Bolthole Index

Murray County, Oklahoma

Building permits, zoning and land rules in Davis, Oklahoma

Davis, Oklahoma requires building permits for new structures and for enlarging, altering, or moving existing buildings.1 Davis has its own zoning districts inside city limits; use the city’s land-use rules when buying in this Murray County community.2 Oklahoma DEQ handles septic authorization, while Davis requires tiny homes in its tiny-home district to connect to city water and sewer.34

At a glance

Building permits
Required for new structures and enlarging, altering, or moving existing buildings1
Zoning
City zoning applies inside Davis city limits2
Septic permits
DEQ Authorization to Construct required for new or modified systems5
Tiny homes
Allowed only in the tiny-home residential district; city water and sewer required64
RV living
Flood-zone conditions apply; general private-land occupancy is unconfirmed7
Minimum home size
Single-family residential district requires 700 square feet of living space8
Floodplain development
Separate city approval required for buildings, fill, or grading in a floodplain1

Who to call

Building permits

Davis Community Development Services

Residential building-permit questions and city planning and zoning; commercial project questions go to [email protected].

(580) 369-3333 (ext. 27)

[email protected]

Floodplain permits

Davis Floodplain Administrator

Floodplain development permits inside Davis city limits

580-369-3333

[email protected]

Septic permits

Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality

Authorization to Construct, review and inspection for on-site sewage systems in Murray County

405-702-0100

707 N Robinson Oklahoma City, OK, 73102

Online permits →

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 11, 2026.

Off-grid gear

Going off-grid in Davis means bringing your own water and power. The kit we’d start with:

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Do you need a building permit in Davis, OK?

Davis requires a building permit for a new structure and for enlarging, altering, or moving an existing building.1 Davis’s Community Development Services directs residential and commercial applicants through the next steps; contact the office before starting work.1 Davis’s tiny-home installation provisions also expressly require a building permit.9

Building without the required city approval can result in fines, a stop-work order, or removal of the structure.1 Oklahoma minimum building standards apply to residential and commercial construction, and municipalities may enforce higher standards.10 Ask Community Development Services which code edition and inspections apply to the proposed home.

Who handles Davis building permits and zoning questions?

Davis Community Development Services guides construction and land-use projects through city planning, building permits, and zoning.1 Residential project questions go to [email protected]; commercial project questions go to [email protected], and Davis City Hall can direct either type of inquiry at 580-369-3333.1

Davis requires registration for electrical, plumbing, and mechanical contractors and journeymen, and building projects will not be approved without actively registered trade contractors.1 Davis also requires a contractor compliance letter after each contractor’s work, before the final inspection and certificate of occupancy.1 Ask the office for the application requirements, current building-permit fees, and inspection schedule for your project.

Does Davis have zoning, minimum lot sizes and home-size rules?

Davis has municipal zoning, including single-family residential, general agricultural, manufactured-home and tiny-home districts.11 In Davis’s R-1 single-family district, each dwelling and its accessory buildings require at least 7,000 square feet of lot area.12 A residential building in that district requires at least 700 square feet of living space, excluding porches, garages and spaces without heating or cooling.8

Davis’s A-1 general agricultural district instead requires at least 1 acre for each dwelling and its accessory buildings.13 In Davis’s R-1 district, main and accessory buildings may cover at most 30% of an interior lot or 35% of a corner lot.14 Ask the city planner to confirm the parcel’s district and applicable setbacks before commissioning a site plan.

Can you live in an RV or tiny home on land in Davis?

Davis allows tiny homes only in its R-5 tiny-home residential district, with a maximum of 1 tiny home per lot; other residential, commercial and industrial districts do not allow their placement.6 Davis tiny homes must connect to city water and sewer, and composting toilets are prohibited under the tiny-home requirements.415 Individually sold tiny-home lots in a designated zone must meet subdivision regulations, front on a public street, and contain at least 7,000 square feet.16

In Davis flood zones A and AE, an RV must stay fewer than 180 consecutive days, remain fully licensed and ready for highway use, or meet the specified permit, elevation and anchoring requirements.7 Those flood-zone options do not establish general permission to live in an RV on private land; ask Community Development Services about occupancy and temporary camping at the proposed address.

