Demolition permits in the OKC metro: city by city

Before a machine touches a building, most cities around Oklahoma City want paperwork on file — and a few want quite a bit of it. Here's what each city posts about demolition permits, followed by the state's asbestos rules that sit on top of them. If you're planning a teardown, our demolition page covers the work itself.

Why the permit matters

Where cities spell out what a demolition permit involves, the utilities come first. Oklahoma City wants signed releases from the electric, gas, water and storm-water side; Yukon wants a utility authorization and the sewer capped; Piedmont wants a gas-company release. The point is that nothing live is left under the rubble — so the paperwork often starts with the utility companies, not the demolition crew. Who applies — the owner or the contractor — is worth settling before the job is scheduled.

Oklahoma City

Oklahoma City requires a permit to demolish any structure on a property — the main building or an accessory one like a garage or shed. Apply online at okc.gov/access or in person at Development Services, 420 W. Main St., first floor; questions go to (405) 297-2525. The demolition checklist okc.gov posts with its commercial permit requirements asks for:

• The property address and legal description
• Contact information for the owner and the applicant
• The building's overall height, number of stories, and what it was used for before demolition
• A scaled site plan showing property lines, easements, right-of-way, a north arrow and where the building sits
• Signed releases from the electric provider (OG&E or whoever serves the property), Oklahoma Natural Gas, OKC Water/Wastewater Utilities and OKC Storm Water Quality
• For multifamily, commercial and industrial buildings, a DEQ release as well

Edmond

Edmond splits demolition into two permit types: exterior, for taking a structure down or working on its outside, and interior, for gutting the inside with no finish-out afterward. The city only takes permit requests through its online portal, and plan review fees are due when you apply. Edmond's permit desk is at (405) 359-4780.

Norman

Norman takes permit applications through its CityView online portal. The city's current building fee schedule, dated August 2026, lists a demolition permit at $20 for the first story plus $12.50 for each story above it.

Yukon

Yukon issues demolition permits through Development Services, and a utility authorization form has to be signed along the way. The city's posted requirements also call for the sewer to be capped and inspected, foundations, slabs and any secondary structures to be removed, and any well on the property to be sealed or capped.

Piedmont

Piedmont's demolition application covers interior and structure demolition. Taking down a structure calls for a plot plan and a demolition plan, a copy of the deed, an ONG release, a DEQ release for commercial work (and residential where it applies), and proof of liability insurance and workers' compensation. The form on the city's site is an older one, so confirm it's current with City Hall at (405) 373-2000.

Midwest City

Midwest City doesn't currently post demolition-specific rules online. Its Permits & Building Inspections Division, at 100 N. Midwest Blvd., (405) 739-1211, takes permit applications, including through the city's CityWorks portal — call them before scheduling a teardown.

Bethany

Bethany doesn't post a demolition checklist, but its permit fee page says building permits are needed for most demolition work and lists a $50 demolition permit fee.

Stillwater

Stillwater posts its own residential demolition permit application, which asks for an aerial image showing the structures and can be turned in by email or at Development Services, 723 S. Lewis St., (405) 742-8220. If the building is on city sewer, a licensed plumber has to pull a plumbing permit to disconnect the line before the demolition permit is issued.

Shawnee

Shawnee's demolition permit application (the posted form dates from March 2024) calls for a contractor licensed with the city, insured and bonded. Everything but rock and dirt has to go to a legal landfill, the sewer cap has to pass inspection before the permit is closed, and a commercial demolition needs an asbestos (NESHAP) report filed with the application. The permitting clerk is at (405) 878-1666.

Del City

A Del City demolition permit is good for 30 days. Gas, electric and water have to be disconnected before work starts and Public Works has to inspect the sewer cap; when the job's done, the lot has to be left at an even grade with the debris and hard surfaces cleared up to the drive approach. The permits desk is at (405) 677-5741, ext. 7314.

Guthrie

Guthrie's demolition permit form, posted on its building inspection page, costs $25 for a one-story building and $35 for two. The owner or their agent contacts every utility and emails the releases to the Planning Department at code@cityofguthrie.com, and the sewer has to be sealed once the structure is down. Planning: (405) 282-1110.

Chickasha and Choctaw

Neither city posts a demolition checklist, but both publish fees. Chickasha's fee schedule lists $65 for a single-family home, $44 per multifamily unit, $33 for an accessory building and $110 for a commercial or industrial building under 10,000 square feet; permits run through the city's MyGov system and Community Development, (405) 222-6010. Choctaw's fiscal 2027 building fee schedule lists a $45 demolition inspection fee; Development Services is at (405) 390-2999.

Cities without a posted demolition page

Newcastle, Moore, Mustang, El Reno, Weatherford, Warr Acres and The Village don't post a demolition permit page. That doesn't mean no permit is needed — call the city offices before anything comes down. Our El Reno, Weatherford, Warr Acres and The Village pages list the building-permit contacts those cities publish.

Asbestos: the state's rules

On top of any city permit, the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality enforces the federal asbestos rule (known as NESHAP). It requires DEQ to be notified before the demolition of commercial, industrial and institutional buildings, and of residential buildings with more than four units.

Residential buildings with four or fewer units are outside the rule unless the project serves a commercial or public purpose, and DEQ notes that a single-family home generally isn't covered. Several homes torn down together for a commercial project can be, though — and DEQ's own fact sheets don't agree on the exact number, so ask DEQ if that describes your job.

For a covered project, the building has to be inspected for asbestos before demolition, and DEQ has to be notified before work begins, on Form 100-960, Notification of Demolition and Renovation. The form asks whether asbestos is present and who the accredited inspector was. Contractors who remove asbestos must be licensed by the Oklahoma Department of Labor. DEQ's Air Quality Division answers questions at (405) 702-4100. Under the federal rule itself, notice for a covered demolition is due at least 10 working days before it begins, and it's required even when the inspection finds little or no asbestos.

The rule reaches past teardowns, too: stripping out enough asbestos-containing material during a renovation — a commercial interior gut-out, say — can bring a project under it. If you're pulling an interior demolition permit on a commercial building, ask DEQ whether yours counts.