In Woodward, the City’s Code Enforcement Office, part of Community Development at City Hall (722 Main Street, 580-254-8515), issues every permit for building work inside the city limits, including electrical, plumbing, mechanical and gas permits, which licensed contractors take out. Fees are set in the city code: a residential building permit is $10 for the first $1,000 and $1 for each additional $1,000, plus a $4.50 surcharge, and the fee doubles if work starts first.
What needs a permit in Woodward?
The City requires a permit before work begins on any building activity inside the city limits. Community Development lists:
Building permits
- New structures
- Remodels
- New roofs
- Storage buildings and garages
- Carports
- Fences
- Demolitions
- Moving a structure or mobile home onto or off a lot
- Signs
Trade and site permits
- Electrical wiring and installations
- Plumbing work, apart from repairing leaks inside the property line
- Mechanical installations and gas piping
- Digging in a street, alley, sidewalk or other public place
- Development in a FEMA special flood hazard area
Under the city’s amendments to the International Building Code (the code for buildings other than one- and two-family homes), the building inspector can require engineered or architectural drawings, and a metal-framed building over 120 sq ft needs an engineer-stamped drawing.
Who issues permits in Woodward?
The city code makes the city inspector responsible for all inspections and for issuing all permits, licences and notices under the building chapter. That work is done by the Code Enforcement Office in City Hall, which also answers zoning questions and handles flood-hazard development permits.
Short on time to read all of this?
Get a free quote →| Office | Contact |
|---|---|
| Code Enforcement Office (permits, inspections, zoning) | City Hall, 722 Main Street, Woodward, OK 73801; 580-254-8515 |
| Director of Community Development Services | Terry Bryan, 580-254-8522 |
| Office hours | Monday to Thursday 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Friday 7:30 a.m. to noon |
| Online requests | City permit portal (online form) |
Woodward building permit fees
Woodward’s building permit fees are written into Chapter 150 (Building Regulations) of the city code, in its amendments to the residential and commercial building codes.
| Project | Fee |
|---|---|
| House or other residential building permit | $10 for the first $1,000 and $1 for each additional $1,000; $10 minimum |
| Commercial building permit | $5 for the first $1,000 and $1 for each additional $1,000 of estimated construction cost; $15 minimum |
| Demolition | $10 |
| Fence | $10 |
| Mobile home parking | $10 |
| Moving a structure through the city | $10 per day (residential code), $15 per day (commercial code) |
| Sign | $20 |
| Each extra visit for incomplete or rejected work | $10 |
| Surcharge on every building, plumbing, mechanical and electrical permit | $4.50 ($4 to the state building code commission, 50 cents to the city) |
| Work started before the permit | Permit fee doubled |
For example, a commercial project with an estimated construction cost of $500,000 has a building permit fee of $504 ($5 for the first $1,000 plus $499 for the other 499 thousands), plus the $4.50 surcharge, for $508.50. The commercial fee is based on estimated construction cost; the residential fee in the code is written per $1,000 without naming the basis, so ask the office how it values a house.
Not sure this scope needs a permit?
Get a free quote →Electrical, plumbing, mechanical and gas permits in Woodward
Trade permits are taken out at the Code Enforcement Office by the licensed contractor: the electrical application must be signed by a licensed electrical contractor, the plumbing application by a licensed plumbing contractor, and the mechanical or gas application by a licensed mechanical or gas piping contractor. Each permit number must be posted where it can be seen on site.
| Permit | Fee |
|---|---|
| Electrical service, residential | 100 A $30; 150 A $35; 200 A $40; 300 A $50 |
| Electrical service, commercial | 100 A $60; 150 A $65; 200 A $70; 300 A $80 |
| Each 100 A above 300 A | $10 |
| Temporary service pole; minimum electrical charge | $10 each |
| Mechanical or gas piping | $5 inspection fee plus, for example, $10 per gas service line, $5 per central heat unit up to 120,000 BTU, $5 per condensing unit up to 3 tons, $5 for ductwork |
| Plumbing | $5 inspection fee plus $10 for the building water line and $10 for the building sewer line; on both water and sewer, $5 for the first fixture and 75 cents for each additional fixture |
| Septic tank (onsite sewage systems also need a permit from the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality) | $25 plus 10 cents per foot of lateral line |
| Sewer tap | $85 on an unpaved street or alley, $350 on a paved one |
Rather talk it over?
