In California, the process of closing or converting a mobilehome park to any other use requires a Closure Impact Report (CIR) and a Relocation Plan, which must be submitted to the local government. State law also requires that if a park owner intends to sell a park, and a registered resident organization has properly informed the owner of an interest in purchasing the park, the owner must notify the resident group of their intent to sell. Local mobilehome closure and conversion ordinances can provide additional protections beyond what is required by state law. Many cities and counties in California (including the County of Sonoma and five cities within Sonoma County, but not the City of Sonoma), have enacted ordinances that reflect and in some cases build on these protections. 

Local ordinances should have more robust Closure Impact Reports, mandate better relocation assistance, extend timelines for displacement, and establish procedures that give residents and local entities an opportunity to purchase the park before it is closed or converted. 

Some ordinances, like in Santa Cruz County, provide residents with an opportunity to purchase the park or grant a Right of First Refusal (ROFR) if the land is to be sold as part of a closure or conversion. This means that when a park is put up for sale, residents have a defined timeframe to submit an offer to purchase it at market value. Cotati and Rohnert Park’s ordinances include a right of negotiated purchase, but stop short of a ROFR for residents. A right of negotiated purchase is less binding than a ROFR, and success depends on the parties reaching a deal. 

The best way to empower mobilehome owners is to give them control of the land on which their homes rest (i.e. to buy the parks themselves). Resident ownership is useful for maintaining affordability in the long term and ensures more equitable and democratic management. Residents that co-own their mobilehome parks have lower lot fees, greater stability, higher average home sales prices, faster sales, and access to fixed rate home financing.  Though complex and expensive, collective groups of mobilehome owners have successfully purchased parks in California and throughout the country.  California currently has 175 resident-owned communities.