§ 31-44-1. Definitions.

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RI Code › Title 31 › Chapter 31-44 › Section 31-44-1

This text was captured on Aug 14, 2026. It is a snapshot, not a live feed, so check the official code before relying on it.

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As used in this chapter:

(1) €œDepartment€ means the department of business regulation.

(2) €œDirector€ means the director of the department of business regulation.

(3) €œEntry requirements€ means any written, nondiscriminatory criteria for resident selection incorporated into the rules and regulations of a mobile- and manufactured-home park which are equally applied by the licensee to all purchasers and prospective residents.

(4) €œFee schedule€ means an itemized list of fees for goods or services sold or performed by a mobile- and manufactured-home park licensee including, but not limited to, the entrance fee, hook-up fee, and maintenance fee, if any.

(5) €œHook-up fee€ means a reasonable fee for the services required to install a mobile and manufactured home on a mobile- and manufactured-home space or lot. The charge shall include the cost of connecting water and sewer lines, electrical connections, tie-downs, removal of wheels or axles, steps, if necessary, and other necessary services, including, but not limited to, the creation of new pads or piers.

(6) €œHousehold€ means one or more persons occupying a housing unit.

(7) €œLicensee€ means any person or agent licensed under § 31-44-1.6 who is directly or indirectly engaged in the business of selling mobile and manufactured homes or who operates and maintains a mobile- and manufactured-home park under the provisions of this chapter.

(8) €œMobile and manufactured home€ means a detached residential unit designed:

(i) For a long term occupancy and containing sleeping accommodations, a flush toilet, and a tub or shower bath and kitchen facilities, and having both permanent plumbing and electrical connections for attachment to outside systems;

(ii) To be transported on its own wheels or on a flatbed or other trailer or detachable wheels; and

(iii) To be placed on pads, piers, or tied down, at the site where it is to be occupied as a residence complete and ready for occupancy, except for minor and incidental unpacking and assembly operations and connection to utilities systems.

(9) €œMobile- and manufactured-home park€ or €œpark€ means a plot of ground upon which four (4) or more mobile and manufactured homes, occupied for residential purposes are located.

(10) €œMobile- and manufactured-home space or lot€ means a plot of ground within a mobile- and manufactured-home park designed for the accommodation of one mobile and manufactured home.

(11) €œOwner€ means a licensee or permittee or any person who owns, operates, or maintains a mobile- and manufactured-home park.

(12) €œProspective resident€ means an applicant for admission to a mobile- and manufactured-home park who is ready, willing, and able to buy a mobile and manufactured home owned and offered for sale by a licensee or resident, and who is able to meet the entrance requirements of the rules of the park.

(13) €œProtected lawful action€ means any report of a violation of this chapter, or of any applicable building or health code, or any other justified complaint to a governmental authority, or any other justified lawful act by the resident(s) or prospective resident(s).

(14) €œQualified sale€ means the sale of a mobile- and manufactured-home park to a resident organization with the goal of resident ownership by at least fifty-one percent (51%) of the homeowner households residing in the park.

(15) €œReprisal€ means any act taken against the resident(s) which is intended as a penalty for any protected lawful action taken by the resident(s).

(16) €œResident€ means an owner or renter occupying a mobile and manufactured home in a mobile- and manufactured-home park with the consent of the owner as defined in subdivision (11) of this section.

he homeowner households residing in the park.

(15) €œReprisal€ means any act taken against the resident(s) which is intended as a penalty for any protected lawful action taken by the resident(s).

(16) €œResident€ means an owner or renter occupying a mobile and manufactured home in a mobile- and manufactured-home park with the consent of the owner as defined in subdivision (11) of this section.

(17) €œResident organization€ means a group of mobile- and manufactured-home park residents who have formed a nonprofit corporation, cooperative corporation, or other entity or organization for the purpose of acquiring the mobile home park in which they reside and converting the mobile home park to resident ownership.

(18) €œResident ownership€ means, depending on the context, either the ownership, by a resident organization, as defined in this section, of an interest in a mobile- and manufactured-home park which entitles the resident organization to control the operations of the mobile home park, or the ownership of individual interests in a mobile home park, or both.

(19) €œSecurity deposit€ means a sum not to exceed the monthly rental which a licensee may require a resident of a rented mobile or manufactured home to deposit as security in case of damage caused by the resident in excess of ordinary wear and tear.

(20) €œStandards for mobile and manufactured homes€ means any written, nondiscriminatory minimum specifications for structural soundness, safety, and habitability adopted by the department or any other government agency.

This is a copy of a public record, reproduced as it was published. It is not legal advice, and it may not be the version a court would rely on. Check the official source before you cite it.

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