Edmond’s city code spells out where a storm shelter may sit. An in-ground unit can go in the front yard if it keeps 3 ft from the side lot lines and rises no more than 12 in above the ground. Shelters must stay out of utility, drainage and roadway easements and rights-of-way. Every new installation needs a Building Department permit. The July 2026 schedule lists a $35 shelter fee plus a $4.25 state fee.

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.

Choosing a spot on an Edmond lot

The front-yard option helps on a lot where the backyard is tight or crossed by an easement. The same 2012 ordinance sets the other placements:

  • Side or rear yard, in-ground: 3 ft from the side lot line. Behind the front of the house, no part may be more than 5 ft high.
  • Above-ground: treated under the city’s residential rules for accessory buildings.
  • Anywhere: not in a public utility, drainage or roadway easement or right-of-way. It must be built to FEMA and ICC (building code) standards.

A plat or survey (the map of your lot) shows where the easements run. Hand it to the installer at the first visit. Then the proposed spot is drawn against the real lot lines. Ask the company to show how its plan meets the city’s placement and height rules.

Lots near a floodplain

Edmond’s floodplain rules go beyond the federal minimum (they are in Title 23 of city code). The 2024 county hazard plan says they bar new development in FEMA’s high-risk flood zone. They also require 2 ft of freeboard, meaning building above the flood level. The city’s Floodplain & Watershed Map shows FEMA and city-adopted floodplains by address. Have the installer settle floodplain questions with the Floodplain Administrator. For the SoonerSafe rebate, a below-ground safe room in a floodplain is not eligible, though an above-ground one may be. Ask the installer to check your address on the map before it prices a buried unit.

What the permit involves

The permit box below lists the fee and the papers:

  • a site plan with measurements
  • a floor plan
  • an engineered or FEMA design

Everything goes to the Building Department as PDFs through the online portal at permits.edmondok.gov. Ask the company to prepare and file the set. The schedule also lists a $105 residential plan review fee; have the company check whether it applies to your shelter.

Work started without a permit costs 3 times the permit total. Ask to see the issued permit before anyone digs or drills. Edmond’s codes page shows the 2018 ICC codes adopted in August 2023. The state moved to the 2024 IRC (the home building code) on September 14, 2026. The installer’s designer can confirm with the city which edition the plans are reviewed under.

Garage safe rooms and the slab

By the Census estimate, 15,493 of Edmond’s 39,841 homes were built in 2000 or later. A newer house still does not settle whether its garage slab can hold an anchored safe room. When anchors go into an existing slab, ICC 500 (the safe room standard) requires a special inspection, as FEMA P-320 notes. It covers:

  • how the anchors are set
  • what they can hold
  • whether the foundation is adequate

Ask the installer who performs that inspection and whether its cost is in the price.

Sirens, rebates and the registry

Edmond does not open public buildings as shelters before a storm. Its outdoor sirens are meant for people outside. They are tested at noon on the first Saturday of each month.

The city’s own FEMA-funded rebate, listed in the facts below, was a past round. A new one depends on federal funding. OEM says its 2026 SoonerSafe cycle is not open as of October 29, 2026. When it is, it pays up to $3,000 and no more than 75% of the cost. Installing before selection makes the shelter ineligible for SoonerSafe.

Once the shelter is in, add it to the free city registry. Rescuers use the location description. Write it as you would explain it to a stranger: “garage, left bay” or “backyard, northeast corner.”

Asking for an Edmond quote

For your Edmond quote request, ask for:

  • an on-site look at the spot you have in mind
  • a site plan drawn against your easements and side lot lines
  • the permit filed by the company

The itemized price should show the permit and any plan review fee, the engineered design, any slab inspection and dirt haul-off.