Safety and Buildings Division Sewer and Water Regulation in Manufactured Home Parks

The Safety and Buildings Division is responsible for regulating water and sewer service at manufactured home parks. Chapter PSC 186 of the Wisconsin Administrative Code sets forth the standards for water and sewer service in manufactured home parks. The standards address concerns regarding water quality, distribution systems, and the reasonableness of water and sewer rates. Chapter PSC 186 also provides a process for occupants of manufactured home parks to dispute issues related to billing such as disconnection of service, deferred payment agreements, and deposits.

S&B staff have online information "Your Bill of Rights for Water and Sewer Service Provided in a Manufactured Home Park".

If you are an occupant of a manufactured home park and wish to file a complaint regarding the provision of your water and/or sewer service, you may contact S&B Section Chief Brian Ferris, bferris@commerce.state.wi.us, PO 7302, Madison, WI 53701-7302, 608-785-9335. For your convenience, you may fill out a complaint form (SBD-192) that is provided on the S&B Forms page. You can submit it to the address shown on the form.

S&B does not establish the water and sewer rates charged to occupants of manufactured home parks. However, S&B will investigate the reasonableness of these rates upon complaint.

When a manufactured home park operator owns the water supply facilities within the park, Chapter PSC 186 states that the charge to a manufactured home park occupant may not exceed the average amount charged for a similar level of water service furnished by

Wisconsin Class D water public utilities. A Class D water utility serves fewer than 1000 customers. For a detailed list of public utility water rates, including Class D rates, along with state wide water bill comparisons, select Water Utility Rate Comparisons . The charge for sewer service may not exceed 2.5 times the maximum charge for water service as calculated below.

In accordance with the average 1999 Wisconsin Class D public water utility rates, a manufactured home park may not charge more than a $22.05 fixed charge ($7.35 monthly) in addition to a $2.30/1000 gallon volume charge. Applying this benchmark, if you

live in a manufactured home park with a well and septic system within the park, and you use 4,000 gallons of water in one month, the most you may be billed for the water is a $7.35 fixed charge plus an $9.20 volume charge (4 x $2.30) for a total charge of $16.55. Since you may not be billed more than 2.5 times the water bill for sewer service, the most you may be billed for sewer service is $41.38 ($16.55 x 2.5). In this example, your combined water and sewer bill may not exceed $57.93/month.

Please note that manufactured home park operators may establish water and sewer rates in excess of these amounts if they provide written documentation to S&B which demonstrates that higher charges are necessary to meet reasonable costs of operation.

Questions in regard to this computation, or in regard to establishing rates for water and sewer service when the manufactured home park buys water from a utility and resells it to the occupants of the park, can be directed to S&B Section Chief Brian Ferris, bferris@commerce.state.wi.us, PO 7302, Madison, WI 53701-7302, 608-785-9335.

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Email this page's manager, Todd Taylor, ttaylor@commerce.state.wi.us or 608-267-3606

The Department of Commerce Safety and Buildings Division is an equal opportunity service provider and employer. If you need assistance to access services or need material in an alternate format, please contact us, 608-266-3151, TTY 608-264-8777, or ttaylor@commerce.state.wi.us