehicles are outside these rules. Section 710.15(1)(b) defines a mobile home by reference to s. 101.91(10) but expressly does not include a recreational vehicle, and the ATCP 125 definition of a manufactured home excludes a unit used primarily for camping, touring or recreational purposes. ATCP 125 also drops from its definition of a site any plot occupied on a strictly seasonal basis, so seasonal spaces are outside the rule whatever sits on them. | Wis. Stat. § 710.15 (1)(b); Wis. Admin. Code § ATCP 125.01 (1s)(b), (7)(a) |
| Local rent regulation of park lots | No statute addresses local regulation of lot rents No Wisconsin statute addresses local regulation of community lot rents either way. The general municipal rent-control ban in s. 66.1015(1) says that no city, village, town or county may regulate the amount of rent or fees charged for the use of a residential rental dwelling unit; the section does not define that phrase and does not mention a rented lot or a manufactured home community. Section 66.0435 lets a municipality license communities, set reasonable standards by ordinance, limit the number of units and collect a monthly municipal permit fee, and says nothing about the rent an operator charges. | Wis. Stat. § 66.1015 (1); Wis. Stat. § 66.0435 (2) |
B. Lot rent, fees and utilities
| Rule | Wisconsin law | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Notice before a lot-rent increase | 28 days A lot-rent increase takes at least 28 days' written notice. Under ATCP 125.05(1), a change or increase in rent or fees, or any other substantial change in the terms or conditions of tenancy, may be made only in connection with the renewal of a rental agreement, and a copy of the proposed new agreement or of the amendments must be furnished to the resident in writing at least 28 days before it is to take effect, with every change specifically brought to the resident's attention. Where a lease of three years or more sets rent by a formula tied to the consumer price index, the operator must instead give at least 60 calendar days' written notice of the new dollar amount. | Wis. Admin. Code § ATCP 125.05 (1); Wis. Admin. Code § ATCP 125.03 (5)(c) |
| How often rent may be raised | Rent may be raised only at the renewal of the rental agreement, and every agreement must run for at least one year, so in practice once a year Lot rent cannot go up during the term of the lease. ATCP 125.03(4) provides that rent and other charges under the rental agreement may not be increased during its term, and ATCP 125.03(2) requires the initial and each succeeding agreement to run for at least one year unless the resident asks in writing for a shorter term and the operator agrees. Three items are carved out of the freeze: municipal permit, recycling, waste hauling and similar fees assessed by local government; utility charges delivered and billed directly to the resident by a public utility or other outside source; and operator-billed utility charges raised only to pass through an increase from the supplier. | Wis. Admin. Code § ATCP 125.03 (4), (2) |
| Statewide limit on lot-rent increases | No state rule Wisconsin sets no ceiling on how far lot rent may rise. Neither s. 710.15 nor ch. ATCP 125 limits the size of an increase; the rules govern only its timing, its notice and the form of the agreement that carries it. A 2026 bill would have limited lot-rent increases and added other community regulation, but it failed to pass at the close of the session. | Wis. Admin. Code § ATCP 125.05 (1); Wis. Stat. § 710.15 |
| How a resident can challenge an increase | Residents may require the operator to meet with them about a proposed increase, and a resident who loses money through a violation of the state rule may sue for twice the loss plus costs and a reasonable attorney fee There is no rent board and no hearing, but two routes exist. ATCP 125.05(1) requires the operator or a representative of the operator to meet with residents, or with any group of residents, on proposed changes at their request. Separately, a resident who suffers a monetary loss because of a violation of ch. ATCP 125 — an increase imposed during the term, for instance, or on less than 28 days' notice — may sue under s. 100.20(5) and recover twice the loss together with costs and a reasonable attorney fee. | Wis. Admin. Code § ATCP 125.05 (1); Wis. Stat. § 100.20 (5) |
| Entrance fee prohibited | Yes An operator may not charge a fee for letting a home come into the community. ATCP 125.04(1) bars any entrance fee or exit fee in return for allowing the movement of a manufactured home into or out of a community. Three things are not treated as such a fee: periodic rent under the agreement; a security deposit within the rule's limit; and the operator's own material and labor costs of moving, installing, removing or connecting or disconnecting utilities, where the charge or the basis for calculating it is clearly set out in the rental agreement. | Wis. Admin. Code § ATCP 125.04 (1) |
