Register your storm shelter with your city or county as soon as it is installed. The location helps emergency crews find your shelter if debris blocks the exit after a tornado.
Why it matters
A shelter protects you from the storm, but debris can pile up on the door afterward. Warr Acres put it plainly in a 2022 city post: the shelter can become the place where people get stuck. Seminole says emergency teams use its list after a disaster to check that families can get out. Registration also lets those teams call after a storm.
FEMA P-320 says to register the entrance’s exact location with local officials right after the shelter is built. Include its latitude and longitude, the GPS coordinates that pinpoint the entrance. Do not wait until a storm is on the way.
Local registries, as of October 2026
Registries are run locally, by a city department or a county emergency office. Where you register depends on where you live.
| City | Who keeps it and how it works |
|---|---|
| Altus | Fire Department, since 1999; free, voluntary, online |
| Bartlesville | Permit packet points owners to Washington County Emergency Management |
| Bethany | Fire Department, by phone |
| Broken Arrow | Kept in the city’s 911 database; about 3,400 safe rooms listed in the 2022 plan |
| Del City | Emergency Management, online form |
| Edmond | Emergency Management; free and voluntary |
| Elk City | Fire Department, online, city limits only |
| Enid area | Garfield County Emergency Management, online |
| Guthrie | Fire / EMS, for the Guthrie Fire Department district |
| Harrah | City fee schedule lists registration at no charge |
| Moore | Built into the shelter permit application |
| Mustang | Accepts safe rooms, cellars, in-ground shelters and basements |
| Norman | Fire Department; online or by phone |
| Oklahoma City | City limits only; information helps first responders |
| Piedmont | Police Department, paper form |
| Sapulpa | Fire Department online form; Creek County keeps a separate paper list |
| Seminole | “Map My Shelter” online form |
| Tulsa | City limits only; safe rooms must meet FEMA P-320 or P-361 |
| Wagoner | Online form |
| Warr Acres | Online form, for homes and businesses |
| Weatherford | Voluntary; paper form or email |
| Yukon | Free registry for shelters inside city limits |
What the forms ask
Gather your shelter details before you start. Use the local form as your checklist:
- Shelter type: choose the option that matches your shelter. Altus lists a basement, safe room or cellar.
- Where it is: describe the entrance clearly. Piedmont asks for GPS coordinates if you have them, and Wagoner asks for coordinates too.
- The door: Piedmont asks whether it is flat or raised.
- Capacity: Seminole asks how many people the shelter holds.
- Medical needs: Altus, Elk City and Wagoner include space for special needs.
- Emergency contact: Moore asks for someone who will not be in the shelter.
Ask your installer for the entrance coordinates and keep them with your installation paperwork. When you buy a house with an existing shelter, check the form against what is actually on the property.
Who sees your information
Several cities say plainly that the list stays private. Warr Acres keeps it confidential and never shares it with commercial companies. Seminole says its data is for emergency management only and is not public. Broken Arrow does not share it outside the city’s public safety divisions. Altus says it uses the information after severe-weather damage or related incidents.
Bought a house that already has a shelter?
Check whether it is on the list. Bethany’s Fire Department lets buyers ask whether a shelter is already registered. Mustang asks owners who are not the original owner, or who are unsure about the permit, to fill in its form. Warr Acres has an “unsure if my shelter is registered” choice right on the form.
Make registration part of the install
Plan the registration paperwork with your installer before installation day. When you request a free quote through the form, ask the installer to:
- say whether it registers the shelter with your city or county, or whether you should
- give you the entrance’s GPS coordinates when the job is done
- include the permit number and final inspection date with the paperwork
The Oklahoma storm shelter permit guide covers the permit side.
Frequently asked questions
Does registering cost anything?
Altus, Edmond and Yukon call their registries free. Harrah's fee schedule lists shelter registration at no charge.
Do I have to register?
Altus, Edmond, Weatherford and Broken Arrow describe registration as voluntary. Ask the installer to confirm the registration steps for your address.
I live outside city limits. Where do I register?
The Tulsa, Oklahoma City, Altus and Elk City registries cover addresses inside their city limits. Garfield County Emergency Management and Creek County Emergency Management also take shelter registrations.
Does my permit register the shelter for me?
In some cities it does. Mustang's Fire Department says a shelter with a building permit should already be in its database. Moore's permit application has a shelter registration section. Ask the installer to confirm that your shelter is registered.
Can rescuers use it if my shelter is a basement?
Mustang, Altus and Elk City list basements among their registration options. Tulsa counts a basement as a safe room only after an engineer certifies it.
Sources
- FEMA P-320 (2021), Emergency Planning and Supply Kit
- Safe Room/Cellar Registration Form (City of Altus)
- Storm Shelter Permitting and Inspection Process (City of Bartlesville, June 2024)
- Tornado Shelter Registration (City of Bethany Fire & Rescue)
- Emergency Management (City of Broken Arrow)
- 2022 Broken Arrow Hazard Mitigation Plan Update (City of Broken Arrow)
- Severe Weather Preparedness (City of Del City Emergency Management)
- Shelter Registration (City of Edmond Emergency Management)
- Storm Shelter Registration Form (City of Elk City, Fire Department)
- Storm Shelter Registration (Garfield County Emergency Management)
- Fire / EMS Department (City of Guthrie)
- Fee Schedule (City of Harrah)
- Storm Shelter Permit Application (City of Moore Inspections Division)
- Storm Shelter Registration (City of Mustang Fire Department)
- Storm Shelter Registration Form
- Storm Shelter Registration (City of Norman)
- Storm Shelter Registry (City of Oklahoma City)
- Storm Shelter Registration (City of Piedmont Police Department)
- Safe Room/Storm Shelter Registration (City of Sapulpa Fire Department)
- Emergency Management (Creek County, Oklahoma)
- Emergency Management (City of Seminole)
- Storm Shelter Locations (City of Seminole, ArcGIS Survey123 form)
- Storm Shelter Registration (City of Tulsa)
- Storm Shelter Registration (City of Wagoner, Online Tools)
- Storm Shelter Registration (City of Warr Acres)
- Register your storm shelter
- Weatherford Storm Shelter Registration Program (City of Weatherford)
- Storm Shelter Registry (City of Yukon)