Anyone who's waited weeks on a building permit while a crew sat idle knows delays cost money. One Tulsa lawmaker says that cost is landing on Oklahoma home buyers, and he wants to do something about it.
Rep. Rob Hall, R-Tulsa, whose House District 67 includes parts of Bixby and Tulsa, held an interim study Sept. 15 before the House County and Municipal Government Committee on how to bring down the cost of building houses in Oklahoma. According to Oklahoma Voice, Hall said he will file legislation aimed at lowering home building costs, though he isn't sure yet what form it will take.
"I think people are interested in it because it affects every single one of their constituents," Hall said after the study. "Everyone needs a place to live, and so whether you're renting, buying, roommates, whatever the situation is, we all need a place to put our head at night."
Permits and codes
Hall said he's most interested in permitting reform to speed up the timeline for building housing, along with reviewing and possibly updating Oklahoma's building codes. When permitting fights drag on, he said, the cost of those delays gets passed on to the buyer.
He also said he wants to make getting a permit smoother while still letting local governments keep control. That balance is likely to be a big part of any debate at the Capitol, since local governments are the ones issuing permits.
In a House news release before the study, Hall said the discussion would cover free-market approaches, private property rights, regulatory burdens and the balance between affordability, quality and safety.
Jaimie Cavanaugh, senior state policy counsel at the Pacific Legal Foundation, a national public interest law firm, walked lawmakers through model bills her group has pushed in other states. One, which she called the "Permitting Approval Timeliness Act," would require cities to respond to permit applications within a set time. If they don't, the permit would be approved automatically.
Her group's other ideas included updating zoning rules, removing limits on how many unrelated people can live together and limiting who can object to new developments.
A bigger conversation
Hall's study wasn't the only one that day. According to KJRH, three interim studies on housing affordability took place at the Capitol on Sept. 15.
Tyler Parette, executive director of Tulsa-based Housing Forward, said Oklahoma City permits roughly 3,800 housing units a year, while Tulsa permits around 800. "So we have a lot of ground to make up to make sure that we're being competitive in a regional market," he said. Parette also said Oklahoma ranks 41st in the nation in home ownership.
Robert Aery of the Hern Policy Institute said one of the first things to sort out is what "affordable" even means. "What is affordable for you, might not be affordable for me," he said, adding that affordability depends on both cost and the ability to pay.
Experts suggested ideas like smaller lot sizes and a wider mix of housing, from single-family homes to multi-unit buildings. Parette said there's no single fix and that it will take "incremental policy change across a lot of different policy areas."
Why it matters for Contractors
Every day a project waits on a permit is a day of carrying costs, idle crews and shifting schedules. A state law that puts a deadline on permit reviews, like the model bill discussed at the study, could change how builders plan jobs and line up subs. Builders would want to know how a law like that would work in practice, and what happens if a city simply says no before the deadline.
Building code changes are a bigger deal still. Codes touch everything from framing and insulation to electrical and fire safety. Any update could affect what contractors build, what it costs and how inspections are handled, so it's worth paying attention before a bill is written.
Zoning changes like smaller lots could open up more infill and starter-home work, the kind of jobs that make sense for small and mid-sized builders.
The Legislature returns in February. Contractors and builder groups who want a say should reach out to their lawmakers now, while the ideas are still being shaped.