Neighborhood Services

You can simply call us at 580-581-3467 or email us at  Neighborhoods@lawtonok.gov.

Once a complaint is received, the case is assigned to the appropriate inspector.  The inspector then conducts an onsite investigation of the alleged violation(s). If violations are present at the time of this inspection, a legal notice is posted to the property and mailed to the property owner according to the Comanche County Treasurer Office tax rolls giving them 10 days to comply with the notice requirements in accordance with State Law.  Failure to do so may result in a court citation and/or a bill for the City's abatement services to correct the violation and end the public nuisance.

However, if the reported violation was not observed when the inspection is conducted, then the case is closed and annotated in the case file with pictures with no further action taken.  Not all complaints made are lawful violations under law so if you have specific questions or concerns about a property, please contact our office for specific details. 

Generally, violations must be voluntary corrected by the homeowners within 10 days from the date the notice was mailed to them.  However, we recognize there are extenuating circumstances at times so we work with each property owner to provide a reasonable amount of time needed to clear the violation. 

Occasionally, there are some issues of compelling public safety interest such as an open sewer that must be addressed without delay.   In those instances, we handle those as a top priority in under 24 hours. 

Our most commonly used Administrative Order cover Tall Grass and Weeds that exceeds 12 inches in height, Junk and Debris, dead and/or low hanging tree limbs that are within 14 feet above a street or 8 above any sidewalk.  Any violation that results in an administrative order being issued on the property is valid for 6 months from the date of the letter.  That means if any further violations are observed during that time they may be summarily abated without further notice. 

Repeat offenders are handled in the same manner as any other offender as each violation is viewed independently.  If there is an active administrative order on the property, it may be abated without further notice and a citation may be issue along with a bill for abatement services, otherwise, the violation is processed according to the standard prescribed under state statutes. Any fines that are incurred are at the discretion of the Municipal Court Judge.  

Neighborhood Services is the focal point of the City's abatement program for Dangerous and Dilapidated (D&D) structures.  Each structure case file is unique and as such, no two structures are likely to be the same.  

Generally, once a complaint is received or observed by city personnel of a structure that falls within one of the five specific definitions of what constitutes a D&D structure (please see Oklahoma State Statute 11 § 22-112 for the definition of a D&D structure) the process starts with informing the property owners of the violations observed and corrected within a prescribed timeframe.

However, if the owners fail to address the violations observed or the structure is truly abandoned, a public hearing is held with the governing body to determine if the property is dilapidated and has become detrimental to the health, safety, or welfare of the general public and the community, or if the property creates a fire hazard which is dangerous to other property. 

For further information on a specific D&D property, contact Corey Bowen by phone at 580-581-3467 or by email @ rrogalski@lawtonok.gov.