The Tulsa Metropolitan Area Planning Commission (TMAPC) and Tulsa City Council adopt application fees for Tulsa Metropolitan Area Planning Commission (TMAPC) and Board of Adjustment (BOA) application fees within the City of Tulsa. When fee revisions are proposed for applications within unincorporated Tulsa County, the County Commission is also an approving body.

Over the past 22 years, BOA and TMAPC fees have been adjusted only a few times. Fees were slightly adjusted in 2002 and Subdivision fees were slightly modified in 2013. TMAPC fees related to zoning, as well as Board of Adjustment fees, were modified in 2016 to include several new categories and processes resulting from the adoption of the updated City of Tulsa Zoning Code. In 2018, fee revisions were adopted to reflect changes in the updated Tulsa Metropolitan Area Subdivision and Development Regulations.

When the Tulsa Planning Office moved to the City of Tulsa in July 2023, staff were asked to evaluate fees based on the full cost of processing an application. The proposed, flat fee structure more accurately reflects the cost of processing applications from beginning to end.

A major advantage of this proposed fee structure is the incorporation of flat fees that make it much clearer to applicants how much their application will actually cost, as opposed to the current approach with low base fees plus various additional fees for notices, etc. The total number of application fees will be reduced from 68 fees with variables to 34 flat fees. The number of TMAPC fees will be reduced from 45 to 24, and the number of BOA fees will be reduced from 28 to 10. This provides a more transparent and customer-friendly approach.

At first glance, it may look like all fees are increasing dramatically, but that is mostly because the current fee structure has low base fees but several additional fees that are calculated on sliding scales depending on a number of factors, similar to concert ticket prices. When all those fees are added up, they are much higher than the base fee. Some applications are slated for an increase, but only to get closer to covering the true cost to process each application type. We have attempted to balance the need to cover more of the cost with the community in mind.

What costs were factored into the proposed fees?

1. Required Notice
   • Newspaper Notice
   • Mailed Notice
     • Envelopes
     • Postage
   • Signs
2. Staff Cost
   • Planning Office
   • Legal
   • Development Services
   • City Council Staff
3. Overhead
   • Heat and Air
   • Floor Space
   • Maintenance
   • Vehicles
   • Services from Other Departments
     • Human Resources
     • Communication
     • IT
     • GIS/Mapping
     • Asset Management
     • Security
     • City Clerk

4. Technology and Software Subscriptions
5. Printing & Paper