Housing

HB 2171, the "Oklahoma Uniform Unlawful Restrictions in Land Records Act," allows property owners and homeowners' associations to remove discriminatory restrictions from land records. It creates a specific process for owners to file an amendment with the county clerk to eliminate restrictions based on race, religion, disability, or other protected characteristics, which violate anti-discrimination laws. Homeowners' associations can also remove such restrictions without member votes by amending their governing documents. The law requires amendments to clearly identify the affected property and state that only unlawful restrictions are removed, leaving valid restrictions intact. This directly affects property owners and HOAs holding discriminatory covenants in recorded documents.

This Oklahoma bill creates a tax credit program to encourage converting old, vacant buildings into housing. Property owners can claim up to 50% of qualified costs (like environmental cleanup, code upgrades, or system repairs) for adaptive reuse projects on structures at least 30 years old that have been vacant or underutilized (with rent below 50% of market rate). The program has a $5 million annual cap on approved credits, with unused funds carried forward to future years. Credits cannot reduce tax liability below zero but may be carried forward for up to 10 years. The Oklahoma Department of Commerce and Tax Commission will administer the program and prioritize projects based on local housing needs.

SB 347 amends Oklahoma law (11 O.S. 2021, Section 43-103) to prohibit cities and towns from implementing minimum parking requirements when adopting regulations for buildings, land, or districts. The bill updates the statutory framework governing municipal planning, which previously allowed such parking mandates, and specifies that governing bodies cannot enforce these requirements while following the section's eight stated objectives (e.g., traffic safety, health, historical preservation). This change directly affects local governments' ability to regulate parking in zoning and development decisions. The bill takes effect November 1, 2025.