Tennessee Mobile Home Park Eviction Process: A Step-by-Step Guide

Nonpayment of rent: the 14-day notice (URLTA counties)

In a Tennessee county where URLTA applies (population over 75,000 per the 2010 census, § 66-28-102(a)), unpaid lot rent is a breach that is remediable by the payment of rent. Under Tenn. Code Ann. § 66-28-505(a)(1)-(a)(2), you deliver a written notice specifying the breach; if the resident does not pay within FOURTEEN (14) days after receiving it, the rental agreement terminates and you may file for eviction. Serve it so you can prove receipt — hand delivery or certified mail, return receipt.

Correct the common myth: the current statute is a 14-day pay-or-terminate notice. The older 14 days to cure / 30 days to terminate phrasing was superseded — do not rely on a 30-day figure. Separately, § 66-28-201 gives a 5-day grace period before you may charge a LATE FEE (capped at 10% of past-due rent); that grace period governs fees only and does not lengthen the 14-day eviction notice.

One more accuracy point: the 14-day statutory notice is a Chapter 28 (URLTA) rule. Some aggregator websites say 14 days statewide — that is not right. In counties under 75,000 population, URLTA does not apply and there is no statutory 14-day pay-or-quit; your lease terms and common law set the notice.

Other violations and notice periods (plus the county wrinkle)

For a material breach that money cannot cure (for example, an unauthorized structure, repeated rule violations, or an illegal use), § 66-28-505(a)(1),(a)(3) lets you give written notice that the agreement shall terminate upon a date not less than fourteen (14) days after receipt of the notice.

For serious conduct there is a faster track. Under § 66-28-517 you may terminate within three (3) days from the date written notice is received where the resident or an occupant commits a violent act, poses a real and present danger to the health, safety, or welfare of other residents or their property, creates a hazardous or unsanitary condition, or refuses to leave as an unauthorized occupant. The notice must specifically detail the violation.

The population wrinkle controls which of these even applies. All of Chapter 28 — including the 14-day and 3-day notices — applies only in counties over 75,000 (§ 66-28-102(a)). In smaller counties there is no URLTA at all; the lease and common law govern the grounds and notice, and you proceed under the general forcible-entry-and-detainer statute. Confirm the county before you pick a notice period.

Filing the eviction: detainer warrant in General Sessions Court

When the notice period runs out, you file a detainer warrant (a forcible entry and detainer action) in the General Sessions Court of the county where the park sits, under Title 29, Chapter 18. Bring the lease, your ledger showing the balance, and proof the resident received the notice.

Under § 29-18-117 the officer sets the trial not less than six (6) days from the date of service on the resident, and the judge may postpone up to fifteen (15) days for good cause. If you win, the resident has 10 days to appeal to Circuit Court under § 27-5-108; a 2023 amendment (SB 391) confirms that in a possession case the writ of possession issues by operation of law once that 10-day appellate window passes without an appeal. A resident who appeals must post a bond.

Only a sheriff or officer acting on the writ may put the resident out. Self-help — changing locks, cutting utilities, or hauling off belongings without a court order — is prohibited and exposes you to liability.

What happens to the home the resident owns

The eviction removes the resident's right to occupy the LOT — it does not transfer ownership of the mobile home. Title stays with the resident, so you cannot simply seize, sell, or demolish the home after judgment. Be careful here: Tennessee has no mobile-home-park-specific statute setting a deadline for the owner to remove the home, and we did not find one. Do not represent a fixed removal window as Tennessee law.

The closest statutory anchor is the abandonment provision, § 66-28-405, which requires you to store a departed tenant's possessions and personal effects for not less than thirty (30) days before disposing of them. Whether a resident-owned mobile home counts as possessions under that section, or instead requires a separate proceeding, is not settled by statute — treat it as an open question for counsel, not a rule you can assume.

In practice, removal is handled by written agreement. Cash-for-keys — paying the owner to move or surrender the home and hand over title by an agreed date — is standard market practice and usually faster and cheaper than fighting over an abandoned unit. Put any surrender of the home and its title in a signed, dated agreement.

Typical timeline in Tennessee

• Late-fee grace period
  5 days after rent is due before a late fee (capped at 10%) may be charged — a fee rule under § 66-28-201, not an eviction notice.
• Nonpayment notice (URLTA counties)
  14 days to pay or the agreement terminates, § 66-28-505(a)(1)-(a)(2). Not required by statute in counties under 75,000 population.
• Other curable/non-remediable breach
  Terminate not less than 14 days after receipt of notice, § 66-28-505(a)(3).
• Serious conduct (violence, danger, unauthorized occupant)
  3 days from receipt of written notice, § 66-28-517.
• File detainer warrant
  Filed in General Sessions Court under Title 29, Ch. 18 once notice expires.
• Service to trial
  Trial set at least 6 days after service; judge may postpone up to 15 days, § 29-18-117.
• Judgment to writ of possession
  10-day appeal window under § 27-5-108; writ issues by operation of law if no appeal (2023 SB 391).
• Home removal
  No verified statutory deadline; handle by agreement/cash-for-keys. § 66-28-405 requires storing a departed tenant's possessions at least 30 days, but its application to a resident-owned home is unsettled.

Operator best practices in Tennessee

• Confirm the county first
  Check whether the park sits in a county over 75,000 population (§ 66-28-102). It decides whether the 14-day and 3-day URLTA notices apply or whether the lease and common law govern.
• Use the correct current notice periods
  14 days for nonpayment or curable breach (§ 66-28-505), 3 days for violence/danger/unauthorized occupant (§ 66-28-517). Do not use an outdated 30-day figure.
• Prove receipt of every notice
  Hand delivery or certified mail, return receipt. The 14-day and 3-day clocks run from the tenant's RECEIPT, and courts will want to see proof.
• Never use self-help
  No lockouts, utility shutoffs, or removing belongings without a writ. Only an officer on a writ of possession may remove the resident.
• Handle the resident-owned home by written agreement
  Cash-for-keys is standard market practice — pay for a dated surrender of the home and its title rather than assuming a nonexistent statutory removal window.
• Build a relationship with a Tennessee MHP attorney
  Because Tennessee has no MHP-specific statute and URLTA's reach over bare-lot tenancies is unsettled, have local counsel confirm your notice, filing, and home-removal steps before you act.