| Exit or removal fee prohibited | Yes An operator may not charge a fee for letting a home leave the community. ATCP 125.04(1) covers movement out as well as in, subject to the same three carve-outs for rent, a security deposit within the limit and the operator's actual moving, installation and utility costs. ATCP 125.08(3) adds a second rule for the end of a tenancy: no operator may solicit or receive any payment or other thing of value, except normal rental payments, in return for permitting a resident to leave the home in the community after the tenancy ends. | Wis. Admin. Code § ATCP 125.04 (1); Wis. Admin. Code § ATCP 125.08 (3) |
| Undisclosed fees uncollectible | No state rule No Wisconsin rule says an undisclosed charge cannot be collected. ATCP 125.03(1) does require the written rental agreement to conspicuously set forth all terms and conditions affecting the rental of the site, including the amount of every security deposit, installation charge and other charge not included in the rent, and ATCP 125.09(2) bars an operator from imposing any term, condition or rule the operator knows or reasonably ought to know conflicts with the chapter. Neither states the consequence as uncollectibility; the resident's remedy for a charge imposed in breach of those rules is the double-damages action under s. 100.20(5). | Wis. Admin. Code § ATCP 125.03 (1); Wis. Admin. Code § ATCP 125.09 (2) |
| Utility billing rules | Utility charges billed through the operator's own facilities must follow the amount used, be invoiced in writing showing both the charge and the usage, be set out in the rental agreement, and stay competitive with local retail prices Operator-billed utilities are regulated in detail. ATCP 125.04(3)(a) requires charges for a utility service provided through the operator's facilities, where not included in the rent, to be based on the amount of the service used, with the charge or the method of computing it stated in the rental agreement; (c) requires periodic written invoices specifying both the charge and the amount of service used; and (d) requires the charges to be competitive with retail prices charged for the same or equivalent service by public utilities or other local sources, and bars any extra charge where a utility is supplied to the resident directly by an outside source. Electronic communications service may be billed as a uniform charge to subscribing residents, but the operator may not limit a resident's access to an outside provider. Utility service here means electricity and natural gas, liquefied petroleum gas other than in portable containers, fuel oil through a permanent central system, and electronic communications service. | Wis. Admin. Code § ATCP 125.04 (3)(a)-(d); Wis. Admin. Code § ATCP 125.01 (10) |
| Submetering required or regulated | Yes A utility billed through the operator's own system must be charged by the amount the resident uses. ATCP 125.04(3)(a) requires charges for a utility service provided through the operator's facilities, where not included in the rent, to be based on the amount of the service used by residents, and (c) requires those charges to be invoiced periodically in writing, specifying both the charge and the amount of service used. The rule does not order an operator to install meters, and electronic communications service may be billed as a uniform charge, but where the operator bills separately for a metered utility the billing must follow usage. | Wis. Admin. Code § ATCP 125.04 (3)(a), (3)(c) |
| Lot security deposit rules | A lot security deposit may not exceed two months' rent or $750, whichever is less, and counts every payment held as security plus any rent prepaid beyond one month The lot deposit is capped in dollars. ATCP 125.04(1)(b) permits a security deposit only up to the amount of two months' rent or $750, whichever is less, and ATCP 125.01(6) counts as a security deposit the total of all payments and deposits given as security for the resident's obligations, including all rent payments in excess of one month's prepaid rent. Its amount must be stated in the written rental agreement under ATCP 125.03(1)(b). A note published with ch. ATCP 125 states that landlord-tenant relationships in manufactured home communities are also subject to ch. ATCP 134, under which a deposit must be delivered or mailed back, less amounts the rule allows to be withheld, within 21 days. | Wis. Admin. Code § ATCP 125.04 (1)(b); Wis. Admin. Code § ATCP 125.01 (6); Wis. Admin. Code § ATCP 134.06 (2) |
C. Lease, rules and disclosure
| Rule | Wisconsin law | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Written lease | Required Every site rental must be in writing. Section 710.15(1m) provides that every agreement for the rental of a site shall be by lease, and ATCP 125.03(1) requires every rental agreement to be in writing with a copy furnished to the resident when it is executed — or, where the home is bought from or through the operator, before the resident signs the home purchase contract. Refusing to sign a lease or to submit a signed lease to the operator is itself a ground for ending the tenancy. | Wis. Stat. § 710.15 (1m); Wis. Admin. Code § ATCP 125.03 (1); Wis. Stat. § 710.15 (5m)(i) |
