SB 2139 requires Oklahoma municipalities to amend property plats to remove discriminatory language (such as racial or religious restrictions) that violate the Fair Housing Act. It directs county clerks to erase such language from existing property records after a municipality passes an ordinance, without needing property owner approval. The bill affects neighborhoods with outdated discriminatory covenants in their recorded plats. It becomes effective November 1, 2026.
This bill establishes new rules for how the Oklahoma Housing Finance Agency administers federal HOME housing funds, primarily affecting nonprofit organizations, local governments, and other eligible entities that receive these grants. It requires the agency to follow federal guidelines without adding stricter state requirements unless specifically authorized, mandates a 30-day public comment period for any new program rules, and prohibits retroactive rule changes. The legislation also guarantees nonprofit participants a minimum 15% developer fee, ensures CHDOs retain program proceeds, and requires the agency to remove penalties if monitoring issues are resolved within 30 days.
HB 3386 modifies Oklahoma's landlord-tenant law by requiring court-supervised mediation before a landlord can terminate a lease due to unpaid rent when minor children reside in the rental unit. For all other tenants without minor children, landlords may still terminate leases after a 5-day grace period following written notice of unpaid rent. The bill amends Section 131 of Title 41 O.S. 2021 and becomes effective November 1, 2026, directly affecting landlords and tenants in households with minor children facing rent delinquency.
HB 4301 requires escrow and title companies to return earnest money to qualified U.S. veterans or active duty military members if a property appraises for less than the contract price. Companies that fail to comply face a $500 civil penalty per violation, with the funds added to the Attorney General's Law Enforcement Revolving Fund. The bill enforces a federal rule (38 C.F.R. § 36.4303(k)) and takes effect July 1, 2026. It directly affects veterans, active duty military members purchasing property, and the entities handling their escrow payments.
HB 3453 changes Oklahoma's eminent domain process by requiring courts to independently review whether a government taking qualifies as a "public use" and is "necessary," without deferring to the government's prior conclusions. It shifts the burden of proof entirely to the condemning authority (like cities or utilities), requiring them to prove necessity for each property parcel separately and show all feasible alternatives were considered. The bill mandates that property owners receive 60 days' notice of all project studies, environmental reviews, and financial analyses before a hearing. If the government fails to meet this burden, property owners may recover their legal fees. This bill affects all property owners facing eminent domain and the agencies seeking to use it, effective November 1, 2026.
This bill proposes a constitutional amendment (HJR 1081) that would eliminate the income requirement for Oklahoma seniors to qualify for a property tax limit on their homesteads. Currently, seniors aged 65+ must meet an income threshold based on HUD median income for their area; this amendment removes that requirement while keeping the age, 7-year occupancy, and $700,000 property value cap. It would apply only to homesteads valued at $700,000 or less, with the tax limit frozen at the value when the owner turned 65 (or January 1, 1997, for those already eligible before 1997). The change requires voter approval via a ballot measure.
HB 2015 (Oklahoma) clarifies tenant rights when landlords fail to meet rental agreement terms or health/safety standards. It requires tenants to provide landlords with written notice of issues, giving them 14 days to fix problems before tenants can take action. If landlords don’t act, tenants may legally withhold rent (up to one month’s cost for repairs), deduct repair costs from rent, or terminate the lease for uninhabitable conditions. The bill also prohibits landlords from pursuing eviction for nonpayment while tenants use these remedies, effective November 1, 2025.
HB 3913 allows Oklahoma municipalities to permit apartment buildings with a single stairway, provided they meet strict fire safety requirements. It directly affects apartment developers and city building departments by setting conditions like maximum height (six stories), unit limits (four per floor), fire-resistant stair enclosures (two-hour rating), automatic sprinklers, and specific exit pathways. Key provisions require sprinklers in all stairways, doors that swing correctly for exits, corridors with one-hour fire protection, and smoke detection systems in common areas. The bill takes effect November 1, 2026, and does not override existing building codes but gives cities authority to adopt this exception.
