With over 3,000 residents living in more than 70 manufactured home parks, Wake County conducts biannual inspections to maintain safety and public health standards. These inspections are crucial during the summer months when essential systems like wells and septic systems experience increased use.
“Like other community spaces, these inspections help to ensure residents have a safe, healthy, and dignified environment to live and play,” said Wake County Commissioner Safiyah Jackson. “Regular inspections of manufactured home parks help us identify and address issues before they become serious problems, safeguarding not only individual families but the entire community.”
Manufactured home parks, often called mobile home parks, consist of designated areas where two or more manufactured homes are placed on individual spaces. They must adhere to strict rules and regulations with general reviews and compliance checks conducted regularly.
Parks with septic systems undergo two general safety inspections and two compliance checks annually. Those without septic systems receive at least one general inspection and one compliance inspection each year. In some cases, both types of inspections occur during the same visit.
Wake County’s Onsite Water Protection Division examines key areas such as water supply during these inspections to ensure it is safe for drinking, bathing, cooking, and cleaning. Water samples are collected for analysis at the County’s Water Quality Lab. Inspectors also review septic systems to prevent wastewater from surfacing or contaminating the environment.
The county monitors garbage handling practices to protect public health while also checking for pests like mosquitoes, flies, rodents, fleas, and ticks. Park operators must control these properly.
“Park owners and managers must follow all Wake County rules to keep their communities safe,” said Evan Kane, Onsite Water Protection director. “If there is a problem whether it’s with septic systems, abandoned vehicles or trash they are responsible for fixing it promptly to protect residents.”
Many residents own their homes but rent the land beneath them in these parks. The term “manufactured home” replaced “mobile home” in 1976 following new federal regulations aimed at improving safety and construction standards.
This name change has helped reduce stigma associated with these communities despite terms like “mobile home” or “trailer park” still being used by some individuals today due largely because improved quality now sees many manufactured homes considered part of growing tiny house movement.