| Minimum lease term that must be offered | 12 months Every lease must run for at least one year. Section 710.15(1m) requires a term of at least one year unless the resident or occupant requests a shorter term and the operator agrees, and allows the operator to hold a resident month to month only where the resident fails to sign and return a lease or a lease renewal. ATCP 125.03(2) states the same floor for the initial and each succeeding agreement, requires the shorter-term request to be in writing, and lets the resident pay in equal monthly installments under any term of two months or more. | Wis. Stat. § 710.15 (1m); Wis. Admin. Code § ATCP 125.03 (2) |
| Notice to end a tenancy without cause | No state rule There is no notice period for ending a lot tenancy without cause, because there is no route to do so. Section 710.15(5m) provides that notwithstanding ss. 704.17 and 704.19 the tenancy of a resident or occupant may not be terminated, nor may the renewal of the lease be denied, except on one of the grounds it lists. The 28 days' notice that ends an ordinary month-to-month tenancy under s. 704.19(3) therefore does not reach a community lot tenancy. | Wis. Stat. § 710.15 (5m) (introduction); Wis. Stat. § 704.19 (3) |
| Notice before park rules change | 28 days Changing community rules takes at least 28 days' written notice. ATCP 125.05(3) lets an operator change or create general community rules during a tenancy only if all residents are given at least 28 days' prior written notice and an opportunity to meet with the operator or a representative before the change takes effect. ATCP 125.05(2) bars any change during the term to rules that substantially affect rights or duties, and names among them rules on skirting, weatherproofing and sheds, occupancy limits by number or age, vehicle parking, overnight guests, pets, home repair, site maintenance and outdoor antennas or satellite dishes. Section 710.15(2) requires all rules that substantially affect rights or duties to be made part of every lease. | Wis. Admin. Code § ATCP 125.05 (3), (2); Wis. Stat. § 710.15 (2) |
| Disclosure document | Written rules and terms must be given The written lease itself carries the required disclosures. ATCP 125.03(1) lists what it must contain: the rent in dollars for each rent-paying period and everything included in it; every security deposit, installation charge and other charge not in the rent, including operator-billed utilities and the rate or method of computing them; the community rules, included in or attached to the agreement, with a copy supplied; the approximate size and location of the site; the monthly municipal permit fee and any local waste hauling or recycling fees, approximated if not known; notice that the operator reserves the right to screen a purchaser of the home; and whether the community contains an emergency shelter, with its location and use procedures. Section 710.15(2m) requires the emergency shelter statement in every lease. There is no separate state-prescribed disclosure form. | Wis. Admin. Code § ATCP 125.03 (1)(a)-(h); Wis. Stat. § 710.15 (2m) |
| Residents' right to meet and organize | Yes Residents may organize, and the operator must meet with them about proposed changes. ATCP 125.08(2)(b) bars an operator from terminating a rental agreement, or refusing to renew or to enter a new one, because the resident is a member of a tenants' union or association. ATCP 125.05(1) and (3) require the operator or a representative to meet with residents, or with any group of residents, on a proposed change in terms or in community rules at their request. The rules do not go further — nothing gives residents a right to use community facilities for their own meetings or to canvass in the community. | Wis. Admin. Code § ATCP 125.08 (2)(b); Wis. Admin. Code § ATCP 125.05 (1), (3) |
| Owner entry onto the lot or into the home | An operator may not enter a resident's home without the resident's permission and reasonable prior notice, except in an emergency or to protect the home or the community when the resident cannot be reached Entry into the home needs permission and notice. ATCP 125.09(4) bars an operator from entering a resident's manufactured home without the resident's permission and reasonable prior notice, and lifts that only where the resident cannot be contacted and the operator reasonably believes entry is necessary because of an emergency or to preserve and protect the home or the community. The rule fixes no number of hours, and it speaks to the home rather than to the lot around it. Section 704.05(2) separately lets a landlord inspect on advance notice at reasonable times. | Wis. Admin. Code § ATCP 125.09 (4); Wis. Stat. § 704.05 (2) |
| Retaliation prohibited | Yes An operator may not end a tenancy because the resident complained. ATCP 125.08(2)(a) bars terminating a rental agreement, or refusing on expiration to renew or to enter a new one, because the resident reported a violation by the operator of ch. ATCP 125 or of any other law to a governmental authority or filed suit alleging one; paragraph (b) covers membership of a tenants' union or association, and (c) bars ending a tenancy so the operator can give the site to a buyer of the operator's own home. Section 704.45 separately bars a residential landlord from raising rent, cutting services, bringing an action for possession, refusing to renew or threatening any of those in retaliation for a good-faith complaint or for exercising a legal right relating to residential tenancies. | Wis. Admin. Code § ATCP 125.08 (2)(a)-(c); Wis. Stat. § 704.45 (1) |
