The City of Tulsa zoning code, found in Title 42 of the Tulsa Revised Ordinances, controls how every parcel inside city limits can be used and built on. It does this by assigning each property to a base district, sometimes layering an overlay on top, and setting dimensional rules that limit the size, placement, and activities allowed on the lot. If you want to know what you can build, what your neighbor can build, or what to do when the rules say no, the answer starts with your district designation and ends, when necessary, at the Board of Adjustment or the City Council.
Find Your Zoning District First
Every answer in the code depends on which district your property sits in. The Tulsa Planning Office hosts an interactive zoning map that lets you type in an address and see the district acronym (RS-3, CH, MX1, and so on), overlay boundaries, and pending cases nearby.1Tulsa Planning Office. Maps
Treat the online map as a starting point, not the final word. Its data is compiled from several sources and can lag behind recent amendments. Before you spend money on plans, confirm the designation with the Planning Office or against the official zoning map referenced in Section 1.100 of the code.
What the Base Districts Allow
Tulsa groups land into residential, commercial, office, industrial, and mixed-use districts. Each family runs on an intensity scale, so the rules can fit a quiet cul-de-sac or a warehouse corridor without using the same regulations for both.
Residential Districts
The residential family is wider than most people assume. It includes Residential Single-Family Estate (RE), six single-family tiers (RS-1 through RS-5), Residential Duplex (RD), Residential Townhouse (RT), four multifamily levels (RM-0 through RM-3), and Residential Manufactured Housing (RMH).2Municode Library. Tulsa Code of Ordinances – Chapter 5 Residential Districts RE is the least intensive. As you climb toward RM-3, lots shrink, density rises, and the building types broaden from single houses to duplexes, townhouses, and apartment complexes. Each use inside a district is labeled permitted by right, allowed only by special exception, or prohibited.
Commercial, Office, and Industrial
Commercial districts run from Neighborhood Commercial (CS) through General Commercial (CG) to High-Intensity Commercial (CH). Office districts (OL, OM, OH) cover professional and medical uses at low, medium, and high intensity. Industrial districts (IL, IM, IH) handle manufacturing and warehousing, with the heaviest operations kept to IH zones away from homes.3Tulsa Planning. Tulsa Zoning Code
Mixed-Use
Mixed-Use (MX) districts allow residential and commercial activity in the same building or on the same lot. Not every MX sub-district permits the same combination, so check the permitted-use table for your specific designation before counting on a particular tenant mix.
Dimensional Rules That Shape What Fits
Knowing your district is step one. Step two is the set of dimensional rules that decide whether a given project will actually fit the lot.
Setbacks set the minimum distance between any structure and each property line. Front, side, and rear setbacks change by district and are the number-one reason a planned addition won’t fit where the owner wanted it.
Building height is measured differently depending on roof type and district. The measurement rules sit in Chapter 90, and reading them before you draw plans is worth the time.
Lot coverage caps the share of a parcel that can be covered by buildings and impervious surfaces like driveways and patios. It manages stormwater and keeps small lots from being paved end to end.
Floor area ratio (FAR) expresses total building floor area as a ratio to lot area. A FAR of 0.5 on a 10,000-square-foot lot allows up to 5,000 square feet of floor space, whether in one story or stacked. FAR is the regulation that most often constrains commercial and multifamily projects.
Parking requirements are set by use, with different ratios for multifamily buildings, restaurants, medical offices, and so on. They sit in Chapter 55 and can sometimes be modified by a Parking Impact Overlay or a special exception.
Overlays and PUDs Can Change the Answer
Beyond the base district, Tulsa layers overlay zones on certain areas. An overlay supplements the base district, adding or modifying rules for a specific concern like historic character, riverfront design, or infill compatibility.3Tulsa Planning. Tulsa Zoning Code The categories include Historic Preservation (HP), River Design (RDO), Neighborhood Infill (NIO), Neighborhood Character (NCO), Parking Impact (PI), Route 66 (RT66), Healthy Neighborhoods (HNO), and Special Area (SA). The HP overlay in particular requires design review by the Tulsa Preservation Commission for exterior changes, new construction, and demolitions in designated historic neighborhoods.4Tulsa Planning Office. Historic Preservation Overlay
Planned Unit Developments work differently. A PUD is a negotiated overlay that lets a developer redistribute uses and intensity across a site, as long as the overall density stays within the limits of the underlying base districts.5Municode Library. Tulsa Code of Ordinances – Chapter 30 Legacy Districts The city no longer accepts applications for new PUDs, but hundreds of existing PUDs remain in effect and can still be amended. If your lot is inside one, the PUD’s specific conditions of approval control what you can build, sometimes overriding what the base district would allow on its own.
