A. No person, firm, corporation, partnership, organization, city, town, school district, county or other subdivision of government shall commence the construction or major alteration of any buildings or structures to be used as schools, hospitals, churches, asylums, theaters, meeting halls, hotels, motels, apartment houses, rooming houses, rest homes, nursing homes, day nurseries, convalescent homes, orphanages, auditoriums, assisted living facilities, dormitories, factories, stadiums, or warehouses, including all defined occupancies within these groups, or install original equipment for the operation or maintenance thereof without obtaining a permit. Said permit, for which a charge may be made in conformity with the local ordinance, except as limited herein as to governmental agencies, shall be obtained from the city, town or county in whose jurisdiction the construction or alteration is planned.

B. All such construction or alteration so planned shall conform to the applicable provisions of the building code, as last adopted by the Oklahoma Uniform Building Code Commission.

C. Application for such building permit shall be made to, and such building permit shall be issued by, any city, town or county in whose jurisdiction the construction or alteration is planned. The city, town or county may require the submission of plans and specifications covering the proposed construction or alteration and may refuse to issue such permit unless the work so planned is in accordance with the applicable provisions of the city, town or county's building code. In all geographical areas wherein no such permit is required by local authorities such permit must be obtained from the State Fire Marshal, who may require the submission of plans and specifications covering the proposed construction or alteration, and shall refuse to issue such permit unless the work so planned is in accordance with the applicable provisions of the building code, as last adopted by the Oklahoma Uniform Building Code Commission; provided, that the foregoing provisions of this sentence shall not apply to locations in any geographical area that are owned or operated by a state beneficiary public trust or have been purchased or leased from a state beneficiary public trust.

D. Nothing in this act shall be construed as repealing any ordinance of any city, town or county requiring the submission to the local authorities of plans and specifications and the obtaining of permits, but the power or authority of any such city, town or county to levy or assess any charge for such permit or to make and enforce requirements prerequisite to the issuance of such permit, other than requiring compliance with such building code, shall, as to governmental agencies, be limited as hereinafter set forth.

E. No city, town or county requested to issue any such permit to any city, town, school district, county or other subdivision of government shall charge, assess or collect any fee or other charge for such permit except the regular and customary inspection fees fixed by ordinance for inspection of the work to be done under such permit, and no other charge, fee or other conditions of any kind under the authority of this title shall be made a condition of or prerequisite to the obtaining of such permit by any such governmental agency.

F. No bids may be let for the construction or major alteration of any correctional facility as defined by Section 317 of this title until plans and specifications for such construction or alteration have been submitted to the State Fire Marshal for approval. The State Fire Marshal shall approve said plans and specifications if the work so planned conforms with the applicable provisions of the building code, as last adopted by the Oklahoma Uniform Building Code Commission.

G. 1. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in the fire code and/or building code, as last adopted by the Oklahoma Uniform Building Code Commission, all facilities to be licensed as assisted living facilities, or additions to existing assisted living facilities, constructed after November 1, 2008, shall be constructed with the guidelines of the I-II building occupancies if at any time in their operation they house residents who are not capable of responding to emergency situations without physical assistance from staff of the facility or are not capable of self preservation.

2. Assisted living facilities licensed prior to July 1, 2008, may house residents who are not capable of responding to emergency situations without physical assistance from the staff or are not capable of self preservation under the following conditions: As part of the annual licensure renewal process, the facility shall disclose if any residents who reside in the facility are not capable of responding to emergency situations without physical assistance from staff or are not capable of self preservation, and the facility shall be required to install fire sprinkler protection and an alarm system within the facility in accordance with the building guidelines set forth in the building code for I-II facilities.

3. Assisted living facilities licensed to house six or fewer residents prior to July 1, 2008, shall be permitted to install 13D or 13R fire sprinkler protection in lieu of meeting I-II sprinkler requirements, with approval of the municipal fire marshal or compliance with local codes.

4. For purposes of this subsection:

a.the term "assisted living center" shall include an assisted living center licensed as such by the State Department of Health and the assisted living center component of a continuum care facility licensed by the State Department of Health, and

b.the terms "fire code" and "building code" shall be deemed to include:

(1)any and all appendices, commentary, amendments and supplements to, and replacements or restatements of the Codes, and

(2)any and all other laws, ordinances, regulations, codes or standards pertaining to assisted living center construction, occupancy and maintenance for the protection of lives and property from fire.

Added by Laws 1965, c. 257, § 11, eff. July 1, 1965. Amended by Laws 1971, c. 236, § 2, emerg. eff. June 12, 1971; Laws 1973, c. 190, § 1, emerg. eff. May 17, 1973; Laws 1978, c. 163, § 3, emerg. eff. April 7, 1978; Laws 1990, c. 199, § 2, emerg. eff. May 10, 1990; Laws 2001, c. 136, § 2, eff. Nov. 1, 2001; Laws 2008, c. 397, § 1, eff. July 1, 2008; Laws 2009, c. 439, § 21, emerg. eff. June 2, 2009; Laws 2010, c. 231, § 1, eff. Nov. 1, 2010.