D. Termination and eviction
| Rule | Wisconsin law | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Just cause required to end a tenancy | Yes A community tenancy may be ended only on a ground the statute lists. Section 710.15(5m) provides that notwithstanding ss. 704.17 and 704.19 the tenancy of a resident or occupant in a community may not be terminated, nor may the renewal of the lease be denied by the community operator, except on one of thirteen listed grounds. The last of them is other good cause, so the list is open-ended at the end, and ATCP 125.08(1) requires the operator to give written notice setting forth the reason whenever it terminates or refuses to renew. | Wis. Stat. § 710.15 (5m); Wis. Admin. Code § ATCP 125.08 (1) |
| Grounds for termination |
| Wis. Stat. § 710.15 (5m)(a)-(k); Wis. Stat. § 710.15 (5t); 2025 Wisconsin Act 67 |
| Notice for nonpayment of lot rent | 5 days Nonpayment carries a 5-day notice to pay or vacate. Section 710.15(5r) applies the notice requirements of s. 704.17(1p)(a), (2)(a) and (3) to a termination on the nonpayment ground. Under s. 704.17(2)(a), which governs a lease of one year or less and a year-to-year tenancy, the notice must require the resident to pay rent or vacate on or before a date at least 5 days after it is given, so the resident may pay and stay. Where a resident already received such a notice and again fails to pay within one year, the second notice requires the resident to vacate on or before a date at least 14 days after it is given, with no right to pay and stay. A lease of more than one year instead carries the 30-day notice in s. 704.17(3). | Wis. Stat. § 710.15 (5r); Wis. Stat. § 704.17 (2)(a); Wis. Stat. § 704.17 (3) |
| Notice for a rule or lease violation | 5 days A breach other than nonpayment carries a 5-day notice to remedy or vacate. Section 710.15(5r) applies the notice requirements of s. 704.17(1p)(b), (2)(b) and (3) to a termination on any ground other than nonpayment. Under s. 704.17(2)(b) the notice must require the resident to remedy the default or vacate on or before a date at least 5 days after it is given, and a resident who takes reasonable steps to remedy has complied. Two of the grounds — violating community rules in a way that endangers health or safety or disrupts others' peaceful enjoyment, and violating a law relating to mobile or manufactured homes — also require a separate written notice to cease the violation before the tenancy may be ended at all. | Wis. Stat. § 710.15 (5r); Wis. Stat. § 704.17 (2)(b); Wis. Stat. § 710.15 (5m)(e), (em) |
| Repeat-violation rule | A second nonpayment, or a second breach or act of waste, within one year of the first notice ends the tenancy on 14 days' notice with no right to cure A repeat within twelve months removes the cure right. Under s. 704.17(2)(a), where a resident paid or was permitted to remain after a 5-day nonpayment notice and again fails to pay rent within one year of that notice, the operator may end the tenancy by a notice requiring the resident to vacate on or before a date at least 14 days after it is given. Section 704.17(2)(b) works the same way for other breaches and for waste: a second breach within one year of the first notice carries a 14-day notice to vacate that offers no opportunity to remedy. | Wis. Stat. § 704.17 (2)(a), (2)(b) |
| Time to sell or remove the home after termination | No state rule Wisconsin sets no period after a termination in which the resident may sell or remove the home. Neither s. 710.15 nor ch. ATCP 125 gives such a window, and neither says what happens to a home still on the site when the tenancy ends. Two nearby rules help: ATCP 125.08(3) bars an operator from soliciting or receiving any payment other than normal rent in return for permitting a resident to leave the home in the community after the tenancy ends, and s. 710.15(4) bars requiring removal because ownership or occupancy has changed. | Wis. Admin. Code § ATCP 125.08 (3); Wis. Stat. § 710.15 (4) |
| Abandoned-home procedure | Yes A home left behind cannot simply be disposed of. Section 704.05(5)(b), which names manufactured homes, mobile homes and titled vehicles expressly, requires the landlord to give notice of an intent to dispose of the property by sale or other appropriate means — to the tenant personally or by regular or certified mail at the tenant's last-known address, and to any secured party of which the landlord has actual notice — before disposing of it. The subsection fixes no waiting period after the notice. This is the general landlord-tenant rule; s. 710.15 and ch. ATCP 125 add nothing on abandonment. | Wis. Stat. § 704.05 (5)(b) |
| Mediation or dispute-resolution requirement | No state rule No mediation or dispute-resolution step is required before an eviction or a rent increase. Section 710.15 creates no program and names no board, and ch. ATCP 125 sets up no hearing. The nearest thing is the meeting right in ATCP 125.05(1) and (3): the operator or a representative must meet with residents, or with any group of residents, on a proposed change in rental terms or in community rules at their request. Disputes otherwise go to circuit court, where a resident may use the double-damages action in s. 100.20(5). | Wis. Admin. Code § ATCP 125.05 (1), (3); Wis. Stat. § 710.15 |
