Does the Park Owner Have to Approve Solar?
In California, if your park is directly metered, the park cannot prohibit you from installing solar on your home. State law makes lease provisions that block solar void and unenforceable, and makes it unlawful for park management to restrict it. If your park is master metered, that law does not apply, though it does not mean you are out of options.
What SB 1190 actually says
Senate Bill 1190, authored by Senator John Laird and signed by Governor Newsom, took effect January 1, 2025. Before it, the Mobilehome Residency Law said nothing about solar, which left the question to individual park management. Some parks allowed it, some blocked it, and residents had no clear ground to stand on.
The law changed that. Under SB 1190, any provision in a rental agreement or park document that prohibits or restricts installing a solar energy system on your home is void and unenforceable, and it is unlawful for park management or ownership to prohibit or restrict a homeowner from installing or using solar on their home or on the space where the home sits.
The law follows the same approach California took for homeowners associations under the Solar Rights Act in 1978. Manufactured home owners simply had to wait a few decades longer for the same protection.
What the law requires from you
The protection is not unconditional. To be covered, the installation has to meet the requirements the law sets out: your space must be individually metered rather than master metered; you need the required permit, which for manufactured homes in California goes through the Department of Housing and Community Development rather than your local building department; and the system must meet applicable health and safety standards, including the California Electrical Code and recognized testing standards.
Parks may still impose reasonable restrictions, which generally means restrictions that do not significantly increase cost or decrease performance. What they cannot do is say no outright, charge you punitive fees for having a system, or require you to use an installer they choose.
The one case the law does not cover
SB 1190 specifically exempts master metered parks. The statute says so directly, and it is not a gray area. That exemption exists because master metered parks work differently: the park is the utility's customer, and residents are billed by the park through submeters, so the electrical relationship is not between you and the utility at all. The legislature carved those parks out rather than trying to solve that arrangement in the same bill.
If you are in a master metered park, you do not have the legal protection that directly metered residents have. What you do have is a different path to the same outcome, and it is the situation Solnr works in most.
How to tell which you are
Look at who bills you for electricity. If the bill comes from SDG&E or Southern California Edison with the utility's name on it, you are directly metered and SB 1190 protects you. If electricity shows up on your space rent statement or comes from park management, your park is master metered and the rules — and your bill — work differently.
Frequently asked questions
Can a mobile home park legally stop me from installing solar in California?
If your park is directly metered, no. SB 1190 makes lease provisions blocking solar void and makes it unlawful for management to prohibit it. Master metered parks are exempt from that law.
What is SB 1190?
A California law effective January 1, 2025 that gives mobilehome owners in directly metered parks the right to install solar on their homes, and voids park rules or lease terms that try to prohibit it.
Does SB 1190 apply to master metered parks?
No. The statute specifically exempts master metered parks. Residents in those parks do not have the same legal protection, though solar may still be possible through a different approach.
Do I still need permission from my park?
In a directly metered park, the park cannot deny you. They may apply reasonable restrictions, and you still need the proper permit and a compliant installation, but they cannot say no.
Can my park charge me a fee for having solar?
The law limits what parks can impose. Restrictions have to be reasonable, and parks cannot use fees or requirements to effectively block a system or make it uneconomical.
What permit do I need for solar on a manufactured home?
In California, solar on a manufactured home is permitted through the Department of Housing and Community Development rather than the city or county building department. We handle that as part of the process.