Cities and towns; allowing municipalities to declare certain buildings as unoccupied. Effective date.

SB 400 amends Oklahoma law (11 O.S. 22-112.4) to allow cities and towns to declare certain buildings "abandoned" (not unoccupied, as the bill's title states). It requires municipalities to provide 10 days' written notice to property owners and mortgage holders before holding a hearing, and mandates a hearing to determine if a building qualifies as abandoned due to harm to public health, safety, or property values. If declared abandoned, municipalities may take actions like inspections, impose quarterly assessments for regulatory costs, and recover actual expenses incurred (including notices and publications) from the property owner. This directly affects property owners of abandoned buildings and gives municipalities new tools to address neglected properties.