E. Closure and change of use
| Rule | Wisconsin law | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Notice before closure or change of use | 3 months Closing a community, or retiring a single site, takes at least 90 days' written notice — three months. Section 710.15(5r) requires the community owner or operator to provide at least 90 days' written notice to all known residents and occupants before permanently retiring the community or a site from the rental housing market. That retirement is itself ground (f) for ending a tenancy under s. 710.15(5m). A discontinuance forced by local or state building or health authorities is the separate ground (g) and carries no 90-day period of its own. | Wis. Stat. § 710.15 (5r); Wis. Stat. § 710.15 (5m)(f), (g) |
| Variants (by trigger or park size) |
| Wis. Stat. § 710.15 (5r); Wis. Stat. § 710.15 (5m)(f), (g) |
| Relocation payment required | No state rule No one owes a resident money to move when a community closes. Section 710.15(5r) requires only the 90 days' written notice before the community or a site is permanently retired from the rental housing market, and says nothing about cost. ATCP 125.07, the rule that governs relocating a home, reaches only a move within the community: a resident may not be made to relocate during the term of the agreement, or to bear the cost of a required relocation under a new or renewal agreement, except in an emergency or where the resident has breached the agreement. Wisconsin has no relocation fund for residents of a closing community. | Wis. Stat. § 710.15 (5r); Wis. Admin. Code § ATCP 125.07 (1), (2) |
| Relocation amounts | No state rule No amounts are set, because no relocation payment is required on a closure. Section 710.15(5r) provides notice only, and ATCP 125.07 addresses who bears the cost of a move within the community rather than a payment to a resident who must leave. There is no state fund and no published figure. | Wis. Stat. § 710.15 (5r); Wis. Admin. Code § ATCP 125.07 (1) |
| Who pays relocation | None required No one is made to pay a resident's relocation costs on a closure. Neither s. 710.15 nor ch. ATCP 125 puts the cost of moving a home out of a closing community on the operator, and Wisconsin has no state fund for it. The only cost rule is ATCP 125.07(1), which keeps a resident from being charged for a relocation within the same community. | Wis. Stat. § 710.15 (5r); Wis. Admin. Code § ATCP 125.07 (1) |
| Notice to a government body on closure | No state rule A community owner need not tell any government body that it is closing. Section 710.15(5r) requires the 90 days' written notice to go to all known residents and occupants, and names no municipality, county or state agency. A municipality that licenses the community under s. 66.0435 will learn of a closure through the license, and the Department of Safety and Professional Services holds the operating permit under s. 101.935, but no statute requires a closure notice to either. | Wis. Stat. § 710.15 (5r); Wis. Stat. § 66.0435 (2) |
F. Sale of the park
| Rule | Wisconsin law | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Residents must be told the park is for sale | No state rule Residents have no right to be told the community is for sale. Neither s. 710.15 nor ch. ATCP 125 requires notice of a sale or other transfer of the community, and no other Wisconsin statute supplies one. A 2026 bill would have created a resident right to purchase, with low-interest loans and tax incentives for owners who sell that way; it failed to pass at the close of the session. | Wis. Stat. § 710.15; Wis. Admin. Code ch. ATCP 125 |
| What triggers the notice | No state rule Nothing triggers a notice to residents, because no sale notice is required. Section 710.15 addresses the lease, the termination grounds and the closure notice, and ch. ATCP 125 addresses trade practices between operator and resident; neither mentions the sale or transfer of the community itself. | Wis. Stat. § 710.15; Wis. Admin. Code ch. ATCP 125 |
| Residents' purchase right | None required Wisconsin residents have no statutory right to buy the community. There is no right of first refusal, no opportunity-to-negotiate period and no notice of an intended sale in s. 710.15 or ch. ATCP 125. Residents may of course buy a community by agreement with the owner, and 2026 bills proposed a purchase right backed by low-interest loans and tax incentives, but those bills failed to pass. | Wis. Stat. § 710.15; Wis. Admin. Code ch. ATCP 125 |
| Time for residents to respond | No state rule There is no response window, because there is no purchase right and no sale notice. Section 710.15 and ch. ATCP 125 give residents no period in which to make an offer for the community. | Wis. Stat. § 710.15 |
