SECTION 265.82. Minimum Standards

(a) Water supply.

(1) Quality and source. Whenever possible, the source of water supply to serve the mobile home development should be from an existing public drinking water system. When an existing public water system is not available, the source and development of the water supply system shall be planned, installed, and operated in accordance with the Texas Department of Health Resources' "Rules and Regulations for Public Water Systems' and applicable state statutes. In either case and at all times, an adequate supply of water under pressure which meets the bacteriological, chemical, and physical requirements of the Texas Department of Health Resources regarding drinking water shall be provided in each mobile home development.

(2) Location of mains. Water lines shall not be installed closer than 10 feet to septic tank open-jointed drainfields nor closer than nine feet to sanitary sewers. Where drainage is toward the water line or where the soil has rapid percolation, e.g., sand, or lateral fissures, consideration should be given to increasing the minimum separation distance from septic tank open-jointed drainfields. Where the nine feet minimum distance between a water line and a sanitary sewer cannot be obtained, the sanitary sewer shall be constructed of pressure type cast iron pipe or the equivalent of 150 psi pressure pipe with water-tight joints used in water main construction for the nine-foot clearance.

(b) Service connections.

(1) Individual water riser pipes should be located within the confined area of the mobile home stand at a point where the water connection will approximate a vertical position.

(2) Water riser pipes should extend at least four inches above the ground elevations. The pipe should be at least 3/4 inch in diameter. The pipe shall be capped when a mobile home does not occupy the lot.

(3) Adequate provisions should be made to prevent freezing of service lines, valves, and riser pipes. Adequate protection of riser pipes against freezing is especially important where septic tanks are used because the practice of leaving a small stream of water running during freezing weather will result in more effluent in the drainfield than the soil can absorb. Surface drainage should be diverted from the location of the riser pipe.

(4) A shutoff valve should be provided on the water riser pipe for each mobile home.

(5) Underground stop and waste valves should not be installed on any water service.

(6) All water piping fixtures should be installed and maintained in accordance with current National Plumbing Code or equivalent.

(c) Sewage disposal.

(1) General. A properly designated and constructed sewerage system shall be provided in all mobile home developments for conveying and disposing of sewage or wastewater from mobile homes and other facilities such as laundry rooms, bath houses, etc. If feasible, the mobile home development sewage system should be connected to a public sewerage system. If public sewers are not available within a reasonable distance of the mobile home development, adequate treatment facilities meeting the standards of the Texas Department of Health Resources and approved by the local health department or licensing authority shall be installed to dispose of the sewage. In the absence of public sewers, two acceptable alternatives should be considered. The first is a sewage collection system and central treatment plant, and the second is individual septic tank systems. A sewage collection system and central treatment plant, in general, will provide more satisfactory service than septic tanks, which are subject to more operational difficulties.

(2) Sewage systems. Plans for sewage collection systems and central treatment plants must be prepared under the direction of a registered professional engineer and submitted to the Texas Department of Health Resources for approval. Possession by the treatment plant owner of a waste control order from the Texas Water Quality Board prior to discharging plant effluent into a stream or drainageway is also mandatory.

(3) Septic tanks. Any septic tank system should be designed and constructed in accordance with the Texas Department of Health Resources' publication "A Guide to the Disposal of Household Sewage.' The system shall also comply with local ordinances or with orders issued by local licensing authorities. The local health department or other licensing authority should be contacted further information. The tendency to design mobile home parks for a high density of units is frequently not compatible with septic tank systems. Adequate ground area and percolation for the drainfield, without undue encroachment upon neighboring facilities, is essential. Another basic difficulty with septic tanks in mobile home parks has resulted from the failure to design septic tank systems with adequate capacities. An individual system for each mobile home, built by the same design criteria as for conventional housing, is strongly recommended. A septic tank should not be considered if the lot size is under 15,000 square feet. If a drinking water system is on the property, the minimum lot size for a septic tank consideration is 20,000 square feet provided percolation is satisfactory.

(4) Individual sewer connections.

(A) Each mobile home stand should be provided with at least a four-inch diameter sewer riser pipe. The sewer riser pipe should be so located on each stand that the sewer connection to the mobile home drain outlet will approximate a vertical position.

(B) The sewer connection should have an inside diameter of at least three inches, and the slope of any portion thereof should be at least 1/4 inch per foot. The sewer connection should consist of one pipe only without any branch fittings. All joints should be watertight.

