Business or Occupancy Permit?

Question

Hey BP,

The mobile home park that I am looking at purchasing has a valid permit from the county health department. I had read to ask for the business permit or occupancy permit and that a mobile home park with issues with either of these permits is something not to take lightly.

I suppose it would be best to talk to an attorney to see if these permits are required in my area of Florida? Anyone have experience here?

Thanks!

Kellen

John Jacobus · Answer

Talk to:

• The county planning/zoning office to determine if a permit is required to operate the park and the zoning status of your park (legal conforming, legal non-conforming (I.e., grandfathered) or illegal).
• The county or state department of health and/or environmental quality to determine the status of any outstanding violations and permits needed to operate the utilities in the park (if applicable).

Definitely include your attorney but also understand that speaking with the local governing agencies and obtaining details in writing is critical.

Jack Martin · Answer

@Kellen Driscoll the letter mentioned by @John Jacobus above is commonly referred to as a “zoning verification letter” and will confirm your right to continue to operate as a park, once you own it. Depending on where the park is located, you will obtain that from the city or county zoning department, and it is common that you will be charged a small fee of $50-75 for the letter. You should be able to make the request through phone and email, but you can always go in person if you aren’t having success. Keep in mind, they don’t encounter this every day so it may not be familiar to them, but just explain what you are doing and ask for their help.  If you treat people with kindness, you should have no trouble navigating this process, even if you have never done it before. Also, I always like to confirm that there are no outstanding violations or surprises at each of the other departments. (zoning, building safety, environmental, code compliance, flood control, etc) This process will require some patience because you will need to contact each department individually and the left hand does not always know what the right hand is doing, but it is worth the peace of mind to know the park is 100% in compliance prior to closing.

All the best,

Jack