| Resident-association threshold | No state rule No share of residents unlocks anything, because Wisconsin has no purchase right to unlock. Section 710.15 and ch. ATCP 125 set no threshold for forming a resident association and give an association no statutory role. ATCP 125.08(2)(b) does protect a resident who belongs to a tenants' union or association from having the tenancy ended for that reason. | Wis. Stat. § 710.15; Wis. Admin. Code § ATCP 125.08 (2)(b) |
| Transfers exempt from the sale rules | No state rule No transfers are exempt, because no transfer of the community triggers a duty. Section 710.15 and ch. ATCP 125 contain no sale rules and therefore no list of exempt transfers such as foreclosures, family transfers or transfers between related entities. | Wis. Stat. § 710.15; Wis. Admin. Code ch. ATCP 125 |
| Residents may assign the right to a nonprofit or municipality | No state rule Residents have no statutory right to hand a purchase opportunity to a nonprofit or a municipality, because they have no purchase right to assign. Section 710.15 and ch. ATCP 125 say nothing about it. The 2026 bill that would have created a right to purchase also proposed a route to a resident cooperative or an approved nonprofit; it failed to pass. | Wis. Stat. § 710.15 |
| Penalty for violating the sale rules | No state rule There is no penalty for breaking the sale rules, because Wisconsin has none. Where an operator breaks the rules it does have, a resident who suffers a monetary loss may sue under s. 100.20(5) and recover twice the loss together with costs and a reasonable attorney fee, and the note published with ch. ATCP 125 states that violations may also be prosecuted under ss. 100.20(6) and 100.26(3) or (6). | Wis. Stat. § 100.20 (5); Wis. Admin. Code ch. ATCP 125 chapter note |
G. The resident's home
| Rule | Wisconsin law | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Right to sell the home in place | Yes A resident may sell the home where it stands. Section 710.15(4) bars an operator from requiring the removal of a home from a community solely or in any part because the ownership or occupancy of the home has changed or will change — wording broad enough to catch a partial motive. ATCP 125.06(1)(a) bars the operator from requiring the resident to name the operator or the operator's nominee as sales agent, and from unreasonably restricting the sale of the home by the resident or an agent of the resident's own choosing; (d) bars refusing to rent the site to the purchaser except for a reason specified in s. 710.15(5m). | Wis. Stat. § 710.15 (4); Wis. Admin. Code § ATCP 125.06 (1)(a), (1)(d) |
| Park may not take a commission on the sale | Yes An operator may not take a cut of the sale. ATCP 125.06(1)(b) bars an operator from soliciting or receiving any payment or other thing of value as a condition of the assignment or sublease of a rental agreement, or as a condition of the transfer of tenancy to a buyer of the resident's home; (a) bars requiring the resident to designate the operator or a person named by the operator as sales agent. ATCP 125.02(4) separately bars an operator from taking a payment from the seller of a home in return for agreeing to rent a site to its purchaser. | Wis. Admin. Code § ATCP 125.06 (1)(a), (1)(b); Wis. Admin. Code § ATCP 125.02 (4) |
| Park may screen the buyer | Yes An operator may screen the buyer of a resident's home. Section 710.15(4m) states that the bans on requiring removal create no interest in real estate and do not prohibit the lawful screening of prospective residents and occupants, and ATCP 125.06(2) says the same for the sale rule. ATCP 125.03(1)(f) requires the lease itself to carry notice that the operator reserves the right to screen a purchaser before renting a site to the purchaser, subject to s. 710.15. | Wis. Stat. § 710.15 (4m); Wis. Admin. Code § ATCP 125.06 (2); Wis. Admin. Code § ATCP 125.03 (1)(f) |
| Buyer-approval standard and deadline | The operator may screen a purchaser but may refuse to rent the site to the buyer only for one of the grounds listed in s. 710.15(5m); no deadline for the decision is set Refusal is limited to the statutory grounds. ATCP 125.06(1)(d) bars an operator from refusing to rent a site to the purchaser of a resident's home except for a reason specified under s. 710.15(5m), while leaving the screening of prospective residents in place. Among those grounds is material misrepresentation in the application for tenancy or failure to meet any nondiscriminatory application criteria, so a buyer may be turned away on criteria applied to everyone. Neither the statute nor the rule sets a deadline for the operator to decide or requires the decision to be given in writing. | Wis. Admin. Code § ATCP 125.06 (1)(d); Wis. Stat. § 710.15 (5m)(j) |
| Home may not be rejected for age, size or style alone | Yes A home may not be turned away for its age. Section 710.15(3)(a) bars an operator from denying a resident or occupant the opportunity to enter into or renew a lease, and from including, excluding or altering any of its terms, solely or in any part on the basis of the age of the home; (b) bars requiring removal of the home on that basis, whether or not ownership or occupancy is changing. The statute names age only — size and style are not mentioned — and a home whose physical condition threatens health or safety, or whose physical appearance disrupts others' enjoyment of the community, remains a separate ground for ending a tenancy. | Wis. Stat. § 710.15 (3)(a), (3)(b); Wis. Stat. § 710.15 (5m)(h) |
