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Mobile & Manufactured Homes in Napa County: Buying and Selling Guide

By Matthew Martinez, Founder, CEO & Managing Broker, Diamond Real Estate Group. California DRE #01869679.

Most mobile and manufactured homes in Napa County sit in parks, where you buy the home and rent the space under it, so the price of the home is only half the decision. The other half is the space rent, how it can rise, and the park’s rules, and those depend on where the park is: Calistoga and American Canyon have their own mobile home rent stabilization ordinances, while every park in the state is governed by California’s Mobilehome Residency Law. The home itself is usually titled with the state Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD), not recorded with the county like a house.

This guide covers how titles and property taxes work, what the park can and can’t do when you buy, the local rent rules in Calistoga, American Canyon, the City of Napa, St. Helena, Yountville and the unincorporated county, financing and down payment help, hazards, and what sellers should prepare. It explains how a purchase works rather than listing homes; for homes on the market now, use our property search. It doesn’t cover manufactured homes on land you own, except where noted.

Diamond handles resales of mobile and manufactured homes in Napa County, in parks and on land the owner holds.

Where the parks are and which rules apply

Napa County’s parks fall under one of several jurisdictions, and the local layer is what changes most from park to park.

Location	Local space-rent rule	What we found
Calistoga	Mobile Home Park Rent Stabilization, Municipal Code chapter 2.22	Covers every mobile home park in the city; annual increases limited to the lesser of 100% of CPI or 6% of base rent
American Canyon	Mobilehome Park Rent Stabilization Program, Municipal Code chapter 15.04	Covers every park in the city; increases limited to 100% of the CPI change, with nothing above 6% unless a mediation panel or arbitrator allows it; 90 days’ notice
City of Napa	No space-rent ordinance found	We reviewed Titles 5, 8, 9 and 15 of the online code in October 2026; chapter 15.64 adopts the state Mobile Home Parks Act, and the city’s mobile home page covers down payment help only
St. Helena	No ordinance found	Voters rejected Measure F, a rent stabilization measure for Vineyard Valley Mobile Home Park, in June 2019; confirm current rules with the city
Yountville	None adopted as of August 2026	The town council discussed space-rent limits for its two parks, Bella Vista and Rancho de Napa, in August 2026 and sent the question back to staff; confirm the current status with the town
Unincorporated Napa County	No county ordinance found	The county’s mobilehome parks page covers state-law park inspections only; its 2023–2031 housing element includes programs to keep existing parks and help them rebuild. Confirm with the county

Parks named in public records

We list only parks named by a city or in local news coverage of rent rules, so this is not a complete list.

American Canyon: Olympia Mobilodge, the subject of the city’s published rent increase review process, and Las Casitas, named in 2019 Napa Valley Register coverage.
Calistoga: Rancho de Calistoga and Chateau Calistoga, named in Napa Valley Register coverage of the city’s rent ordinance.
St. Helena: Vineyard Valley Mobile Home Park, described by the St. Helena Star in 2018 as the city’s only mobile home park.
Yountville: Bella Vista and Rancho de Napa, the two parks in the town council’s August 2026 discussion.
City of Napa and unincorporated areas: we couldn’t open an official park list for this review, so ask the city or county, or a park’s management, which parks sit in which jurisdiction.

We haven’t confirmed which of these parks are age-restricted. Ask each park for its written age policy.

For the towns themselves, see our guides to Calistoga, American Canyon, the City of Napa and Yountville, and the countywide picture on our Napa County real estate guide.

What you’re buying: title, taxes and the space

HCD’s Registration and Titling program issues titles and registrations for manufactured homes, and it offers an online title search through its Codes and Standards portal. Ask for that search early in escrow so liens and the registered owner match the seller.

A home installed on a permanent foundation on land the owner holds becomes real property, and HCD then stops registering it. That home is bought and sold like a house, with a deed, a title policy and, in Diamond’s North Bay markets, documentary transfer tax that the seller customarily pays, though it’s negotiable and local custom varies.

Property tax depends on the home’s history. Under the Manufactured Home Property Tax Law, homes first sold new on or after July 1, 1980, or converted at the owner’s request, are taxed locally, with a new base-year value set at purchase; older homes that weren’t converted stay under the state license-fee system. Ask the seller for the latest tax bill or registration renewal.

Real estate brokers can sell a mobile home only if it’s registered under the state’s manufactured housing law, and a broker displaying two or more homes for sale at a place of business also needs a dealer license (Business and Professions Code section 10131.6). Health and Safety Code section 18046 counts licensed real estate brokers and salespersons as agents in these sales and applies the Civil Code 2079 visual-inspection duty when they sell a used home.

Buying into a park: approval, lease and disclosures

The Mobilehome Residency Law, Civil Code section 798 and following, sets the rules for selling a home that stays in the park.

