Floating homes are generally required to be moored in areas designated for that purpose, and in many areas, the growth of such “floating communities” is discouraged by local jurisdictions. Cities and towns tend to view them as cluttering the waterways and they present unique problems requiring special efforts,which puts pressure on limited city budgets.
Where they’re allowed, they’re usually moored alongside docks with projections called slips. To moor a floating home is to attach it to a dock or permanent anchor with ropes instead of a rigid connection. This allows the home to rise and fall with the tide or seasonal changes in water levels and puts less stress on permanent docks and mooring anchors.
Although some floating home communities allow slips to be sold, the slip facility or marina is typically owned by a company that rents the slips out. In most places, homes are subject to property tax, which helps defray the cost of police and fire department services. In some states, such as Oregon, homes are taxed as personal property, so no tax is paid on the land. Slip rental prices are usually figured by the linear foot. A management company maintains the slip facilities for which there is usually an additional monthly fee. The marina may be responsible for providing some utilities, such as potable water, natural gas, electrical power, and/or sewage. In some areas, the homeowner must contract directly with the utility provider. Gas, water and sewer pipes and electrical power lines are suspended from the undersides of docks and branch out to homes in each slip.
Sewage handling is worth mentioning. Each home has what’s called a “honey pot,” properly called a macerator. This is a tank in the 30- to 50-gallon range with a mechanism that grinds sewage down to about 1/16-inch, with a pump that pumps it ashore through a flexible hose. Inexpensive honey pots may last only a couple of years, and replacing them is an expensive and unpleasant chore. Stainless steel is a good choice for tank material.
Sewer pipes in modern systems are connected to the public sewer system. Smaller marinas sometimes have a main holding tank that may be connected to the public sewer system, or it may require pumping.
