Specific Use Permits are important for understanding how cities and towns can implement zoning and regulate land use in Oklahoma. In 2003, the Oklahoma legislature approved a new law that added two new sections to our state statutes, at Title 11, Sections 43-113 through 43-115.

• WHY PERMITS ARE REQUIRED

  • One of the primary changes the law allowed was to create a “permit” process for land uses that are “those types of uses which, because of the size of the land they require or the specialized nature of the use, may more intensely dominate the area in which they are located and their effects on the general public are broader in scope than other uses permitted in the district”.

  • Some uses of property affect neighboring properties, or the community, and in those instances we could adopt new policies for those properties.