CHAPTER 15. SPECIAL RESTRICTIONS CONCERNING SPECIAL TRACTOR-MOBILE HOME RIGS AND REQUIRED PERMITS

IC 9-20-15
     Chapter 15. Special Restrictions Concerning Special Tractor-Mobile Home Rigs and Required Permits

IC 9-20-15-1
Permit requirement
    
Sec. 1. A person may not operate a special tractor-mobile home rig on an Indiana highway unless the person first secures a permit to operate the rig from:
        (1) the Indiana department of transportation; or
        (2) an agency or a political subdivision of the state designated by the department to issue the permits.
As added by P.L.2-1991, SEC.8.

IC 9-20-15-2
Conditions for granting permit; local authorities; jurisdiction
    
Sec. 2. (a) The Indiana department of transportation may grant a permit to operate a special tractor-mobile home rig on an Indiana highway to a person upon the following conditions and in accordance with the rules that the department prescribes:
        (1) The special tractor-mobile home rig must be operated in a manner that will not unduly impede traffic or increase the hazard to traffic.
        (2) The special tractor-mobile home rig may be operated only over the highways in the state highway system, including, except as provided in section 5 of this chapter, the routes designated as federal highways and the state maintained routes through cities and towns. However, the special tractor-mobile home rig may not extend over the lines delineating highway lanes into another lane except when passing.
        (3) The special tractor-mobile home rig may be operated on the roads and highways only after sunrise and before sunset. However, the Indiana Department of Transportation may restrict hours of operation in first and second class cities if the department determines that rush hour traffic would cause an undue hazard to the motoring public.
        (4) The special tractor-mobile home rig may be operated only on days other than Sunday and the legal holidays that the Indiana Department of Transportation designates. The special tractor-mobile home rig may be operated between one-half (1/2) hour before sunrise and one-half (1/2) hour after sunset on any weekday and between one-half (1/2) hour before sunrise and noon on Saturday.
        (5) The special tractor-mobile home rig may be accompanied by a distinctively marked escort vehicle.
        (6) The operator of the special tractor-mobile home rig must be at least eighteen (18) years of age.
        (7) The low beam headlights of the towing vehicle for which the permit is granted must be on while the vehicle is in use as a towing vehicle component of a special tractor-mobile home

rig.
        (8) The special tractor-mobile home rig may not be operated closer than one thousand (1,000) feet to any other special tractor-mobile home rig traveling in the same direction.
        (9) Whenever there may be a clear roadway ahead of the special tractor-mobile home rig and more than three (3) vehicles immediately behind the tractor-mobile home rig, the operator of a special tractor-mobile home rig shall pull over to the right of the traveled portion of the road or highway at the first opportunity to do so safely, so as to allow following vehicles to pass.
        (10) The special tractor-mobile home rig may not be operated at a speed in excess of fifty-five (55) miles per hour on roads and highways, other than divided highways of at least four (4) lanes, except as otherwise provided by law.
        (11) The special tractor-mobile home rig may not be operated as follows:
            (A) During the existence of hazardous weather conditions causing visibility to be less than five hundred (500) feet.
            (B) During times when the steady wind velocity exceeds twenty-five (25) miles per hour.
            (C) At other times and under other conditions that the Indiana Department of Transportation by rule or emergency notice prescribes.
        (12) The person to whom the permit is granted shall present satisfactory evidence of the person's financial responsibility as provided in IC 9-25 to the granting authority.
        (13) When in use as a towing vehicle component of a special tractor-mobile home rig, the towing vehicle for which the permit is granted must have an overall length of not less than twelve (12) feet.
        (14) A permit granted for the towing vehicle component of a special tractor-mobile home rig may be suspended or revoked by the Indiana Department of Transportation for violation of any of the conditions of the permit set forth in this section or for violation of a rule or notice as provided for in this chapter.
        (15) The special tractor-mobile home rig may be operated only over roads or highways approved by the authority granting the permits.
        (16) The rules pertaining to special tractor-mobile home rigs do not apply to other vehicles.
    (b) This section may not be construed to prevent a local authority with respect to highways and roads under the authority's jurisdiction from granting permission to operate a special tractor-mobile home rig on roads and highways under the authority's jurisdiction that are not highways in the state highway system or state maintained routes through cities and towns.
As added by P.L.2-1991, SEC.8. Amended by P.L.125-1993, SEC.2; P.L.119-1995, SEC.5; P.L.217-2003, SEC.4.
IC 9-20-15-2.1
Transport from manufacturing facility to storage lot
    
Sec. 2.1. Notwithstanding IC 9-20-14 or this chapter, a manufacturer of mobile homes or an agent of a manufacturer of mobile homes may transport a tractor-mobile home rig of any size permitted under IC 9-20-14 or this chapter from the manufacturing facility to a storage lot if:
        (1) before transporting a tractor-mobile home rig the manufacturer or agent:
            (A) receives a permit from the motor carrier service division of the department of state revenue; and
            (B) complies with the requirements of IC 9-20-14-2; and
        (2) the distance between the manufacturing facility and the storage lot is less than fifteen (15) miles.
As added by P.L.82-1999, SEC.1.

