Wash. Rev. Code § 59.20 § 59.20.340
Manufactured/mobile home communities -- Sale, transfer.
Operative Text
(1) With regard to a sale or transfer of a manufactured/mobile home community, RCW 59.20.325 and 59.20.330 do not apply to any: (a) Sale or transfer to an individual identified in RCW 11.04.015 if the owner of the manufactured/mobile home community dies intestate; (b) Transfer by gift, devise, or operation of law; (c) Transfer by a corporation to an affiliate; (d) Transfer by a partnership to any of its partners; (e) Transfer among the shareholders who own a manufactured/mobile home community; (f) Transfer to a member of the owner's family or to a trust for the sole benefit of members of the owner's family; (g) Sale or transfer of less than a controlling interest in the legal entity that owns the manufactured/mobile home community; (h) Conveyance of an interest in a manufactured/mobile home community incidental to the financing of the mobile home park; (i) Sale or transfer between or among joint tenants or tenants in common owning a manufactured/mobile home community; (j) Bona fide exchange of a manufactured/mobile home community for other real property under section 1031 of the internal revenue code, as long as, at the time the manufactured/mobile home community owner lists the property or receives an offer for the manufactured/mobile home community, the owner has already commenced the exchange by the purchase of a property through a qualified exchange agent. In that circumstance, the owner has a deadline for selling the manufactured/mobile home community in order to gain the 1031 tax benefits; and (k) Purchase of a manufactured/mobile home community by a governmental entity under the entity's powers of eminent domain. (2) For the purposes of this section, "affiliate" means an individual, corporation, limited partnership, unincorporated association, or entity that holds any direct or indirect ownership interest in the manufactured/mobile home community, except that the notice and extension of the opportunity to purchase must be granted to a qualified tenant organization or other eligible organization where the majority interest in the ownership of the manufactured/mobile home community or the power, directly or indirectly, to direct or cause the direction of the management and policies over the manufactured/mobile home community, whether through ownership of voting stock, by contract, or otherwise, is sold, transferred, or conveyed to any individual, corporation, limited partnership, unincorporated association, or other entity which has not held such a direct or indirect ownership interest in the manufactured/mobile home community for three or more years.
Washington's Wash. Rev. Code § 59.20.010 et seq. § 59.20.340 identifies a specific list of transactions involving manufactured/mobile home communities that are exempt from the notice and opportunity-to-purchase requirements otherwise imposed by RCW 59.20.325 and 59.20.330. These exemptions cover situations such as intestate inheritance, family transfers, intra-entity transfers among existing owners, certain 1031 tax exchanges already in progress, and government eminent domain acquisitions. However, the provision also clarifies that when a majority ownership interest or management control shifts to a party that has not held an ownership stake for at least three years, the notice and purchase opportunity requirements still apply even if the transaction might otherwise resemble an affiliate transfer.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Under Wash. Rev. Code § 59.20.010 et seq. § 59.20.340, operators and owners of manufactured/mobile home communities generally document whether a contemplated transaction falls within one of the listed exemptions before concluding that the RCW 59.20.325 and 59.20.330 notice obligations do not apply. Owners pursuing a 1031 exchange typically ensure that the exchange has already been formally commenced through a qualified exchange agent before listing or accepting an offer on the community. When any transaction shifts majority control or management authority to a party that has not held a direct or indirect ownership interest for three or more years, compliant operators treat the notice and opportunity-to-purchase requirements as applicable regardless of how the transaction is structured.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Wash. Rev. Code § 59.20.010 et seq. § 59.20.340 affects residents of manufactured/mobile home communities by defining when the protections of RCW 59.20.325 and 59.20.330—including notice of sale and the opportunity to purchase—do not have to be extended to tenants or their organizations. Tenants should be aware that even transactions styled as internal or affiliate transfers may still trigger those protections if the incoming party has not held an ownership interest in the community for at least three years. Residents who believe a sale or transfer was improperly characterized as exempt may wish to consult a tenant-rights organization familiar with Washington manufactured-housing law or explore whether a complaint or legal challenge is appropriate.
General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.
Generated October 7, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
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