| Park may require repairs before sale | No state rule No rule says whether an operator may require repairs to the home before a sale. Section 710.15 and ch. ATCP 125 do not address pre-sale repairs or upgrades either way. What does limit an operator is ATCP 125.06(1)(a), which bars unreasonably restricting the sale, and s. 710.15(3), which bars conditions based on the home's age; ATCP 125.09(3) bars requiring a resident to make permanent improvements to the community or its facilities but says nothing about the home itself. | Wis. Admin. Code § ATCP 125.06 (1)(a); Wis. Admin. Code § ATCP 125.09 (3); Wis. Stat. § 710.15 (3) |
| Right to post a For Sale sign | Yes A resident may post a For Sale sign. ATCP 125.06(1)(e) bars an operator from limiting a resident's ability to post, on the home or on the site where it stands, a For Sale sign or other advertisement announcing the resident's offer to sell, unless the limitation is applied uniformly to every person who sells or offers to sell a home on site in the community — the operator and any dealer included. The protection works as a uniformity rule rather than as a fixed allowance for sign size or placement. | Wis. Admin. Code § ATCP 125.06 (1)(e) |
H. The eight federal lender protections — which ones Wisconsin 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. Wisconsin law requires 4 of 8. All 50 states are compared in our research study, including the 2018 federal survey baseline.
| Protection | Wisconsin law | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| One-year renewable lease term unless there is good cause for non-renewal | Required | Both limbs are met: every site rental must be by lease for a term of at least one year unless the resident asks for a shorter one, and a tenancy may not be terminated, nor renewal denied, except on the grounds the statute lists. (Wis. Stat. § 710.15; Wis. Stat. § 710.15; Wis. Admin. Code § ATCP 125.03) |
| 30-day written notice of rent increases | Not required | Wisconsin requires at least 28 days' written notice of a rent increase at renewal, which is short of the 30-day standard; the one 60-day notice applies only to a consumer price index adjustment under a lease of three years or more. (Wis. Admin. Code § ATCP 125.05; Wis. Admin. Code § ATCP 125.03) |
| 5-day grace period for rent payments and the right to cure defaults on rent payments | Partly | The cure limb is met and the grace limb is missing: a nonpayment termination requires a notice letting the resident pay on or before a date at least 5 days after it is given, but no Wisconsin statute or rule bars a late fee, or bars ending the tenancy, during any grace period after the due date. (Wis. Stat. § 710.15; Wis. Stat. § 704.17) |
| Right to sell the manufactured home without having to first relocate it out of the community | Required | The statute bars an operator from requiring the removal of a home from the community solely or in any part because ownership or occupancy has changed or will change, and the state rule bars unreasonable restriction of the sale. (Wis. Stat. § 710.15; Wis. Admin. Code § ATCP 125.06) |
| Right to sell the manufactured home in place within 30 days after eviction by the community owner | Not required | Wisconsin gives no period after an eviction in which the home may be sold in place; the only related rule bars an operator from charging for permission to leave the home in the community after the tenancy ends. (Wis. Admin. Code § ATCP 125.08; Wis. Stat. § 710.15) |
| Right to sublease or assign the pad site lease for the unexpired term to the new buyer of the home without unreasonable restraint | Required | An operator may not refuse to rent the site to the buyer of a resident's home except for one of the statutory termination grounds, and may not charge for the assignment of the agreement or the transfer of tenancy — a standard at least as strict as consent that may not be unreasonably withheld. (Wis. Admin. Code § ATCP 125.06; Wis. Stat. § 710.15) |
| Right to post "For Sale" signs that comply with the community's rules | Required | A binding state rule bars an operator from limiting a resident's For Sale sign on the home or the site unless the limitation applies uniformly to everyone selling a home on site, the operator and any dealer included. (Wis. Admin. Code § ATCP 125.06) |
| Right to receive at least 60 days' notice of a planned sale or closure of the community | Partly | Closure is covered and sale is not: at least 90 days' written notice must go to all known residents and occupants before the community or a site is permanently retired from the rental market, but no notice at all is due when the community is sold. (Wis. Stat. § 710.15; Wis. Stat. § 710.15) |
Notes and caveats
- Two layers, two size lines — The statute reaches a community of three or more occupied homes; the ATCP 125 rule reaches any tract with two or more sites, so a very small community can be covered by the rule but not by the statute.
