Travel Trailer (Park Model) in Florida - Tie Downs - Help!

Sorry if this has been covered before, but I am so frazzled and really need advice/input from you all.

I just bought a Travel Trailer (Park Model) that I am going to use at a RV lot.

Someone informed me to call the county for a tie down permit - I called them and they informed me that if I plan to tie it down it then makes my travel trailer a "permanent" structure and I will have to pay $7,000 to do this. To tie it down, they pull a mobile home residential building permit and the hefty fees goes to schools, police, fire etc.

I told her that this is not a mobile home - the title clearly states that it is a "travel trailer". They said that the closest thing that have for this fee is "mobile home" and it would fall in that category anyway (even though it is NOT a mobile home).

FYI - the RV place doesn't even allow mobile homes or manufactured homes, but they allow park models of course as it is a travel trailer.

I informed them that I would only want to tie it down just in case if a hurricane /strong winds happened to keep it from moving around and it may be moved half the year to somewhere else, depending on where we go. They told me that if it is going to be considered temporary and we don't tie it down, then it won't be considered permanent and we won't have to pay the fee.

This makes no sense to me. The tie downs only go into the dirt and is not permanent like cement. The only purpose is to prevent the thing from flying around in high winds.

When I told them it wasn't a mobile home, they basically said "it's the same thing if you tie it down" because that is the "closest category" that they have. The wheels and axles stay on the park model, unlike a mobile home.

Can anyone shed some light on their experience with this? Someone told me to just tie it down anyway for safety of the vehicle AND for the others in the park next to me. I don't want to do anything that will get me in big trouble just because I want things to be safe.

Any input would greatly help. Thank you.

PS - if you would feel more comfortable answering me privately and not publicly, please feel free to send me a private message instead. Thank you.

Executive45
Explorer III
Jun 26, 2015
Sound simple to me....if you tie it down, it's a permanent unit. Pay the fees and be done with it. If you don't and tie it down anyway, I'd suspect the fine for not getting the permit might be more than the fee. Also, I would also suspect the park might be liable for allowing you to do so. Mobile home parks operate under different rules than do campgrounds. I wouldn't guess a campground would want to tangle with the city about the difference in rules. We have a couple campground owners on here that might provide better insight. Westernrvparkowner and SDcampgroundowner....good luck...Dennis

Definitions:

PARK MODELS AND MOBILE HOMES

Park Model Motorhomes, Mobile Home: A unit built on a single chassis mounted on wheels designed to facilitate relocation from time to time but not intended to be towed on a regular basis. It may be connected to those utilities necessary for operation of installed fixtures and appliances. It has a gross floor area, including lofts, not exceeding 50m, when in the setup mode, and having a width greater than 2.6m in the transit mode.

On further edit, it appears the main thrust mobile vs recreational is the size. How large is this park model? Square footage must be less than 400 sq ft....D
WhatTheHeck
Explorer
Jun 26, 2015
Thank you for your input Dennis.

It is 398 square feet inside.

The length of the unit itself is 33 feet long - add a few more feet for the tongue.

From what they said, if I just do not tie it down then the fees are not required. Maybe I will do this instead and keep it "temporary".

I am a bit discouraged with this. Maybe I will turn around and sell the unit and get a motor home - not sure.

In this case, SIZE does NOT matter to them. They never asked about size when I called. I never told them it was a Park Model travel trailer and they never asked. I simply just said "travel trailer" and nothing else.

They basically said that ANY travel trailer that will be tied down will be considered permanent. Which means even if you had a smaller 16' RPOD travel trailer or even a tiny 13' Scamp. It did not matter the size of the unit - only if it was to be "tied down".
Old-Biscuit
Explorer III
Jun 26, 2015
Forget about 'tying it down'
Travel Trailer/Park model is NOT built like a Mobile Home or Manufactured Home.

Tie Downs in dirt will only give YOU the false sense of safety.

Hurricane will just rip out those tie downs flip that trailer over.

IF hurricane happens you should already be gone to a SAFE place. NOT in that trailer.

Tie downs -----permanent--- are labor intensive, expensive and MUST be done to code
WhatTheHeck
Explorer
Jun 26, 2015
Old-Biscuit wrote:
Forget about 'tying it down'
Travel Trailer/Park model is NOT built like a Mobile Home or Manufactured Home.

Tie Downs in dirt will only give YOU the false sense of safety.

Hurricane will just rip out those tie downs flip that trailer over.

IF hurricane happens you should already be gone to a SAFE place. NOT in that trailer.

Tie downs -----permanent--- are labor intensive, expensive and MUST be done to code

Thanks Old Biscuit - I see your point and I was thinking the same thinking the same thing about the tie downs in the dirt. Not sure how they consider those tie downs - only a few feet long - into the dirt makes it "permanent".

It reminded me of putting up a tent and putting those little stakes in the ground to prevent it from getting blown away in the wind and saying it makes it permanent. Tie downs in the dirt don't really make it "permanent" - at least to me. It would just get ripped out of the dirt with a hurricane.

If a hurricane does come, you better believe I am out of there - someone's house or a shelter somewhere where I know I will be safe.
Halmfamily
Explorer
Jun 26, 2015
Most tie downs on mfg, homes go up the outde wall and over holding the structure down along with frame tie downs. If you tie down just your frame that's about all you'll find when you come back, I wouldn't waste my money, as you have insurance to cover this if and if needed just move it farther inland.
Ivylog
Explorer III
Jun 26, 2015
Welcome to the forum and to Florida where I only lost 40 years before wising up and moving. A Park Model is not the same as a travel trailer in many ways... no 12V, no holding tanks, and not intended to be pulled around the country. Most Fla counties will consider any trailer/mobile home permanent and subject to their impact fees if you tie it down. Unless you use 6" diameter and 6' long tie downs put in with a machine to turn them, you are wasting your time and money.
While it's good to try and be a good neighbor, are your neighbor's units tied down and if so with what type of tie downs? If they have a U shaped top with a 3/8" bolt through it then they might do something in a hurricane, otherwise they are a joke. Depending on how close you are to the coast, hurricane insurance could be very expensive but it's probably your best option. Even if you could move it before a hurricane, the traffic trying to head north will make it nearly impossible to get out of the way unless you head out 4-5 days before expected land fall.
Actually a MH is the best option as after winter it's time to get out of Fla and head to the mountains.
fla-gypsy
Explorer
Jun 26, 2015
It's not going to survive a serious hurricane regardless of what you do to it short of pulling it out of it's path.
wanderingbob
Explorer II
Jun 26, 2015
The reasoning for ordinances like this is that when it becomes permanent it becomes real estate and not personal property . The county is trying to make up for the ad-valorum taxes that they loose . To see there reasoning , move it to an extreme case as we had in Volusia county . A park allowed an owner to add onto his travel trailer , a second story , a two car garage and an above ground pool. In Volusia if ya tie it down it is taxable .
Dog_Folks
Explorer
Jun 26, 2015
May I suggest that you check with the park you are in.

They should know the local ordinances/requirements
kameronth
Explorer
Jun 26, 2015
Look into your County's zoning/code ordinances. It should explain in detail what they consider a temporary housing unit or RV in the definitions.

I'm a code enforcement officer for my County and park models are defined as a temporary housing unit here. If the unit is parked at a State approved RV park we don't tax the RV owner, it's done through the park. If the unit is parked at a different site with a Conditional Use Permit(CUP) the are charged a $400 yearly bed fee.

Our assessors office will only tax buildings on a permanent foundation.

You should be able to find your County's zoning/code ordinances online or get them from the planning & zoning department. Being familiar with them will be helpful.