With severe weather conditions threatening the area over the past few weeks — and an increasing likelihood for more storms this weekend and next week — many local residents are considering installing home storm shelters and safe rooms. Chief Building Official Robert McGuire is reminding citizens that a permit is required for all shelters located inside the city limits.
According to McGuire, permits are only issued to companies holding a City of Bartlesville business license. McGuire said home owners should have their installer call Building Services to make application for permits and arrange for payment of the permit fee.
“Storm shelter permits are not issued to home owners,” said McGuire. “A licensed contractor may obtain a permit by contacting the City of Bartlesville’s Building Services Permit Office. Installers should not send home owners to apply for or to pay for the permit. All storm shelter installers licensed to conduct business in the City of Bartlesville have fees on deposit to pay for permits issued for their installations.”
Basic types of shelters include: Safe rooms installed above ground either inside or outside the home and shelters installed beneath the floor of the home or garage or in the ground outside the home. Each type is required to have a permit and inspections, McGuire said.
“The permit fee is determined by the type of shelter and the number of inspections required for insuring a proper installation. Fees range from $24 to $54,” he said.
A permit is not required for shelters located outside the city limits, unless the property is in a floodplain, according to Washington County Emergency Management Director Kary Cox.
“In that case, the property owner would need to contact the Washington County Floodplain manager’s office to obtain a permit,” Cox said.
After installation is complete, shelters may be registered through the Washington County Emergency Management office — available now online, Cox said.
Online registration can be completed by visiting the WCEM website, https://www.wcema-ok.us/ Click on ‘Register My Storm Shelter’ at the bottom of the home page, complete the required fields and submit.
For more information about shelter registration, call 918-331-2710. For more information about permits for shelters inside the Bartlesville city limits, call 918-338-4244. For more information about permits for shelters in the floodplain outside the city limits, call 918-337-2838.