City of Tulsa Ordinances – Who are you going to call?

Note: There are City of Tulsa Ordinances, that are much more strict than our HOA restrictive Covenants.  We will list some of them  as many of us were not aware of most of them. (It might save us all some hefty fines.)

Who Can Be Fined For Not Following City Ordinances?

City of Tulsa Nuisance Ordinances

Ch. 1, Pg. 7 SECTION 106. Title 24 –
CRIMINAL PENALTY

WHO CAN BE FINED? Any person who anywhere within the City of Tulsa commits any nuisance or who knowingly permits the creation or continuation of any nuisance on any property owned or occupied by himself shall be guilty of a misdemeanor offense and upon conviction thereof shall be punished by a fine of not more than ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS ($1,000.00), excluding costs, fees and assessments, or by imprisonment in the City Jail for a period of not more than ninety (90) days, or by both such fine and imprisonment. Ord. Nos. 17942,21596,21954

Reporting problems in your neighborhood

Click on link to report violations 24 hours a day or call the Mayor’s Action Center at 918 596-2100 during regular business hours.

• Pot Holes can make your neighborhood look neglected. Please report them!
• Traffic Signals/Sign You can also request new street signs here.
• High Grass/Weed Violations Neighbor’s grass is over twelve (12) inches in height?? Weeds and other rank growths on private property or adjoining parking, including poison sumac, or vegetation taller than 12 inches except healthy trees, shrubs, or produce for human consumption grown in a tended and cultivated garden. Please let the City of Tulsa  know about the problem and where to find it. 
• Trash, junk or debris in yard/curb (toys, household furniture, appliances, garbage)  Such items may not be left in the yard and must be disposed of, including auto parts, appliances, indoor furniture, tires, trash, tree trimmings, etc.   Only things normally stored outdoors may be kept outdoors– such as firewood, grills, lawn furniture, hoses, playground equipment for children.
• Broken windows or open doors on a house 
• Swimming pool- stagnant or not secured
• House look neglected? Walls/roof caving in, tarp on roof
• Illegally Parked or Inoperable Vehicle on Private Property (yard, driveway, etc Tulsa city ordinance prohibits the parking of vehicles in yards and requires vehicles in driveways to be fully operable. They can’t be used for storage or parked in the yard, street or driveway. Inoperable vehicles (left in same spot ) must be stored within enclosed structures, unless they appear to be operable and capable of being legally operated. Expired tags don’t count but flat tires and missing parts probably deem them “inoperable”.
• Boats and other recreational vehicles parked in driveway  Title 42 Chapter 4 Section 402.B. 7  (Can also report violations to  the Department of Public Works Neighborhood Inspections Section 596-7698.)  
• Abandoned / Disabled Vehicle on City Street When a car parked on the street has not been moved in some time request that the abandoned vehicle be tagged for towing. ehicles may not be left parked in the same spot on the street longer than 24 hours. Police will “red-tag” the vehicle, marking it for tow unless it is moved in 24 hours. No vehicle can be parked in the yard at any time, and no commercial equipment–semi trucks, dump trucks, wreckers–may be parked in residential neighborhoods.(Residential Use Codes.)
• Graffiti
• Dumping Violations If you have observed a site where someone has dumped their trash, please use this form to let us know about the problem and where to find it.
• Advertising Sign Violations Tulsa has ordinances (here) that limit the way signs can be used including height, width, placement and installation methods. If you believe a sign has been installed that violates these ordinances or seems to be unsafe, please use this form to report it.  Advertising Signs
• Water Line Breaks
• Sewer Line Breaks
• Barking Dog
• Other Problems
• Jay Parking Title 37 – Tulsa Traffic Code SECTION 511. MANNER OF PARKING  C. No person shall park a vehicle on a street unless the vehicle is headed in
  the direction of traffic with the curb side wheels of the vehicle parallel to and within twelve (12) inches of the curb or roadside edge. (Channel 6 video- Jay parking is one of the most ticketed parking violations in Tulsa.) REPORT TO THE POLICE NON-EMERGENCY NUMBER.

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Tulsa’s residential-use codes were passed to preserve property values and to guard the health of residents and the safety of residential property. Title 24, Chapter 1, Section 101 covers “Nuisances Affecting Health”.
Enforcement. Report such violations to  the Department of Public Works Neighborhood Inspections Section 596-7698 or to the Mayor’s Action Center (918 596-2100)

• Trash cans at curb. Paragraph 16 prohibits: Garbage cans or any trash containers which are not fly-tight or are kept or stored within 12 feet of a curb, or edge of paving where there is no curb, in excess of 24 hours.
• Trees and shrubs. It is illegal for their density or location to block motorists’ view around street corners or to create a fire hazard or interfere with the mowing of weeds and grass; to harbor, conceal, or invite deposits of refuse or trash; to harbor rodents or vermin; or if they give off unpleasant or noxious odors; or if they are dead or diseased.
  
• Illegal fences. Front yard fences may not exceed 4 feet and backyard or side-yard fences may not exceed 8 feet in height. Most neighborhoods have restrictive covenants limiting backyard fence height to 6 feet.
• Animals  running loose The City of Tulsa has a current animal ordinance and requires adherence to the leash law.  The Tulsa Animal Shelter at 669-6299 handles complaints  and will pick up stray or injured animals.  The shelter staff will help you to work with neighbors on “pet” problems. Please refer to the Tulsa Animal Shelter website for more information: www.tulsa-animalshelter.org.
• NOISE ORDINANCES– Problem With Neighbors Loud Music?     Someone Disturbing Your Peace? Tulsa’s noise ordinance declares as nuisances “all loud or unusual noises and annoying vibrations which offend the peace and quiet of persons of ordinary sensibilities.” — Tulsa City Ordinances, Title 24, Chapter 1, Section 103 part F
• Mufflers- “Every motor vehicle shall at all times be equipped with a muffler in good working order . . . to prevent excessive or unusual noise and annoying smoke, and no person shall use a muffler cut-out, bypass or similar device upon a motor vehicle on any street or highway. No person shall modify the exhaust system of a motor vehicle in any manner which will amplify or increase the noise or sound emitted louder than that emitted by the muffler originally installed on the vehicle.” — Tulsa City Ordinances, Title 37, Chapter 7, section 721