(a) A city, including a charter city, county, or city and county, shall allow the installation of manufactured homes certified under the National Manufactured Housing Construction and Safety Standards Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C. Secs. 5401 et seq.) on a foundation system, pursuant to Section 18551 of the Health and Safety Code, on lots zoned for conventional single-family residential dwellings. Except with respect to architectural requirements, a city, including a charter city, county, or city and county, shall only subject the manufactured home and the lot on which it is placed to the same development standards to which a conventional single-family residential dwelling on the same lot would be subject, including, but not limited to, building setback standards, side and rear yard requirements, standards for enclosures, access, and vehicle parking, aesthetic requirements, and minimum square footage requirements. Any architectural requirements imposed on the manufactured home structure itself, exclusive of any requirement for any and all additional enclosures, shall be limited to its roof overhang, roofing material, and siding material. These architectural requirements may be imposed on manufactured homes even if similar requirements are not imposed on conventional single-family residential dwellings. However, any architectural requirements for roofing and siding material shall not exceed those which would be required of conventional single-family dwellings constructed on the same lot. At the discretion of the local legislative body, the city or county may preclude installation of a manufactured home in zones specified in this section if more than 10 years have elapsed between the date of manufacture of the manufactured home and the date of the application for the issuance of a permit to install the manufactured home in the affected zone. In no case may a city, including a charter city, county, or city and county, apply any development standards that will have the effect of precluding manufactured homes from being installed as permanent residences.

(b) At the discretion of the local legislative body, any place, building, structure, or other object having a special character or special historical interest or value, and which is regulated by a legislative body pursuant to Section 37361, may be exempted from this section, provided the place, building, structure, or other object is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

(Amended by Stats. 1994, Ch. 896, Sec. 3. Effective January 1, 1995.)