On a Claremore lot, the spot you pick for a shelter is worth settling first. The city’s general rule keeps permanent accessory structures in the rear or side yard. The same rules bar structures from platted or recorded easements and cap height at 24 feet unless exempted. Building and zoning permits come from the city’s Planning and Development Department. That is the office your installer deals with for the permit, the fee and the inspections.

Cutaway illustration of a house with a storm shelter below the garage floor and a separate underground shelter in the back yard
Two common placements: below the garage floor and underground in the yard.

Permits through Planning and Development

The department is part of Community Development Services. Its Permits & Inspections division checks construction against the codes the city has adopted. The city’s website links to an online portal for permit applications. It also links to a separate online system for building and fire inspections.

Claremore’s Unified Development Code took effect June 18, 2025. It says a building permit is required for an accessory structure added after the house, unless the item is exempted. Ask the company you hire to:

  • check whether your shelter needs a permit and arrange any required application;
  • put the fee in the written quote;
  • say which inspections it will schedule.

Rear or side yard, outside the easements

The code’s general limits for permanent accessory structures are:

  • rear or side yard only, with the required setbacks;
  • never inside platted or recorded easements;
  • no taller than 24 feet unless exempted.

Storm shelters are not on the code’s list of named accessory structures. For items not on that list, the city’s Administrator decides case by case. The practical answer is a site sketch. Have the installer mark the shelter, your property lines and any easements on it. Have the installer get that spot confirmed before a unit is ordered.

Flood maps and buried units

Claremore’s floodplain rules adopt the Rogers County Flood Insurance Study, dated April 3, 2012, with its flood map. In a mapped flood area, building needs a separate floodplain development permit under the 2019 ordinance. As checked in October 2026, the 2019 text lists these fees, with no single service above $500:

  • up to $25 for a notice of intent;
  • $100 for application review;
  • $25 for the permit;
  • $25 per inspection.

Have the installer confirm the current floodplain charges in its quote.

The same ordinance limits accessory structures in flood zones A and AE. They must be unfinished inside and used only for parking and limited storage. Electrical equipment must sit at or above the base flood level, the height of a flood with a 1% chance in any year. Have the installer check how those limits apply to your shelter, including any lights. SoonerSafe also refuses below-ground safe rooms in a floodplain, while an above-ground one may qualify. If your lot is mapped, ask the installer to price an above-ground room and to include the floodplain permit in the quote.

The May 2024 tornado and the Rogers County record

The SPC database lists an EF3 on May 25, 2024. Its path ran 23.9 miles through two counties, with 2 deaths along its full length. The chart below counts every tornado whose path touched Rogers County. Each rating describes the strongest damage anywhere on that path.

What the city says to do under a warning

Under a tornado warning, Claremore Emergency Management advises going to one of these:

  • a safe room;
  • a basement;
  • a storm cellar;
  • the lowest floor of a building.

It says mobile homes, even tied down, offer little protection. The city’s Fire Chief also serves as its Emergency Management Director. The sirens are meant for people outdoors. For warnings at home, sign up for the Rogers County Emergency Alert System on the city’s Emergency Management page. For current warnings, follow the National Weather Service.

Fitting a shelter to the house

Claremore has both newer and older homes. The ACS 2020–2024 estimate counts 2,340 Claremore housing units built in 2000 or later. The estimated median year built is 1982. For either kind of house, the garage slab is the question for an anchored safe room (one bolted to the floor). The installer should say how it will check yours. For a detached unit, keep a future rebate in mind. SoonerSafe accepts a detached shelter only within 100 feet of the home.

Budget and rebate

Use the Oklahoma price table as a reference. The permit amounts it lists belong to other cities. The FAQ gives SoonerSafe’s dated status. If you plan to apply in a later cycle, wait for notice of selection before installing.

To get a Claremore price, use the form below. Ask for three things in the quote:

  • a site sketch with the shelter, lot lines and easements marked;
  • any required city and floodplain permits handled by the installer;
  • an itemized total that shows dirt haul-off, delivery and a concrete pad.