Accessory Dwelling Units
Garage apartments, carriage houses, and similar second residences on the same lot as a primary home are allowed, but how depends on your district. In RE, RS, and agricultural districts, an ADU needs a special exception from the Board of Adjustment. In all other districts, an ADU is allowed by right when it is secondary to a household living use.3Tulsa Planning. Tulsa Zoning Code
Only one ADU is permitted per lot. It must sit in a detached accessory building placed at least 10 feet behind the principal structure, and its exterior materials must visually match the main house. Size is capped by the base accessory-building limits for the district plus an additional 500 square feet. In RS-2 through RM districts, that generally means the total accessory building area cannot exceed 500 square feet (or 40 percent of the principal building’s floor area, whichever is greater) plus the 500-square-foot ADU bonus. Entrances cannot face the nearest side or rear property line unless an alley or street runs along that line.
Nonconforming (Grandfathered) Uses
If a property was used legally under older rules but no longer fits the current district, it is a nonconforming use. The code lets it continue, with limits.6Municode Library. Tulsa Code of Ordinances – Chapter 80 Nonconformities
In a residential district, a nonconforming use can only be changed to a use the current zoning actually allows, and once you switch, the old nonconforming right is gone for good. In commercial and industrial districts, you can apply for a special exception to swap one nonconforming use for another, but the Board of Adjustment has to find that the new use will not increase negative impacts on the surrounding area.
Grandfathered status is also lost in three situations:
- The nonconforming use stops for 36 consecutive months, or for 36 months within any four-year window.
- The building is damaged beyond 50 percent of its replacement cost; in that case the use can only be re-established through a special exception.
- The owner voluntarily switches to a conforming use, even briefly.
For nonconforming uses on vacant or unimproved land, the clock is much shorter: 90 days of inactivity ends the status.
Variances, Special Exceptions, and Rezonings
When your plan doesn’t match the rules, two bodies handle most of the decisions, and which one you see depends on what you are asking for.
Variances and Special Exceptions
If you cannot meet a specific development standard, such as a setback or height limit, you apply to the Board of Adjustment for a variance. If you want a use that is conditionally allowed in your district rather than permitted by right, you apply to the same board for a special exception. The BOA decides these; the City Council does not review them.7Municode Library. Tulsa Code of Ordinances – Section 70.020 Zoning Code Text Amendments Expect the process to take at least 30 to 45 days.8Tulsa Planning Office. Board of Adjustment Application If the BOA denies your request, the only appeal is to District Court. A pre-submittal meeting with a planner is strongly recommended, and the BOA materials specifically encourage talking with your neighbors before you file.
Rezoning
A request to change your property’s zoning district is a map amendment. It goes first to the Tulsa Metropolitan Area Planning Commission, which reviews the proposal against the comprehensive plan and makes a recommendation.7Municode Library. Tulsa Code of Ordinances – Section 70.020 Zoning Code Text Amendments The case then moves to the City Council, which has final authority. If the proposal departs significantly from the comprehensive plan, a Comprehensive Plan Amendment application must run alongside it. Plan on at least 90 days start to finish.9Tulsa Planning. City of Tulsa Zoning Code – Application Form
Public Notice
For both tracks, the Planning Office mails notice to property owners within 300 feet, publishes a newspaper notice, and posts signs on the property.9Tulsa Planning. City of Tulsa Zoning Code – Application Form Neighbors can speak for or against the proposal at the hearing before the board or commission deliberates.
Application Fees
Fees vary by request type. The most common filing costs listed by the Planning Office are:10Tulsa Planning Office. Applications and Fees
- Standard rezoning: $1,800
- Master Planned Development or Corridor District rezoning: $2,200
- Major amendment to an MPD, Corridor, or PUD: $2,000
- Minor amendment to an MPD, Corridor, ODP, or PUD: $900
- Overlay district: $4,000
- Comprehensive Plan Amendment: $1,200
- Variance or non-use special exception: $800
- Use-related special exception: $950
- Lot split or lot-line adjustment: $500
Additional charges apply for newspaper publication, sign posting, and mailed notice to neighboring owners. An application is not complete until all fees are paid. Zoning clearance permits, which are usually required before a building permit is issued, can be filed through the City of Tulsa’s online self-service portal.11City of Tulsa. Plans Review
Violations and Penalties
Using property in a way that violates the zoning code is a misdemeanor in Tulsa. The maximum penalty is a $1,200 fine, six months in jail, or both.12Municode Library. Tulsa Code of Ordinances – Chapter 85 Violations, Penalties and Enforcement Every day a violation continues is a separate offense, so fines pile up quickly. Enforcement is not limited to the owner: architects, contractors, tenants, and agents who participate in or maintain a violation can each be charged.
Most cases start with a neighbor complaint or an inspector’s observation. For most people the real cost is not jail but correcting the violation, the daily fines that run between the notice and the fix, and the risk of permit revocation. If you receive a notice, moving on it right away is the cheapest route through.