- The rule is where most of the detail lives — Section 710.15 sets the lease requirement, the termination grounds and the closure notice. Almost everything else — what the lease must say, the 28-day notice, the ban on entrance and exit fees, the deposit cap, utility billing, sale and sign protections, entry and retaliation — comes from ch. ATCP 125, a Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection rule adopted under s. 100.20.
- Notice periods are set by cross-reference — Section 710.15(5r) does not state day counts for eviction; it points to s. 704.17, so the nonpayment and breach notices are read out of the general landlord and tenant chapter — 5 days with a cure right, 14 days without one on a repeat within the year, and 30 days under a lease of more than one year.
- 2025 Wisconsin Act 67 — Published December 10, 2025, Act 67 rewrote much of s. 710.15: it extended the definitions to occupants, added a definition of site, amended the lease-term subsection and several termination grounds, added a ground for owning more than one home in the community, extended the 90-day retirement notice to a single site as well as the whole community, and added the applicability subsection.
- Where the general law fills in — Chapter 704 and the residential rental practices rule, ch. ATCP 134, supply what the community rules do not — eviction notice periods, entry, retaliation, security deposit return and the handling of a home left behind under s. 704.05(5)(b).
- Enforcement is private, not administrative — Wisconsin has no state ombudsman or dispute board for communities. A resident who suffers a monetary loss from a breach of ch. ATCP 125 sues in circuit court, in small claims or otherwise, and recovers twice the loss with costs and a reasonable attorney fee under s. 100.20(5).
- 2026 bills failed — Bills that would have limited lot-rent increases, created a resident right to purchase a community, and offered loans and tax incentives for owners who sell that way failed to pass at the close of the 2025-26 session on March 23, 2026.
Common questions: Wisconsin 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 a Wisconsin park give before raising lot rent?
- 28 days. A lot-rent increase takes at least 28 days' written notice.
- Is there a limit on how much lot rent can go up in Wisconsin?
- Wisconsin sets no state rule on this. Wisconsin sets no ceiling on how far lot rent may rise.
- Can a Wisconsin park owner end a lot tenancy without cause?
- No — a Wisconsin park may end a lot tenancy only for a listed cause. A community tenancy may be ended only on a ground the statute lists.
- How much notice must a Wisconsin park give before closing or changing use?
- 3 months. Closing a community, or retiring a single site, takes at least 90 days' written notice — three months.
- Does a Wisconsin park have to pay residents' relocation costs when it closes?
- Wisconsin sets no state rule on this. No one owes a resident money to move when a community closes.
- Do Wisconsin residents get a chance to buy the park when it is sold?
- No — Wisconsin law gives residents no right to buy the park. Wisconsin residents have no statutory right to buy the community.
- Can a Wisconsin resident sell the home in place without moving it out of the park?
- Yes — a Wisconsin resident may sell the home in place. A resident may sell the home where it stands.
Cite this page: "Landlord Atlas, Wisconsin Mobile Home Park Laws (verified August 19, 2026), landlordatlas.com/laws/mobile-home-parks/wisconsin/" — free to cite and quote with a link (how these records are verified).
Citations
- Wis. Stat. § 710.15 (verified 2026) Official source
- Wis. Admin. Code ch. ATCP 125 (verified 2026) Official source
- Wis. Stat. § 704.17 (verified 2026) Official source
- Wis. Stat. § 100.20 (5) (verified 2026) Official source
- 2025 Wisconsin Act 67 (verified 2026) Official source
Every row above links the section it rests on. This topic covers all 50 states; the topic hub compares them side by side.