Get the prospective-homeowner form. When you ask for a residency application for a space with a home for sale, management must give you an “Information for Prospective Homeowners” form within two business days, covering rent, fees, rent control and lease terms (section 798.74.5).
Apply for approval. Within 15 days of being told about the sale, management must give the seller and you its written approval standards, including any minimum credit score. It may reject you only for inability to pay rent and charges, a reasonable finding from prior tenancies that you won’t follow park rules, or fraud in the application (section 798.74).
Watch the 15-business-day clock. Management must accept or reject you in writing within 15 business days of receiving everything it asked for, or the application is deemed approved. Any credit report fee is credited to your first month’s rent, or refunded within 30 days if you’re rejected.
Sign the rental agreement before closing. The escrow or sale agreement must include a fully executed rental agreement or a signed statement of agreed terms, and a buyer without one has no tenancy rights (section 798.75).
Read the disclosures. Resales of manufactured homes and mobile homes use the state’s Manufactured Home and Mobilehome Transfer Disclosure Statement (Civil Code section 1102.6d).

Be careful with long leases. Calistoga’s and American Canyon’s ordinances exempt spaces under qualifying rental agreements longer than 12 months, citing Civil Code section 798.17, and the state’s prospective-homeowner form warns that a lease of more than one year may remove the space from local rent control for that term.

State law has since changed. The County of Sonoma’s housing agency notes that under AB 2782, leases longer than 12 months are no longer exempt from local rent stabilization as of January 1, 2025, so ask the city how it applies that change before you sign.

Local rent rules in Calistoga, American Canyon and Napa

Calistoga

Calistoga’s chapter 2.22 covers every park in the city, except spaces under qualifying leases longer than 12 months and newly built spaces first offered for rent after January 1, 1990. Rent can rise only once in 12 months, by the lesser of 100% of the San Francisco-Oakland CPI change or 6% of base rent, with written notice at least 90 days ahead.

The owner can’t raise the rent when a home is sold in place to a new owner; a new base rent can be set only after a lawful vacancy, such as a legal termination or the voluntary removal of the home. Larger increases go through a petition, mediation and arbitration process, and residents of at least 51% of affected spaces can petition within 30 days of a notice.

American Canyon

American Canyon’s chapter 15.04 applies to every mobile home park in the city, except spaces under qualifying leases of more than 12 months and newly built spaces first offered for rent after January 1, 1990. Increases are limited to 100% of the annual CPI change, no more than once in 12 months, and nothing above 6% without a mediation panel or arbitrator’s approval.

When a home is sold in place, the park may raise the base rent by no more than $25 a month; a full new base rent is allowed only after a lawful vacancy. The ordinance requires 90 days’ notice of a rent increase. If the increase exceeds the limit based on the June CPI, the notice must explain the calculation and residents’ right to request mediation or arbitration.

Residents of at least 51% of affected spaces can petition, and a three-person panel mediates first. If that fails, an arbitrator assigned within 15 business days issues a written decision within 14 days of the hearing. The city’s page on the Olympia Mobilodge review process walks through each step.

City of Napa, St. Helena, Yountville and the county

In the City of Napa, chapter 15.64 adopts the state Mobile Home Parks Act, and installation permits come from the state. We reviewed the city’s online code and its mobile home housing page in October 2026 and found no space-rent stabilization ordinance. Chapter 8.17, on residential rental property, sets lease, house-rule and on-site manager requirements, not rent limits.

Ask the city’s Housing Division (City Hall, 707-257-9500) and the park for the current rules before relying on any limit.

In St. Helena, nearly 60% of voters rejected Measure F in June 2019. It would have let Vineyard Valley residents sign leases of a year or less with increases no greater than the CPI. We found no later ordinance; confirm with the city.

In Yountville, the town council discussed space-rent limits for Bella Vista and Rancho de Napa in August 2026. It asked staff to gather facts, meet with residents and park owners and review rent histories, and adopted no ordinance.

In unincorporated Napa County, the county’s Environmental Health Division enforces the state Mobilehome Parks Act in parks under its jurisdiction, and installing a home in a park there needs a county building permit. Neither the county’s mobilehome parks page nor its housing element correspondence mentions a space-rent ordinance, and the county code could not be opened for this review.

The county’s 2023–2031 housing element includes programs to maintain existing mobilehome parks and to help parks rebuild. In every park, state law still governs notices, approval, rules and terminations.

Age-restricted parks

A park that limits residency by age must do so lawfully. State law lets management require a buyer to meet an age rule only if the rule fits the federal Fair Housing Act’s exemption for housing for older persons, as amended by Public Law 104-76 (Civil Code section 798.76).

Ask the park for its written age policy and how it verifies occupancy, and get the policy in writing before you remove your contingencies. For comparison across the county line, see our guide to 55-plus communities in Sonoma County.