How do septic permits work inside Davis?

Oklahoma DEQ issues the Authorization to Construct for a new or modified on-site sewage system serving property inside Davis.3 The Report for On-Site Sewage must be reviewed before DEQ issues that authorization, and alternative systems require DEQ approval before installation.5 A new or modified system must be inspected and approved by DEQ, or installed, self-inspected and approved by a certified installer, before operation.17

Murray County’s soil data rate only 7.7% of soils as not limited for a conventional septic drain field; that countywide figure does not decide whether an individual Davis lot can support septic.18 Plan for a site evaluation rather than assuming a conventional system will work.18 For a Davis tiny home, the city’s water-and-sewer connection requirement still applies.4

Building a home in Davis: what steps should you take in order?

  1. Ask Davis Community Development Services to confirm the parcel’s zoning district and the building-permit application steps for the proposed home.12
  2. Check floodplain status with the Davis Floodplain Administrator: buildings, fill and grading in a floodplain require a separate floodplain development permit.19
  3. Resolve sanitation before installation: obtain DEQ authorization for a new or modified septic system, or plan the required city water and sewer connections for a tiny home.54
  4. Arrange registered electrical, plumbing and mechanical contractors and obtain city approval before construction.1
  5. Coordinate contractor compliance letters, final building inspection and certificate-of-occupancy steps with Davis; complete septic inspection and approval before using an on-site system.117

For property outside Davis city limits, use the Murray County guide for the unincorporated-area zoning answer.20

Watch-outs

  • Davis’s tiny-home district requires city water and sewer and prohibits composting toilets, so a septic proposal does not replace those connections.415
  • Davis floodplain development approval covers fill and grading as well as buildings; contact the city Floodplain Administrator before changing the site.19
  • We could not confirm general private-land RV occupancy, temporary camping, owner-builder exemptions or municipal building-permit fees in Davis; ask Community Development Services about the specific project.1

Sources

  1. Davis Community Development Services (davisok.city)
  2. Sec. 11-8A-4. R-1 Single-Family Residential District: Site and structure requirements (Davis), quoted and re-checked
  3. Oklahoma DEQ On-Site Sewage Information (Davis), quoted and re-checked
  4. Sec. 11-8E-3. R-5 Tiny Home Residential District: Site and structure requirements (Davis), quoted and re-checked
  5. Oklahoma DEQ On-Site Sewage Information (Davis), quoted and re-checked
  6. Sec. 11-8E-1. R-5 Tiny Home Residential District: Scope of provisions (Davis), quoted and re-checked
  7. Sec. 13-4-2. Flood control: Specific standards (Davis), quoted and re-checked
  8. Sec. 11-8A-4. R-1 Single-Family Residential District: Site and structure requirements (Davis), quoted and re-checked
  9. Sec. 11-8D-5. R-4 variance requirements (Davis), quoted and re-checked
  10. Adopted Building Codes (Oklahoma statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  11. Sec. 11-8A-4. R-1 Single-Family Residential District: Site and structure requirements (Davis), quoted and re-checked
  12. Sec. 11-8A-4. R-1 Single-Family Residential District: Site and structure requirements (Davis), quoted and re-checked
  13. Sec. 11-6-4. A-1 General Agricultural District: Site and structure requirements (Davis), quoted and re-checked
  14. Sec. 11-8A-4. R-1 Single-Family Residential District: Site and structure requirements (Davis), quoted and re-checked
  15. Sec. 11-8E-3. R-5 Tiny Home Residential District: Site and structure requirements (Davis), quoted and re-checked
  16. Sec. 11-8E-3. R-5 Tiny Home Residential District: Site and structure requirements (Davis), quoted and re-checked
  17. Oklahoma DEQ On-Site Sewage Information (Davis), quoted and re-checked
  18. Share of soils USDA rates "not limited" for a conventional septic drain field (SSURGO). A strict rating: the median county is about 6% and a tenth of counties are 0%, so a low figure means most lots need a site evaluation or an engineered system, not that septic is impossible. Cite it only with that caveat: Bolthole Index county data
  19. Davis Floodplain Administrator (davisok.city)
  20. Oklahoma law on county zoning and building authority

Written October 11, 2026 from the rules quoted below, each taken from an official source and re-checked by an independent reviewer. This is research, not legal advice: rules change, so confirm with the office before you buy or build.

