Lawton, OK Building Safety: Door Locking Hardware (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Sec. 6-5-1-503(I), IPMC § 108.2.1.1
- Sheeting requirement
- min. 1/2-inch exterior sheeting, wood-screwed
- Front-door exception
- lock must be in good repair, capable of securing
- Garage-door exception
- no sheeting if no holes/breaks and firmly secured
- Appeal window
- 10 calendar days, Sec. 108.9
Summary
Lawton's boarding-and-securing rule for vacant or unsecured buildings requires every exterior opening to be sheeted and painted shut, but lets the front door serve as the access point only if its lock is in good repair and can actually secure the door. Broken or unlocked doors are themselves what makes a structure legally 'unsecured.'
108.2.1.1 Definitions. 1."Unsecured structure or building" means any structure which is not occupied by a legal or equitable owner thereof, or by a lessee of a legal or equitable owner, and into which there are one (1) or more unsecured openings such as broken windows, unlocked windows, broken doors, unlocked doors, holes in exterior walls, holes in the roof, broken basement or cellar hatchways, unlocked basement or cellar hatchways or other similar unsecured openings which would facilitate an unauthorized entry into the structure.2."Boarding and securing" means the closing of an unsecured structure or building as prescribed herein...If an access door is required, the front door may be used for this purpose, however, the door lock on the front door must be in good repair and capable of securing the door. Exterior sheets shall not be required on garage doors provided that the garage door has no holes or breaks and may be firmly secured to prevent entry.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 2 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
1 of the amended Property Maintenance Code, defining an 'unsecured structure or building' as one not occupied by an owner or lessee and containing one or more unsecured openings such as broken windows, unlocked windows, broken doors, unlocked doors, holes in exterior walls, holes in the roof, or unsecured basement or cellar hatchways, that would let someone enter without authorization. The same section defines 'boarding and securing' as closing every exterior opening, doors, windows, hatchways, and wall holes, with at least half-inch exterior sheeting affixed with wood screws, painted with a prime coat and a matching exterior coat.
But the code carves out the door specifically: if an access door is required for the boarded structure, the front door may be used for that purpose, and in that case the door lock on the front door must be in good repair and capable of securing the door, rather than being sheeted over like the other openings. Garage doors get their own carve-out, needing no exterior sheeting as long as they have no holes or breaks and can be firmly secured. 10.
Violations & Fines
Leaving a structure with broken, unlocked, or otherwise unsecured doors or other openings, or using a front-door access point whose lock is not in good repair and capable of securing the door, makes the building an 'unsecured structure' under Section 108.2.1.1, subjecting the owner to a code-official boarding-and-securing order under Section 108.3 and, if unpaid, a lien on the property under Section 108.10; violations of the Property Maintenance Code are misdemeanors punishable under Section 1-1-119.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a vacant building's front door stay usable instead of being boarded up in Lawton?
What makes a building count as 'unsecured' under Lawton's code?
Does a garage door have to be boarded up on a vacant house?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Lawton
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