SENATE BILL REPORT

SB 6511

As Reported By Senate Committee On:

Financial Services, Insurance & Housing, February 3, 2004

Title: An act relating to prohibiting certain restrictions on the location of manufactured homes.

Brief Description: Prohibiting restrictions on the location of manufactured homes based exclusively on age and dimensions.

Sponsors: Senators McCaslin, Fraser, Prentice and Winsley.

Brief History:

Committee Activity: Financial Services, Insurance & Housing: 1/27/04, 2/3/04 [DP].

SENATE COMMITTEE ON FINANCIAL SERVICES, INSURANCE & HOUSING

Majority Report: Do pass.

      Signed by Senators Benton, Chair; Winsley, Vice Chair; Berkey, Keiser, Murray, Prentice and Roach.

Staff: Fara Daun (786-7459)

Background: There is concern about restrictions on the location of manufactured housing that is based exclusively on age or dimension of the housing.

Summary of Bill: No county, city, town, or code city may enact any statute or ordinance that restricts the location of manufactured homes in manufactured housing communities based exclusively on the age or dimensions of the manufactured home.

Appropriation: None.

Fiscal Note: Not requested.

Effective Date: Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.

Testimony For: There are city ordinances that prohibit the siting of manufactured homes more than ten years old within their jurisdiction. The ten-year prohibition is a moving target, and would currently prohibit homes built before 1994; next year it would be 1995. These are modern, attractive homes that meet extensive building code provisions. Other ordinances restrict the location of single wide mobile homes. Manufactured homes provide a large stock of affordable homes for low-income people. This is an issue of fairness and affordability for both the entry level housing market and those who are downsizing in their later years. It is particularly burdensome on elderly single persons on social security who live in nicely kept, but older, models that are long paid for and who could lose their homes due to some of these ordinances.

Testimony Against: None.

Testified: Fred Jones, Mobile Home Owners of America (pro); John Woodring, Manufactured Housing Communities of America (pro); Bob Mitchell, Washington Association of Realtors (pro).