Published
Four spaces an acre, or six if you double the open space.
A park is a single property, and it has to stay that way
Manufactured home parks are one of the few genuinely affordable housing forms left in small Idaho towns, and the county permits them in residential areas — while, in its own words, assuring the activity does not diminish the residential character of the neighbourhood. The first standard is structural and it constrains the whole business model.
“As permitted herein, manufactured home parks must be under single ownership. The manufactured home park cannot be a subdivision or condominium, and may not individually sell, assign, or deed a manufactured home space to any other.”
— Fremont County Development Code, 2011 Edition (Ordinance 2011-04), Appendix M, section 1.02, Single Ownership. Consolidated through Ordinance 2026-03. Retrieved 1 September 2026
Spaces are rented, never sold. A park cannot be converted into a subdivision or a condominium, and individual spaces cannot be deeded away. Anyone whose plan involves selling the pads is describing something the appendix does not permit under this heading.
There is a second classification rule attached to occupancy. A park permitting short-term occupancy — less than one month — is classified as a commercial rather than a residential use. That single sentence moves a project into a different category of land use, so the intended length of stay is a planning decision rather than an operational one.
The density trade, and the open space that buys it
The appendix offers a straightforward bargain, and it is unusually explicit about the exchange rate.
| If open space is | Overall density permitted |
|---|---|
| A minimum of 25 percent of gross land area | Four spaces per acre |
| Increased to 50 percent of gross land area | Six spaces per acre |
Doubling the open space buys fifty percent more spaces. That is a real incentive rather than a token one, and on a parcel of any size it is worth modelling both ways before committing to a layout.
But the appendix immediately qualifies it, and the qualification is the part to read carefully: the overall density shall be determined by the physical and service constraints of the parcel being considered, and the compatibility of the proposed park with surrounding application.
So four and six are ceilings, not entitlements. The ground has to physically support the density — water, wastewater, access — and the result has to be compatible with what is around it. A parcel that can be drawn at six spaces per acre is not thereby approved at six spaces per acre.
The dimensional and parking standards
Three further requirements shape the layout, and each has a direct effect on how many spaces actually fit.
- Minimum space width: 50 feet. Every space must be at least that wide, which combined with the density ceiling is what really determines a layout.
- Two off-street parking spaces per manufactured home space, which may be in tandem — so one behind the other is acceptable and the pad does not need to be double-width for parking alone.
- One additional off-street guest parking space for every four home spaces within the park.
- An opaque skirt. The area between ground level and the floor level of each unit must be screened by one.
The tandem allowance is worth noticing because it is a genuine relaxation. Requiring two parking spaces side by side would widen every pad considerably; permitting them in tandem lets the parking sit in the depth of the space rather than its width.
The guest parking ratio is the one most often left out of a first sketch. At one per four spaces it adds up quickly on a park of any size, and it is off-street parking rather than street frontage.
The provisions that constrain a layout, gathered in one place:
- Single ownership, with no space individually sold, assigned or deeded.
- Open space of at least 25 percent of gross land area, or 50 percent for the higher density.
- Four or six spaces per acre respectively, both as ceilings rather than entitlements.
- A minimum space width of 50 feet.
- Two off-street parking spaces per home space, tandem permitted.
- One additional guest parking space per four home spaces.
- An opaque skirt between ground level and floor level on every unit, screening the space beneath it from view.
- Occupancy of one month or longer, or the park becomes a commercial use.
Reading the standards together
Put the numbers side by side and the shape of a compliant park emerges quite quickly, which makes this an unusually easy set of standards to test a parcel against on paper.
- Take the gross land area and decide the open space fraction — 25 percent for four spaces per acre, or 50 percent for six.
- Apply the density ceiling to get a maximum space count, remembering it is a ceiling that physical and service constraints can reduce.
- Lay out spaces at a minimum of 50 feet wide and check the count survives the geometry, since width and density constrain each other.
- Add two off-street parking spaces per home space, using tandem parking within the space depth where it helps.
- Add guest parking at one space per four home spaces, and site it as off-street parking rather than assuming frontage.
- Test the result against the physical and service constraints of the parcel — water, wastewater, access — because those determine the real density.
- Confirm the intended occupancy is one month or longer, since anything shorter reclassifies the park as commercial.
The county's framing is worth keeping in view throughout: the purpose clause says these standards permit manufactured home parks in residential areas while protecting neighbourhood character. It is written as an enabling appendix rather than a restrictive one, which is a more encouraging starting position than most land use provisions offer — and a different question entirely from placing a single manufactured home on a private lot, which has its own separate standards. Either way the parcel still has to answer the water and wastewater question before a layout means anything.
Common questions
Can I sell individual spaces in a manufactured home park?
No. The appendix requires parks to be under single ownership, states the park cannot be a subdivision or condominium, and prohibits individually selling, assigning or deeding a space to any other party. Spaces are rented rather than sold.
How many spaces per acre are allowed?
Four spaces per acre where a minimum of 25 percent of gross land area is open space, or six spaces per acre if open space is increased to 50 percent.
Is the density figure guaranteed?
No. The appendix states that overall density shall be determined by the physical and service constraints of the parcel being considered and the compatibility of the proposed park with surrounding application. Four and six are ceilings rather than entitlements.
How wide does each space have to be?
The minimum width of each space is 50 feet. Combined with the density ceiling, that width is usually what really determines how many spaces a parcel can carry.
How much parking is required?
A minimum of two off-street parking spaces for each manufactured home space, which may be in tandem, plus at least one additional off-street guest parking space for every four home spaces within the park.
Can the two parking spaces be one behind the other?
Yes. The appendix expressly permits them in tandem, which means parking can sit in the depth of a space rather than requiring every pad to be wide enough for two cars side by side.
What is the opaque skirt requirement?
The area between the ground level and the floor level of each unit must be screened by an opaque skirt.
Does short-term occupancy change anything?
Yes, significantly. A manufactured home park permitting short-term occupancy — less than one month — is classified as a commercial rather than a residential use, which places it in a different land use category.
How much open space does a park need?
A minimum of 25 percent of gross land area as open space as defined in the ordinance, with the option to increase it to 50 percent in exchange for a higher permitted density.