IC 9-20-15-3
Special tractor-mobile home rigs subject to permit provisions; escort vehicles
    
Sec. 3. A special tractor-mobile home rig that is:
        (1) more than thirteen (13) feet, six (6) inches, in height, but less than fourteen (14) feet, six (6) inches, in height; and
        (2) not wider than one hundred forty-eight (148) inches at the base;
is subject to section 2 of this chapter. However, the rig is not subject to the requirement of an escort vehicle as specified in section 2(a)5 of this chapter.
As added by P.L.2-1991, SEC.8.

IC 9-20-15-4
"Individual owner" defined; general permits; special permits
    
Sec. 4. (a) As used in this section, "individual owner" means the owner of a mobile home or sectionalized building who bought the mobile home or sectionalized building for the owner's personal or business use and not for immediate resale.
    (b) The Indiana department of transportation shall grant permits to operate special tractor-mobile home rigs of two (2) general classes as follows:
        (1) General permits, for the operation of a special tractor-mobile home rig by a person, except an individual owner, in the ordinary course of the person's business.
        (2) Special permits, for the operation of a special tractor-mobile home rig for an individual owner for the express purpose of moving mobile homes or sectionalized buildings by a qualified mover.
    (c) General permits shall be issued annually. One (1) permit shall be issued for each towing vehicle to be used as a component of a special tractor-mobile home rig. The holder of a general permit may make, during the period of the permit, any number of mobile home or sectionalized building movements with the towing vehicle

component of the special tractor-mobile home rig for which the permit was granted. However, the Indiana department of transportation may adopt rules requiring the obtaining of a movement authorization for each movement.
    (d) A special permit is limited to the particular movement of the mobile home or sectionalized building for which the special permit is issued. A person purchasing a mobile home or sectionalized building, but who does not have a legal title to the mobile home or sectionalized building, is considered the owner of the mobile home or sectionalized building for the purposes of this chapter if the person has a contract with the seller or the seller's assignee. However, the person shall present to the granting authority a statement by the holder of the legal title to the mobile home or sectionalized building granting permission for the movement of the mobile home or sectionalized building.
As added by P.L.2-1991, SEC.8.

IC 9-20-15-5
Interstate highways; federal funds
    
Sec. 5. This chapter does not apply to interstate highways to the extent that the application of this chapter to those highways would cause the state to be deprived of any federal funds for highway purposes.
As added by P.L.2-1991, SEC.8.

IC 9-20-15-6
"Extra wide manufactured home rig" defined
    
Sec. 6. (a) As used in this section, "extra wide manufactured home rig" means any combination of a manufactured home or sectionalized building and a towing vehicle having all of the following dimensions:
        (1) Some part of the combination with a width greater than one hundred seventy-two (172) inches but not greater than one hundred ninety-two (192) inches.
        (2) The:
            (A) manufactured home part of the combination, including the hitch; or
            (B) sectionalized building part of the combination, including the hitch;
        with a length that does not exceed eighty-five (85) feet.
        (3) The tractor part of the combination with a length not less than twelve (12) feet.
        (4) None of the combination with a height greater than fourteen (14) feet six (6) inches.
    (b) The Indiana department of transportation may adopt rules under IC 4-22-2 to implement a permit system regulating the transportation of extra wide manufactured home rigs.
    (c) Rules adopted by the Indiana department of transportation under this section must address the following:
        (1) The competitive nature of Indiana's manufactured housing industry.         (2) The safety of persons who use the highways.
As added by P.L.95-1991, SEC.4. Amended by P.L.93-1997, SEC.11; P.L.217-2003, SEC.5.

IC 9-20-15-7
Quarterly or annual permit
    
Sec. 7. (a) This section applies to a person who purchases a quarterly or an annual permit under IC 9-29-6-9 to move a special tractor-mobile home rig.
    (b) A person described in subsection (a) shall use only the permissible routes for moving a special tractor-mobile home rig. The person must check the daily detour and restriction bulletin before choosing a route to travel. If the person moves a special tractor-mobile home rig on a route that is restricted or prohibited, the person's quarterly or annual permit may be revoked.
    (c) If a person's quarterly or annual permit is revoked under subsection (b), the person may not obtain a new quarterly or annual permit for a period of ninety (90) days. The person may move a special tractor-mobile home rig under a single trip permit until the person is eligible to obtain a new quarterly or annual permit.
As added by P.L.217-2003, SEC.6.