Brief Description: Charging manufactured housing communities for water and sewer connections.

Sponsors: By Representatives Morris and Schindler.

House Committee on Housing
Senate Committee on Financial Institutions, Housing & Consumer Protection

Background:

Under the Municipal Water and Sewer Facilities Act, every system provider, whether a municipality, county, or the commissioners of any district which operates a water or sewer system, has full authority to manage, regulate and control the rates and charges for the service and facilities, and to levy charges for connection to the system.

In the case of manufactured housing communities, water and sewer system providers typically run specified water and sewer lines up to the community property line. At the property line, the system providers install one tap-in connection with a meter. This connection enables the community to access water and sewer services. The system provider charges a "connection charge" to the property owner based upon the size of the meter which is dependent upon the size of the community; for example, a single family residential meter may measure 3/4 - 1 inch, whereas an apartment complex or a manufactured housing community meter may measure 2 inches in order to accommodate the increased demand of multiple households. The manufactured housing community property owner provides and maintains the infrastructure necessary to connect individual lots to the main water and sewer tap-in connection. Through periodic meter readings, the system provider monitors the water use of the entire community and bills the property owner, who is responsible for payment. Community property owners typically either approximate and build the cost of water and sewer into pad rental charges, or, at the time of invoice, divide the bill amongst the number of manufactured home owners and bill the units separately.

Summary:

A city or county water or sewer system provider may not charge tap or connection charges for individual lots within a manufactured housing community if that city or county system provider has not provided and does not maintain specified connections to those individual lots.

Votes on Final Passage:

House   98   0
Senate   44   0   (Senate amended)
House   94   1   (House concurred)

Effective: July 24, 2005