Legislative findings and declaration.
Oklahoma City Municipal Code § 35-173
in effect§ 35-173. - Legislative findings and declaration.
(a) The City Council of The City of Oklahoma City hereby makes the following findings:
(1) Certain specific criminal activities exist in the City that are quite frequently committed with or facilitated by the use of real properties and that annoy, injure, or endanger the comfort, repose, health, or safety of City residents, visitors, businesses, and neighborhoods, offend decency, or render City residents, visitors, businesses and neighborhoods insecure in life or in the use of property, with such criminal activities being the following: drug-related criminal activities and prostitution-related criminal activities on any property in the City, and adult-entertainment-related violations or bar- or tavern-related violations on the premises of establishments where low-point beer or alcoholic beverages are sold, and including areas on the outside premises controlled by the owner, manager or licensee of such establishments, and open lot disturbance violations.
(2) Under 21 O.S. § 652(B), the criminal offense of drive-by shooting is always committed with the use of a vehicle and said crime annoys, injures, or endangers the comfort, repose, health, or safety of City residents, visitors, businesses, and neighborhoods and renders City residents, visitors, businesses and neighborhoods insecure in life or in the use of property.
(3) Under 21 O.S. § 540A, or Municipal Code Section 32-11, the criminal offense of eluding a peace officer is always committed with the use of a vehicle and said crime annoys, injures, or endangers the comfort, repose, health, or safety of City residents, visitors, businesses, and neighborhoods and renders City residents, visitors, businesses and neighborhoods insecure in life or in the use of property.
(4) Under Municipal Code Section 32-174, the criminal offense of illegal speed contest is always committed with the use of a vehicle and said crime annoys, injures, or endangers the comfort, repose, health, or safety of City residents, visitors, businesses, and neighborhoods and renders City residents, visitors, businesses and neighborhoods insecure in life or in the use of property.
(5) Under 37A O.S. § 6-109, and Municipal Code Section 5-32, mixed beverage, beer and wine, bottle club, caterer, charitable event, public event and special event licensees and any employee, manager, operator or agent thereof are prohibited from permitting or tolerating any conduct or language that is intended to threaten another with physical harm or any fighting or offensive physical contact in or upon the licensed premises or areas outside the licensed premises which are exclusively or non-exclusively used by the licensee, and allowing said conduct that annoys, injures or endangers the comfort, repose, health, or safety of City residents, visitors, businesses and neighborhoods and renders City residents, visitors, businesses and neighborhoods insecure in life or in the use of property.
(6) Under 21 O.S. § 1028, the use of a vehicle for the criminal offense of prostitution-related transportation, and the use of a vehicle for prostitution-related criminal activity, are uses of a vehicle that annoy, injure, or endanger the comfort, repose, health, or safety of City residents, visitors, businesses, and neighborhoods and render City residents, visitors, businesses and neighborhoods insecure in life or in the use of property.
(7) The criminal activities referenced in Subsections (1), (2), (3), (4), (5) and (6) of this section tend to cause an increase in the incidence of violence within the City and to greatly endanger the health, safety, and welfare of City residents, visitors, businesses, and neighborhoods.
(8) The criminal activities referenced in Subsections (1), (2), (3), (4), (5) and (6) of this section often take place on or near private properties or in close proximity to innocent bystanders, which adversely affects at the same time a considerable number of persons and has a detrimental impact on the entire community as follows:
a. drug-related criminal activity, prostitution-related criminal activity, open lot disturbance violations, prostitution-related transportation and adult-entertainment-related violations or bar- or tavern-related violations diminish property values;
b. drug-related criminal activity, prostitution-related criminal activity, open lot disturbance violations, prostitution-related transportation and adult-entertainment-related violations or bar- or tavern-related violations create fear and loathing in many City residents and visitors, which keeps them from using and frequenting public areas such as streets and parks;
c. drive-by shootings, speed contest violations and eluding a peace officer violations create serious hazards to vehicular or pedestrian traffic within the City and, thereby, grave dangers for many City residents and visitors, including innocent vehicle drivers and passengers, who are often children;
d. drive-by shootings, eluding a peace officer violations, open lot disturbance violations, and bar- or tavern-related violations sometimes foster the display and use of dangerous weapons and the discharge of firearms on or near private properties and in close proximity to innocent bystanders, including children, thereby endangering them in a manner that can and sometimes does cause serious bodily injury or death;
e. drug-related criminal activity, prostitution-related criminal activity, open lot disturbance violations, prostitution-related transportation, drive-by shootings, speed contest violations, eluding a peace officer violations and adult-entertainment-related violations or bar- or tavern-related violations increase the overall number and seriousness of violations of State and City laws, which violations pose a grave hazard to the health, safety and welfare of the entire community;
f. increasing the overall number and seriousness of drug-related criminal activity, prostitution-related criminal activity, open lot disturbance violations, and adult-entertainment-related violations or bar- or tavern-related violations and a corresponding use of real properties for such activities, can and does foster additional violations of the law, including but not limited to the following: burglaries; robberies; larcenies; violations of housing-related laws, including but not limited to the Exterior Property Maintenance Code, the Fire Code, and the Planning and Zoning Code; the commission of petty crimes on or to public or private property, including but not limited to vandalism and an increase in trash and debris on public and private properties; the endangerment of residents and neighborhoods; the endangerment of law enforcement officers attempting to enforce State or City laws; and the commission of other major and minor crimes which result in the physical decay of our City's neighborhoods and the endangerment of City residents, visitors and businesses, thereby rendering them insecure in life and property;
g. drug-related criminal activity, prostitution-related criminal activity, open lot disturbance violations, prostitution-related transportation, drive-by shootings, speed contest violations, eluding a peace officer violations and adult-entertainment-related violations and bar- or tavern-related violations have a continual and ongoing detrimental effect on the entire community as a whole and on the overall quality of life for City residents and visitors; and
h. adult-entertainment-related violations and bar- and tavern-related violations pose a hazard to the health, safety and welfare of the entire community.
