Cities and towns; board of adjustment; decisions of the board; final subject to judicial review; appeal to the council; effective date.

HB 1496 changes the appeal process for decisions made by local city or town boards of adjustment (which handle zoning and land use matters). It removes the requirement for a bond when filing appeals in district court, mandates that appeals be re-heard from scratch (de novo), and establishes specific rules for temporary stays during appeals. Courts must consider four factors before granting stays and require bonds (except for municipal governments), with stays automatically ending once a final court decision is issued. This directly affects property owners challenging local decisions and city governments defending them in Oklahoma municipalities.