LITTLE ROCK — Little Rock code-enforcement workers have declared four properties unsafe and have registered 208 mobile and manufactured homes under a city law requiring the registration by July 19, the city’s director of housing and neighborhood programs said this week.
Almost two weeks after the registration deadline, City Director Joan Adcock said this week that the number of mobile homes registered seems low. Adcock estimated that there are between 700 and 800 such homes in the city with many of them in southwest Little Rock where she lives.
Adcock, a strong supporter of the legislation, said 19 of the city’s 25 mobile-home parks are in southwest Little Rock.
“We have 600 to 700 mobile homes in southwest Little Rock, and I would’ve hoped that more than that would have already registered,” she said. “There may be as many as 800 when you include mobile home parks out on Alexander Road and Chicot Road.”
Andre Bernard said code enforcement officers are still surveying properties to determine how many need to be registered.
“We have not done an official count to identify if there are exactly 503 mobile homes in the city of Little Rock,” he said. “One thing is to just get the registration, and then when we do the assessment, we want to make sure any code violations have been addressed.”
City directors passed a nuisance ordinance in March 2009 allowing code-enforcement officers to inspect mobile homes for nonworking plumbing, electricity problems or other health hazards. Little Rock stopped inspections in the fall after code enforcement officers realized that they needed to include in the ordinance time limits for making repairs.
In April, the directors approved an immediate ban on mobile homes built before 1976, as part of the city’s efforts to make sure that mobile homes are held to similar safety standards as homes built on foundations.
The law also requires that the city be notified when a registered mobile home or manufactured home is moved to another site.
The registration program is supposed to help code-enforcement officers keep track of properties. The annual registration permit is free.
Though most people use the terms interchangeably, Little Rock city code now defines “mobile homes” as those built before federal safety standards were adopted in June 1976, and “manufactured homes” as those built after that date. The distinction follows federal guidelines.
Mobile homes already in the city were grandfathered in.
Bernard said anyone who hasn’t registered his home could face up to a $1,000 fine under the city code.
“With this being a new process, it’s going to take time to actually canvass the entire city and assess, so we expect the numbers to pick up,” Bernard said. “We’ll continue soliciting individuals to register, and when we come across one that is not registered, there is potential for a penalty to be assessed.”
Adcock said she’s looking forward to receiving a progress report Monday during the monthly Southwest United for Progress meeting. Commonly referred to as Southwest UPs, the umbrella group has as its members representatives of all of the southwest Little Rock neighborhood associations.
Arkansas, Pages 11 on 07/30/2010