Oklahoma City Building Permit Office

Residential and commercial building applications can be submitted through the OKC Development, Permitting and Licensing Portal. An account is required for most permit applications and inspection requests. The portal also supports permit searches, application-status review, planning records, fire records and other City development records.

Oklahoma City’s current residential new-construction checklist calls for project-specific information rather than a simple permit form alone. Depending on the property and construction method, the submission can include the following:

• Property address, legal description, owner and applicant information
• Estimated construction cost and square footage
• Contractor information or the applicable homeowner documentation
• A scaled site plan showing property lines, easements, rights-of-way and the proposed building location
• Floor plans with room, wall, door, window and fixture information
• Exterior elevations and construction details
• Footing and foundation plans
• Structural engineering where the City’s checklist requires it
• Flood-elevation information when applicable
• Septic documentation when an onsite septic system is involved

A residential owner applying for the owner’s own building permit must also follow the City’s homeowner-exemption requirements. Commercial projects use separate commercial submittal requirements, so residential plan lists should not be reused for commercial applications.

The Development Center reviews building plans for applicable building and zoning requirements, but some land-use matters remain separate Planning Department processes. Oklahoma City’s zoning rules regulate permitted uses and development standards such as setbacks, lot dimensions, density, landscaping, parking and screening.

• Fire systems: Oklahoma City Fire Department maintains separate permit material for fire alarm, fire suppression, sprinkler, hazardous-material and other fire-code work.
• Commercial fire inspections: New or renovated structures other than one- and two-family dwellings may require Fire Code compliance before use and occupancy approval. Fire inspection procedures are handled through the Fire Marshal’s Office.
• Floodplain and drainage: Public Works participates in private-development review for floodplain, detention, drainage and related civil-engineering matters when those reviews apply.
• Right-of-way and driveway work: Work affecting public infrastructure can require additional Public Works permits or technical review rather than only a building permit.
• Septic systems: Residential submittal requirements direct applicants using septic systems to provide the applicable Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality documentation.

Building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing inspections are scheduled after the permit holder has received the required inspection list. The City lists three request methods: the online permitting portal, the automated IVR system at (405) 316-5656, and SelecTXT. Re-inspections can also be requested online or through IVR.

Normal construction-inspection hours are listed as 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. The City also publishes current inspection wait-time information, which is more useful for scheduling than assuming a fixed inspection turnaround.

Projects that require occupancy approval need the related permits and inspections completed to the level required by the City. Oklahoma City’s Temporary Certificate of Occupancy process requires the related project permits to be issued, applicable final or temporary-final inspections to be completed, permit holds to be released and required fees to be addressed.

The City states that Temporary Certificates of Occupancy are not issued for residential property. Commercial applicants needing temporary occupancy should use the City’s Certificate of Occupancy procedures rather than assuming a passed building inspection alone authorizes occupancy.

The City’s adopted-code page currently lists the 2018 International Building Code, 2018 International Residential Code, 2018 International Plumbing Code, 2018 International Mechanical Code, 2018 International Fire Code, 2018 International Fuel Gas Code, 2018 International Existing Building Code, the 2017 National Electrical Code and the 2009 International Energy Conservation Code, together with Oklahoma City supplements and other listed standards.

Project plans should be checked against the City’s current adopted-code page and local supplements rather than relying only on the edition printed in a third-party code reference.