On Tuesday, the Oklahoma Uniform Building Code Commission (OUBCC) voted to advance several regulatory building code recommendations from the Affordable Housing and Consolidated Dwellings Technical Committee. If these reforms are adopted, they will allow for more small-scale housing to be financed and built, increasing housing diversity and affordability for Oklahoma families.  

The building code reforms include: legalizing single-stair buildings up to four stories, allowing four-unit homes to be built under residential code requirements, and matching sprinkler standards to the scale of small apartment buildings.  

What happens next 

Now, OUBCC will begin establishing the formal rules for each reform. Once the rules are drafted and approved by OUBCC, they will go to the state legislature for final approval before taking effect, likely in the fall of 2027.   

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Looking for more detail? 

Our May blog post covered in more depth the technicalities of these ‘missing middle’ housing reforms.