(C) All materials used for sewer connections should be semirigid, corrosion resistant, nonabsorbent, and durable. The inner surface of pipes and fittings should be smooth.

(D) Provision shall be made for plugging or capping the sewer riser pipe when a mobile home does not occupy the lot. Surface drainage should be diverted away from the riser. The rim of the riser pipe should extend at least four inches above ground elevation.

(d) Electrical distribution system. If any electrical wiring system is provided, the complete electrical system and all parts thereof should comply with local codes and ordinances. In the absence of local codes and ordinances, installations should comply with appropriate provisions of the American National Standards Institute standard for mobile homes and the current edition of the National Electric Code.

(e) Solid waste disposal. The storage, collection, and disposal of solid waste shall be performed in accordance with applicable State statutes and the "Municipal Solid Waste Regulations' of the Texas Department of Health Resources. The regulations generally provide that the storage, collection, and disposal of solid waste shall be so conducted as to create no environmental health hazard, rodent harborage, insect breeding area, or safety or fire hazard. Safeguards required by the above regulations in regard to disposal are more stringent for heavily populated areas and for areas within 300 yards of a public highway than for unurbanized areas.

(f) Insect and rodent control. No standing water shall be allowed in a mobile home development and the premises shall be kept free of refuse and debris which may provide harborage for rodents or contribute to mosquito or fly breeding. When rats or other rodents are known to be on the premises, the owner or operator shall take definite action for their eradication.

(g) Restriction of animals. No owner or person in charge of a dog, cat, or other pet animal should permit said animal to run at large or cause any nuisance within the limits of any mobile home development. Kennels, pens, or other facilities provided for such pets should be maintained in a sanitary condition at all times.

(h) Site location. Sites hereinafter selected for mobile home developments should be well drained and free from topographical or other conditions unfavorable to a proper residential environment.

(i) Streets and parking facilities.

(1) Accessibility. All mobile home developments hereinafter constructed should be provided with safe and convenient vehicular access from abutting public streets or roads to each mobile home stand. The street system should provide convenient circulation by means of minor streets and properly located collector streets.

(2) Widths. Pavement should be of adequate widths to accommodate the contemplated parking and traffic load in accordance with the type of street, with 10 feet minimum moving lanes for minor streets, seven feet minimum lane for parallel parking, and should also meet the following minimum requirements:

(A) Collector streets with guest parking allowances-34 feet.

(B) Collector streets and all other streets except minor streets without parking allowances-24 feet.

(C) Minor streets serving less than 40 mobile home stands (no parking)-18 feet.

(D) One-way minor streets serving less than 20 mobile home stands (no parking) -14 feet.

(3) Off-street parking. Off-street parking in the form of parking bays or individual parking spaces on each lot should be provided within 200 feet of each mobile home stand. Exposed ground surfaces in all parts of every parking area should be paved or covered in such a manner as to prevent soil erosion and objectionable dust.

(j) Separation between structures. Mobile homes in mobile home developments hereafter constructed should be separated from each other and from other structures, except their own accessory structures, by at least 10 feet, and should be located at least 25 feet from any mobile home development property line abutting upon a public street or highway, 10 feet from all other property lines, and 10 feet from any area such as a mobile home development street or a common parking area. Where individual water wells or septic tank systems or both are to be installed, special care in site planning will be needed to allow the incorporation of recommended minimum separation distances into the design of each individual water and sewerage system.

(k) Outdoor living area. Each mobile home lot or space should be provided with an outdoor living and service area. Such area should be improved as necessary to assure reasonable privacy and comfort. The minimum area should be not less than 300 square feet with a least dimension of 15 feet.

(l) Recreation areas. Mobile home developments hereinafter constructed which accommodate 25 or more mobile homes should be provided with at least one easily accessible outdoor or indoor recreation area except that recreation areas may not be needed in a mobile home development if each mobile home lot therein contains 5,000 or more square feet of area. Recreation areas should otherwise be provided in a ratio of not less than 100 square feet of space per mobile home stand. Each outdoor recreation area should contain at least 2,500 square feet of area to assure adequate space for all activities. Swimming pools which comply with Texas Department of Health Resources design standards for swimming pools, recreation buildings, and child play areas can be considered as fulfilling part of the total requirement for recreation areas.

(m) Mobile home stand. Stand construction and anchorage requirements are under the jurisdiction of the Texas Department of Labor and Standards, Austin, Texas.

Source Note: The provisions of this §265.82 adopted to be effective January 1, 1976.