Indiana Mobile Home Park Rent Control: 2026 Guide

Is mobile home lot rent controlled in Indiana?

No. Indiana does not cap lot rent, does not limit how much you can raise it, and sets no percentage ceiling on increases. As a park operator, you set lot rent by market and by your lease.

Indiana also blocks cities, towns, and counties from imposing local rent control. Under Ind. Code §32-31-1-20, a local unit may not regulate rental rates for privately owned property unless the General Assembly authorizes it, and any ordinance that tries is void and unenforceable.

One thing to know: Indiana once had a mobile-home-specific rent law with a 90-day increase notice, a mandatory meeting, and arbitration. That chapter was repealed in 2007. Today there is no mobile-home-specific rent-increase notice, so ordinary landlord-tenant timing rules govern your increases.

No rent cap or percentage limit in Indiana

There is no statewide rent-control statute and no numeric ceiling on lot rent or on the size of an increase. Nothing in Indiana law ties your increase to CPI, a fixed percentage, or a dollar amount.

The real limits come from your own lease and from duties that apply to any landlord. A fixed-term lease locks the rent for the term unless the lease says otherwise, and increases should never be applied in a discriminatory or retaliatory way.

Local rent control is preempted statewide

Indiana strips local governments of the power to control rent. Ind. Code §32-31-1-20(b) states: 'A unit may not regulate rental rates for privately owned real property, through a zoning ordinance or otherwise, unless the regulation is authorized by an act of the general assembly.' Subsection (c) declares any violating ordinance 'void and unenforceable.'

A citation caution: §36-1-3-8.5 is sometimes labeled Indiana's rent-control ban, but it is not. Its text only bars local ordinances that force a landlord to accept Section 8 or a similar program. The rent-rate preemption you can rely on is §32-31-1-20. Separately, §16-41-27-32 restricts local licensing and regulation of mobile home communities.

Is there a mobile-home-specific rent-increase notice? Not anymore

From 2004 to 2007, Indiana had a Mobile Home Rental Agreements Act (former Ind. Code §32-31-9) that required 90 days' written notice before a lot-rent increase, a mandatory owner-operator meeting, and access to arbitration. The Legislature repealed that entire chapter in 2007; the current §32-31-9 covers crime-victim tenant rights and has nothing to do with lot rent.

The mobile-home statute that survives, Ind. Code §16-41-27, is a health, sanitation, and licensing chapter (water, sewage, park licensing, and a community-closure notice). It sets no rent-increase notice and no rent cap.

Absent a mobile-home-specific rule, your increases follow general landlord-tenant law: you cannot raise rent mid-term unless the lease allows it, and for a month-to-month or renewing tenancy you must give at least 30 days' written notice to modify the agreement under Ind. Code §32-31-5-4. Ignore online summaries still citing the old 90-day mobile-home notice or arbitration — that law is repealed.

Rent-increase rules at a glance in Indiana

• Statewide rent cap
  None. Indiana sets no ceiling on lot rent or on the amount of an increase.
• Percentage cap
  None. No CPI or percentage limit on increases anywhere in Indiana law.
• Local rent control
  Preempted. Ind. Code §32-31-1-20 makes any local ordinance regulating rental rates void and unenforceable.
• MHP-specific increase notice
  None today. The 2004 90-day mobile-home notice law was repealed in 2007.
• Default notice to raise rent
  At least 30 days' written notice to modify a periodic tenancy under Ind. Code §32-31-5-4; no mid-term increase unless the lease allows it.
• Mobile home statute in force
  Ind. Code §16-41-27 governs park licensing, utilities, and closure notice — not rent.

Operator best practices in Indiana

• Put increase terms in the written lease
  With no statute dictating lot-rent timing, your lease is the controlling document — spell out when and how rent can rise.
• Give at least 30 days' written notice
  For month-to-month or renewing tenancies, send written notice at least 30 days ahead under §32-31-5-4; more lead time protects goodwill.
• Never raise rent mid-term
  A fixed-term lease locks the rent for the term unless the lease expressly permits an increase.
• Apply increases uniformly
  Avoid selective or retaliatory increases; treat similarly situated residents consistently to limit discrimination and retaliation claims.
• Don't rely on repealed law
  Disregard sources citing a 90-day mobile-home notice, mandatory meeting, or arbitration — that 2004 chapter no longer applies.
• Build a relationship with an Indiana MHP attorney
  Indiana's rules have shifted (2007 repeal of the mobile-home chapter, 2022 licensing changes); local counsel keeps your notices, leases, and closure procedures current.