A lawsuit filed last month against the owner of a mobile home park in Norridgewock marked the state’s first attempt to enforce new provisions of laws passed last year aimed at protecting lot renters.

But state officials are mum on whether they expect similar legal actions to follow elsewhere. And the association representing mobile home park owners, which advocated against the new requirements, says its members nevertheless are committed to following the law.

The complaint, which the Office of the Maine Attorney General filed Aug. 4 in Kennebec County Superior Court, alleges that Brown Stone MHP, LLC, of Auburn, failed to follow the law when it nearly doubled monthly lot rents without proper notice. It further alleges the company, which owns the 15-lot Tempesta Way park, imposed illegal fees on its tenants.

Brown Stone, represented by Edward L. Dilworth III of Dow’s Law Office in Norway, denied all of the allegations in its response in court, filed Aug. 28.

Superior Court Justice Michaela Murphy, following standard court scheduling practices, set the deadline for discovery to be completed by May 1, 2027. Before then, the two sides were also ordered to participate in an alternative dispute resolution conference, also standard in civil suits.

Danna Hayes, spokesperson for the attorney general’s office, confirmed the case is the state’s first attempt at enforcing new requirements for notice of rent increases at mobile home parks. Hayes declined to answer questions about whether that is a priority for the office now, or if more cases are in the works.

The law, which came amid a flurry of legislation in 2025 aimed at protecting mobile home park residents from rising rents that could drive them out of their homes, was originally proposed as a rent control measure. But it was ultimately amended to, among other things, require owners to provide a 90-day notice for rent increases.

Some park owners apparently misinterpreted the law and used it to justify raising their rents, the Portland Press Herald reported.

Julie Ann Smith, executive director of the Manufactured Housing Association of Maine, which opposed the legislation, said the group is working with state officials “for guidance and clarification regarding the standards for implementing and enforcing the new requirements.”

“While MHAM has expressed concerns that some of the state’s new requirements could make it more difficult for community owners to operate, maintain and invest in their communities,” Smith said in a statement, “our members understand the importance of complying with Maine’s new laws and strive to operate responsibly and ethically, communicate clearly with residents and meet all applicable requirements.”

Smith noted that Brown Stone is not a member of the association.

According to the attorney general’s office’s complaint, Brown Stone bought the park in May 2024. Residents own their homes and rent their lots from the company; none has a written lease agreement.

At the time of the purchase, the monthly lot rent was $245, and the only fees were a late payment fee, according to the filing.

In June 2024, Brown Stone provided written notice to residents that monthly lot rent was to increase to $450 and there would be a new pet fee of $25, both effective in September 2024, the complaint says. State law does not allow mobile home park owners to charge fees for pets.

In May 2025, Brown Stone said that effective July 1, 2025, rents would increase to $550, the complaint says. That, the lawsuit alleges, did not comply with the law at the time, which required 75 days’ notice of rent increases.

The attorney general’s office says it then issued a “civil investigative demand” a few days after residents received the notice. The complaint says that, as of July 2026, Brown Stone has only provided documents responsive to one of the office’s requests.

On June 10, 2025, Brown Stone told residents that the notice should have said the increase to $550 per month was effective Aug. 1, 2025. The attorney general’s office says that also did not comply with the 75-day notice requirement.

On June 1, Brown Stone sent a notice to residents that, effective Aug. 1, monthly lot rent was increasing to $565 and it was imposing a new water and sewer charge of $39 per month, according to the lawsuit.

The notice did not comply with the increased 90-day notice requirement, which at that point was in effect, the attorney general’s office alleges. It also failed to include information required under the new law, such as the residents’ rights to mediation with the park owner, at the park owner’s expense.

The attorney general’s office wants Brown Stone to pay it a civil penalty of $10,000 per violation of the Maine Unfair Trade Practice Act; an amount sufficient to pay back anyone who suffered a loss based on the illegal rent increases and fees; any profits from the illegal rent increases and fees; and $5,000 for each of Brown Stone’s failures to comply with the civil investigative demand.

The office is also seeking a court order that, in effect, requires Brown Stone to follow the law.