Lawton, OK Environmental Rules: Flood Zones (2026)

Section 19A-2-1-209 requires a special flood hazard development permit, along with payment of the fee set in the city's fee schedule, before anyone may develop land within a special flood hazard area, defined at Section 19A-2-1-206(49) as land with a one percent or greater annual chance of flooding. The floodplain administrator, a person accredited by the Oklahoma Water Resources Board and designated by the Lawton City Council, administers the permit program. Section 19A-2-1-210 backs the permit with a compliance clause: no structure or land may be located, altered, or have its use changed without full compliance with the article.

§§ 1601-1618, and the current version took effect July 20, 2009, per Ordinance No. 09-21. Special flood hazard areas are established from FEMA's "Flood Insurance Study for Comanche County, Oklahoma and Incorporated Areas," dated July 20, 2009, and its accompanying Flood Insurance Rate Map, plus a 2015 Letter of Map Revision covering Oak Ridge Lake, both adopted by reference at Section 19A-2-1-208. The article's stated purposes include protecting human life and health, minimizing public flood-control spending, preventing prolonged business interruption, protecting utilities like water, gas, electric, and sewer lines located in floodplains, and ensuring buyers are notified when property lies in a flood area.

The council may grant a variance from the article's terms where strict enforcement would create an unnecessary hardship, though financial disappointment or lost profit alone does not qualify as hardship under Section 19A-2-1-206(30).