Call 1-855-478-4290 →Electrical, mechanical, gas and plumbing contractors, journeymen and apprentices must hold a state Construction Industries Board licence or registration and also register with the Code Enforcement Office. City registrations expire on July 31 each year and are void once the state licence lapses; the contractor pays for the journeymen and apprentices working under it. The City posts a list of licensed contractors.
| Registration | Fee |
|---|---|
| Electrical, mechanical, gas or plumbing contractor | $300 the first year, then $50 a year (back to $300 if not renewed by July 31) |
| Electrical journeyman / apprentice | $15 / $10 a year |
| Mechanical, gas or plumbing journeyman / apprentice | $10 / $5 a year |
How to get a building permit in Woodward
Call 580-254-8515 or visit the Code Enforcement Office to confirm the zoning of the lot and any setback or height limits.
If the site is in a FEMA special flood hazard area, get the development permit from the same office before building.
For buildings under the International Building Code, have an engineer-stamped drawing for a metal-framed building over 120 sq ft and any drawings the inspector asks for.
Apply at City Hall or through the City’s online permit portal; starting early doubles the fee.
Each registered electrical, plumbing and mechanical contractor takes out its own permit.
Call 580-254-8515 to schedule each inspection and keep the permit number posted on site.
Rather not deal with the building department?
Get a free quote →Inspections in Woodward
Schedule inspections through the Code Enforcement Office on 580-254-8515. Each extra trip because work was incomplete or not approved costs $10. Electrical work that will be concealed must be inspected before it is covered, and nobody may connect to or use new wiring until the city inspector issues a certificate of approval. Plumbing cannot be used until it passes final inspection.
In its amendments to the International Building Code, the city requires a continuous footing at least 12 inches wide and 18 inches deep for structures over 200 sq ft and shortens that code’s 180-day permit expiration period (section 105.5) to 90 days; the residential code amendments do not include these changes. Its plumbing and fuel gas amendments set water service pipe at least 2 feet 6 inches below grade and buried gas pipe at least 24 inches deep for black pipe or 30 inches for polyethylene.
Local Woodward details
Codes on the books: the city code adopts the 2018 International Building, Existing Building, Residential, Mechanical, Fuel Gas, Plumbing, Private Sewage Disposal and Property Maintenance Codes, the 2009 International Energy Conservation Code and the 2020 National Electrical Code, through ordinances passed in January 2023. The state’s 2024 minimum codes have applied statewide since September 14, 2026.
Floodplain: the City regulates all building and development in FEMA special flood hazard areas, and the Code Enforcement Office issues those development permits.
Accessory buildings: under city code section 154.018(D)(2), an accessory building may not be taller at its highest point than the ridge of the primary structure; the Board of Adjustment hears variance requests, such as a request for a taller accessory building on its September 9, 2026 agenda.
Subdivisions: new land developments and proposed subdivisions go to Community Development for review under the subdivision regulations in the city code.
Want this handled start to finish?
Get a free quote →Basements: a basement drainage permit is issued only after the owner signs an agreement releasing the City from damage caused by sewer back-ups.
911 addresses: Woodward County 911, run from 1222 9th Street, assigns addresses through an online request form and asks for 2 to 3 business days.
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 Woodward permit resources
- Woodward Community Development and Code Enforcement
- Woodward online permit portal
- Woodward city code, Chapter 150 Building Regulations
- Woodward licensed contractors list
- Woodward County 911 address request form
- Woodward agendas and minutes (City Commission, Board of Adjustment)
Woodward permit FAQs
Who issues building permits in Woodward?
The City’s Code Enforcement Office, part of Community Development in City Hall at 722 Main Street (580-254-8515).
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →How much is a building permit in Woodward?
For residential work the city code sets $10 for the first $1,000 and $1 for each additional $1,000, with a $10 minimum; commercial work is $5 for the first $1,000 of estimated construction cost and $1 per additional $1,000, with a $15 minimum. A $4.50 surcharge is added to each permit.
Do I need a permit for a fence or a new roof in Woodward?
Yes. Fences and new roofing systems both need permits from the Code Enforcement Office; a fence permit is $10, and roofing contractors must be registered with the Construction Industries Board.
Can a homeowner pull electrical or plumbing permits in Woodward?
The city code requires electrical, plumbing and mechanical permit applications to be signed by a licensed contractor in that trade who is registered with the city.
How do I schedule an inspection?
Call the Code Enforcement Office on 580-254-8515.
What if I start work without a permit?
The permit fee is doubled when the permit is issued.
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More Oklahoma permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Woodward permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.