Answers from the rulebook for Davis

Davis’s own rules

  • Building permitLimited

    Installation of an R-4 manufactured/mobile home or an R-5 tiny home inside Davis city limits.

    • The cited provisions require a building permit under Code section 10-1-4 for the referenced installation.
    “A building permit, as required by section 10-1-4 of this Code, will be required for the installation of the applicant's tiny home.”
  • Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

    Land inside Davis city limits; Davis has adopted and administers Title 11 zoning districts, including R-1, A-1, R-4 and R-5.

    “No building shall exceed two and one-half (2½) stories or thirty-five feet (35') in height except as provided in section 11-5-3 of this title.”
  • Zoning districtsPublished

    Davis city zoning districts, including R-1 Single-Family Residential, A-1 General Agricultural, R-4 Manufactured Home or Mobile Home Residential, and R-5 Tiny Home Residential.

    “The parking, location, installation and placement of a tiny home within the city shall be allowed or permitted only in an R-5 tiny home residential district without designating specific zone within the city and will not be allowed or permitted in any other residential, commercial or industrial district within the city.”
  • Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

    Residential buildings intended for occupancy in the Davis R-1 Single-Family Residential District.

    • Living space excludes porches, garages and other spaces not heated or cooled.

    minimum living space: >= 700 square feet (porches, garages and other spaces not heated or cooled are excluded)

    “No building intended for residential occupancy may be less than 700 square feet of living space. Living space shall exclude porches, garages and other spaces not heated or cooled by any means.”
  • Minimum lot sizeSpecified

    Dwellings and accessory buildings in the Davis A-1 General Agricultural District.

    minimum lot area: >= 1 acre

    “For each dwelling and buildings accessory thereto, there shall be a lot area of not less than one acre.”
    One more reviewed finding on this topic
  • Lot coverageSpecified

    Main and accessory buildings in the Davis A-1 district.

    • Maximum is 25 percent on interior lots and 30 percent on corner lots; accessory buildings may not cover more than 20 percent of the rear yard.
    “Main and accessory buildings shall not cover more than twenty-five percent (25%) of the lot area on interior lots, and thirty percent (30%) of the lot area on corner lots; accessory buildings shall not cover more than twenty percent (20%) of the rear yard.”
    One more reviewed finding on this topic
  • Building heightSpecified

    Buildings in the Davis A-1 General Agricultural District.

    • Exception applies as provided in section 11-5-3.

    maximum height: <= 35 feet (two and one-half stories maximum; section 11-5-3 exception)

    “No building shall exceed two and one-half (2½) stories or thirty-five feet (35') in height except as provided in section 11-5-3 of this title.”
    One more reviewed finding on this topic
  • Living in an RVLimited

    Recreational vehicles placed on sites inside Davis city limits that are within zones A or AE on the applicable Murray/Garvin County or City of Davis FIRM.

    • The RV must be on site fewer than 180 consecutive days, or be fully licensed and ready for highway use, or meet section 13-3-3 permit and manufactured-home elevation and anchoring requirements.
    • A ready-for-highway-use RV must be on wheels or a jacking system, attached only by quick-disconnect utilities and security devices, and have no permanently attached additions.

    maximum consecutive days under one option: < 180 days

    “Require that recreational vehicles placed on sites within zones A and AE on the Murray and/or Garvin County FIRM and/or City of Davis FIRM either: 1. Be on the site for fewer than one hundred eighty (180) consecutive days; 2. Be fully licensed and ready for highway use; or 3. Meet the permit requirements of section 13-3-3 of this title, and the elevation and anchoring requirements for "manufactured homes" in subsection D of this section.”
  • Tiny homesAllowed (with conditions)

    One tiny home per lot in the Davis R-5 tiny home residential district.

