A new state law means that Murray County can't keep out old mobile homes any more, but it does require they be inspected before anyone is allowed to live in them.
The change to state law took effect Sept. 1.
Like a lot of other counties, Murray had barred older manufactured homes from entering the county in an effort to keep out unsightly and unsafe dwellings. But the new law says counties must accept homes built after 1975 and must inspect those dwellings before habitation.
"There is a checklist, about 30 things they are looking for," County Commissioner David Ridley said.
Since the first of the month, county inspectors have performed inspections on three mobile homes, officials said.
Most counties sought to bar the older mobile homes as a way to prevent unsightly trailer parks. The new law essentially blocks outright bans, but Ridley said the county still will try to limit where mobile homes can be placed.
"Like most counties, we are going to be controlling mobile homes by zoning," he said.
The new law creates extra work for building code enforcers, who always have inspected all dwellings before granting a certificate of occupancy anyway.
"We'll go through the homes to certify the health, safety and soundness of the structure," said Joey Arnold, Murray County director of code enforcement. "They will get a certificate for that."
Inspectors will come back once the structure is in place to give the owners a certificate of occupancy, Arnold said.
Inspectors said they will be looking for mobile homes with unstable flooring, bad wiring and shoddy repair work.
"We also want to make sure there is adequate insulation," he said. "Most of these homes are completely missing the insulation and the belly cover that holds it all in. They have to have that."
Cosmetic problems such as holes in the drywall won't be a factor in the evaluation, Arnold said.
For a $50 fee, Murray inspectors will travel outside the county to look at homes before they're moved into the county. If the home fails inspection, owners can make repairs and ask for a recheck.
Contact Adam Crisp at acrisp@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6323. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/adam_crisp.