Osage County, Oklahoma Building Permit Guide

Osage County’s Planning & Zoning office in Pawhuska (918-287-3981) runs the county’s zoning and sells a county building permit, and the county E-911 office will not assign an address to new construction until that permit has been bought. The state building code commission’s list nonetheless marks Osage County as not issuing permits, so confirm with Planning & Zoning what your project needs and what the permit costs. The Osage Nation states that its reservation is also referred to as Osage County.

Who handles permits in Osage County?

Planning & Zoning lists zoning and land use regulation, building permits and development review, and public hearings on zoning changes and variances among its duties. The county’s E-911 office, in the same building, assigns addresses across the county and requires the county building permit first. The state’s floodplain list gives the Planning & Zoning main line, (918) 287-3980, for the county floodplain administrator. Septic systems are a state matter: the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality issues those permits.

Towns in Osage County

Osage County permits and the address request

• County building permit: bought from Planning & Zoning; ask the office for the application and the fee.
• Request for Address: the E-911 form asks whether the request is for a new structure, an existing one or land and utilities, with the parcel number, section, township and range (or lot, block and subdivision), driving directions and GPS coordinates. Mail it with a check payable to the Osage County Clerk to Planning & Zoning.
• Public service, pipeline crossing and line installation permit: a petition to the Board of County Commissioners for electric, gas, oil, water, telephone, sewer or salt water lines along or across a county road; the commissioners approve them by district at their meetings, and the permit does not give any right of way over private land.
• Zoning changes and variances: heard at public hearings arranged by Planning & Zoning.

Permit costs

The E-911 office charges a $20 addressing fee on top of the county building permit fee. Applicants call Planning & Zoning for the amount before mailing the address request, and checks are made payable to the Osage County Clerk.

Building in rural Osage County

Inspections

Ask Planning & Zoning whether the county permit for your project includes any inspection. Inside Pawhuska and the other cities on the State Fire Marshal’s list, the city inspects the work it permits.

Osage Nation land

The Osage Nation states that its reservation is also referred to as Osage County, and that when the land was allotted in 1906 the Nation kept control of the subsurface mineral estate. Its Real Estate Services department oversees more than 135,000 acres of trust and restricted land, administers farming, grazing, business and residential leases on that land, and assigns lots in the Pawhuska, Hominy and Grayhorse villages. Sales, rights-of-way and leases of restricted land need Bureau of Indian Affairs approval. Before building on trust or restricted land, check with both Osage Nation Real Estate Services and Osage County Planning & Zoning.

Storm shelters: Osage County Emergency Management keeps a storm shelter registry.

Oklahoma building code

Oklahoma sets statewide minimum codes (the 2024 editions since September 14, 2026) that cities enforce and may strengthen; most counties issue no building permits for unincorporated land, though a few do. Oklahoma rules

Official Osage County and Oklahoma permit resources

These are the primary sources behind this guide. Codes, fee schedules and procedures change — confirm the position for your filing date.

• Osage County Planning & Zoning
• Osage County E-911 addressing (building permit required)
• Osage County Request for Address instructions
• Osage County forms (address request, utility permit)
• Osage Nation Real Estate Services
• About the Osage Nation Reservation
• City of Barnsdall Code of Ordinances
• Oklahoma Uniform Building Code Commission jurisdiction list
• State Fire Marshal list of local plan review and inspection jurisdictions
• Oklahoma Water Resources Board floodplain administrators
• Oklahoma DEQ on-site sewage treatment

Osage County permit FAQs

Do I need a county building permit in rural Osage County?

The county E-911 office says a building permit must be bought from Planning & Zoning before it will assign an address to new construction. The state code commission’s list marks the county as non-issuing, so confirm with Planning & Zoning at (918) 287-3981.

How much does it cost?

The E-911 addressing fee is $20 on top of the building permit fee; Planning & Zoning sets the permit fee and tells you the amount.

Which towns issue their own building permits?

Pawhuska and Barnsdall, and Skiatook, Sand Springs, Sperry, Tulsa and Bartlesville for their parts of the county. Burbank, Foraker, Osage, Prue, Webb City and Wynona issue none; for Hominy, Avant, Fairfax, Shidler and Grainola, ask the town.

What about building on Osage Nation land?

For trust or restricted land, residential leases and village lots, contact Osage Nation Real Estate Services at 918-287-5257 as well as the county.

Who permits a septic system?

Outside town sewer systems, on-site sewage permits come from the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality.

Simplify Osage County permitting with Alliance Permitting

Alliance Permitting is a permit documentation and submission company in Oklahoma. We prepare your paperwork, file it correctly and coordinate with the permitting authority through issuance. We are not a contractor and we do not perform licensed plan review or inspections; that work stays with your licensed team and the jurisdiction.

This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Osage County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.