    • Tiny homes are not allowed in other residential, commercial or industrial districts.
    • Individual lots must conform to subdivision regulations, front on a public street, and contain at least 7,000 square feet.
    • The home requires city water and sewer, and composting toilets are prohibited.
    • A specific use permit may be required under section 11-8E-5; a building permit is required.

    maximum tiny homes per lot: 1 home per lot · minimum lot area: >= 7000 square feet

    “The parking, location, installation and placement of a tiny home within the city shall be allowed or permitted only in an R-5 tiny home residential district without designating specific zone within the city and will not be allowed or permitted in any other residential, commercial or industrial district within the city. One tiny house per lot is allowed.”
  • Off-grid sanitationProhibited

    Composting toilets in tiny homes regulated by the Davis R-5 tiny home residential district.

    • The cited prohibition is specific to tiny homes subject to the R-5 requirements.
    “Sewer service is essential to dispose of all human waste. No composting toilets will be permitted.”
  • Mandatory utility hookupWater and sewer (with conditions)

    Tiny homes in the Davis R-5 tiny home residential district.

    • The tiny home must be connected to city water and sewer.
    • Sewer service is essential to dispose of human waste.
    “The tiny home must be connected to city utilities which is water and sewer services. Sewer service is essential to dispose of all human waste. No composting toilets will be permitted.”
  • Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

    Individual tiny-home lots in a designated Davis R-5 zone.

    • Lots must conform to subdivision regulations and front on a public street.
    • Minimum area is 7,000 square feet.

    minimum lot area: >= 7000 square feet (tiny-home lots sold as individual lots in a designated specific zone)

    “Where tiny home spaces are to be sold as individual lots in a designated specific zone, they shall conform to the subdivision regulations, front on a public street, and have a minimum area of seven thousand (7,000) square feet.”

Rules another office applies inside Davis

Davis does not set these itself; the county, a health district or the state does, and they apply to every address inside its limits.

  • Who permits septicState (with conditions)

    On-site sewage systems serving property inside Davis city limits.

    • DEQ assigns an Authorization to Construct to the local DEQ Environmental Specialist based on property location.
    “Before installing a new or modifying an existing on-site sewage treatment system, an Authorization to Construct (ATC) must be purchased and issued by DEQ.”
  • Septic permitRequired

    New or modified on-site sewage treatment systems inside Davis city limits.

    • The Report for On-Site Sewage must be reviewed by DEQ before the ATC may be issued.
    • Alternative systems must be approved by DEQ before installation.
    “The Report for On-Site Sewage (581) must be reviewed by DEQ before the ATC may be issued.”
  • Septic inspectionRequired

    New installations and modifications to on-site sewage systems inside Davis city limits.

    • Inspection and approval must occur before the system may be placed into operation.
    • A certified installer may self-inspect and approve the system.
    • Certified-installer final inspections must be submitted to DEQ within 15 days.
    “All new installations or modifications to an on-site sewage system must be inspected and approved by DEQ or installed, self-inspected and approved by a certified installer before the system may be placed into operation.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Davis or Murray County directly.

  • Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemptions inside Davis city limits.
  • Building code adopted — Building-code adoption inside Davis city limits.
  • Inspections — Building inspections inside Davis city limits.
  • Certificate of occupancy — Certificates of occupancy inside Davis city limits.
  • Camping on your land — Temporary camping on private land inside Davis city limits.
6 more unanswered
  • Accessory dwellings
  • Well permit
  • Agricultural exemption
  • Driveway access
  • Short-term rentals
  • Permit fees

Each answer was extracted from an official source and independently re-checked against that source by a second reviewer. That is an evidence check, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the authority before you buy or build.

Unanswered questions are usually a sign that Davis publishes no rule on the point, not that none exists. Murray County’s page lists the county offices to call.

← All of Murray County: county rules, score and offices