Financing, down payment help and inspections

A home in a park is personal property, so buyers typically use a loan secured by the home alone rather than a standard mortgage, or pay cash. Expect different rates and terms from a house loan, and ask lenders whether they finance homes of the age and size you’re considering. Diamond may refer you to partners we work with; you’re free to choose any provider.

The City of Napa offers down payment assistance for mobile and manufactured homes inside city limits built in 1974 or later. Its page lists a 0% loan of up to $58,000 or 30% of the price, whichever is less, deferred for 20 years and forgivable starting in year 11, for households at or below 80% of median income ($106,700 for a household of four as listed in October 2026), with a 620 minimum credit score and a 1% buyer contribution.

Inspect the home as you would a house, plus the items specific to manufactured homes: the HUD label or data plate, the piers and tie-downs, skirting, roof and any additions or decks, which need their own permits. A park can require an older home to be removed on sale only in limited cases, such as an older home that fails health and safety standards on inspection or one in significantly rundown condition, and it must give specific notice (section 798.73).

Fire, flood and utilities

Check the State Fire Marshal’s fire hazard severity zone viewer and FEMA flood maps for the park’s address, because both affect insurance. Our guides to fire hazard severity zones and North Bay flood zones explain how to read them.

The state’s prospective-homeowner form notes that metered utilities are billed on use. Ask management which utilities are included in rent, which are submetered, and who maintains the lines up to your home. In the City of Napa, wastewater service comes from the Napa Sanitation District, which serves the city and surrounding unincorporated areas. Calistoga’s zoning requires parks in its Mobile Home Park District to connect to city sewer and water.

Selling a mobile home in Napa County

State law protects your right to sell in place. Management can’t show or list your home without your written authorization, and it can’t require you to use the park or a specific broker or dealer as your agent (section 798.71).

Tell management in writing that the home is for sale, and ask for the park’s buyer approval standards so you can share them with buyers.
Gather records: HCD title and registration, tax bills, permits for additions, the current rental agreement and the park rules.
Price on comparable park sales. In parks with rent stabilization, a lower controlled space rent can support the home’s value; in parks without it, buyers weigh the market rent.
Plan for the buyer’s approval and lease signing within your escrow timeline.

Selling an inherited mobile home works differently when the owner has died; see our probate and trust sales page. For our full selling process, see selling a home in Napa County.

Questions people ask

Do I own the land when I buy a mobile home in a Napa park?

Usually not. You own the home and rent the space from the park under a written rental agreement, unless the park is a resident-owned park or the home sits on land you buy.

Can the park reject me as a buyer?

Only on the grounds state law allows: inability to pay the rent and charges, a reasonable finding from prior tenancies that you won’t follow park rules, or fraud in your application. It must answer in writing within 15 business days of receiving your complete application, or you’re deemed approved.

Can the park raise the space rent when I buy the home?

In Calistoga, no: the ordinance bars an increase on an in-place sale. In American Canyon, the increase at sale is limited to $25 a month. Elsewhere it depends on local rules and your rental agreement, so ask management for the starting rent in writing and compare it with the seller’s rent.

Is my space rent capped by state law?

State law adds limits only in narrow cases, so local ordinances matter most. Calistoga and American Canyon have mobile home rent stabilization ordinances. We found none in the City of Napa, St. Helena, Yountville or the unincorporated county, so confirm with the city or county.

Does the City of Napa have mobile home rent control?

We found no space-rent stabilization ordinance in the City of Napa’s online code or on its mobile home housing page. Confirm with the city’s Housing Division and the park, and get the starting rent in writing.

Where can I find mobile homes for sale in Napa County?

Use our property search for homes currently listed for sale. For any home you find, ask the park for its current space rent, rental agreement and rules before you make an offer, because those set much of the monthly cost.

How are mobile homes taxed in Napa County?

Homes first sold new on or after July 1, 1980, or converted at the owner’s request, pay local property tax based on their value at purchase. Older, unconverted homes stay under the state license-fee system.

Are there 55-plus mobile home parks in Napa County?

Ask each park. A park may enforce an age rule on a buyer only if it fits the federal housing-for-older-persons exemption, so get the written policy from the park.

Can I get help with a down payment?

The City of Napa offers a deferred, forgivable down payment loan for eligible mobile and manufactured homes inside city limits, with income limits and a first-time buyer requirement of no ownership in the past three years.

If you’re comparing parks or getting ready to sell, we can pull the title, park rules and rent history and walk you through approval. Start with our Napa County buyer representation; across the county line, our Sonoma County mobile homes guide covers parks there.

This is general information, not legal or tax advice; talk to a California real estate attorney or tax adviser about your situation.

Sources & notes

Rent rules change. The City of Napa, St. Helena and unincorporated county findings reflect the online codes and county pages we could open in October 2026; Napa County’s own code could not be opened. Park names come from city pages and local news coverage, not a full park list. Down payment program terms and income limits change; confirm them with the city.

Last reviewed October 2026 by Matthew Martinez.