(9) Eliminating or hindering the use of real properties for open lot disturbance violations, drug-related criminal activity and prostitution-related criminal activity and the use of vehicles for prostitution-related criminal activity, prostitution-related transportation, the commission of drive-by shootings and eluding a peace officer violations and adult-entertainment-related violations or bar- or tavern-related violations can and will have a positive impact on the community as a whole and will help to protect the health, safety and welfare of City residents, visitors, businesses and neighborhoods by:
a. reducing the number of persons who form an intent to engage or who do engage in these criminal activities;
b. reducing the concentration of criminals in the City;
c. decreasing the number of physical locations within the City at which drug-related criminal activity, prostitution-related criminal activity, open lot disturbance violations, or adult-entertainment-related violations or bar- or tavern-related violations or other related or incidental criminal activities can occur or continue;
d. for drug-related criminal activities, reducing the number of illegal drug users and the overall availability of illegal drugs in the City, thereby helping to safeguard the homes, businesses and schools within the City; and
e. reducing the overall ability of the same criminals to commit similar repeat crimes.
(10) Reducing the incidence of the criminal activities referenced in Subsections (1), (2), (3), (4), and (5) and (6) of this section will improve conditions for the City as a whole and for its residents, visitors, businesses and neighborhoods by:
a. reducing violence and the overall crime rate within the City;
b. allowing law enforcement agencies, including the Oklahoma City Police Department, to utilize its resources for other projects;
c. increasing the general public order within the City and improving the ability of the City to deal with other critical issues not related to prevention of the said criminal activities;
d. improving property values in the City by eliminating drug-related criminal activity, prostitution-related criminal activity, open lot disturbance violations, and adult-entertainment-related violations or bar- or tavern-related violations on real properties within the City;
e. helping to make the lives and properties of City residents, visitors, businesses and neighborhoods safer and more secure; and
f. improving the overall quality of life for all City residents, visitors, businesses and neighborhoods.
(b) Based upon the foregoing findings, as set forth in Subsection (a) of this section, the City Council of the City declares that the use of real property in the commission of drug-related criminal activity, prostitution-related criminal activity, open lot disturbance violations, adult-entertainment-related violations or bar- or tavern-related violations constitutes a public nuisance within the City that should be eliminated or hindered, and thereby abated, by the means set forth in this article.
(c) Based upon the foregoing findings, as set forth in Subsection (a) of this section, the City Council of the City declares that the use of vehicles for the commission of drive-by shootings, speed contest violations, eluding a peace officer violations, prostitution-related transportation or prostitution-related criminal activity constitutes a public nuisance within the City that should be eliminated or hindered, and thereby abated, by the means set forth in this article.
(Ord. No. 23450, § 2, 9-25-07; Ord. No. 23692, § 1, 9-23-08; Ord. No. 24352, § 1, 10-18-11; Ord. No. 24408, § 1, 2-14-12; Ord. No. 25000, § 1, 10-7-14; Ord. No. 26267, § 6, 10-8-19)
Source: City of Oklahoma City, Municipal Code and City Charter (Municode Library, library.municode.com)URL: https://library.municode.com/ok/oklahoma_city/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=OKMUCO2020_CH35NU_ARTVICRACPUNUAB_DIV1INGE_S35-173LEFIDEFetched: 10/28/2026