Tulsa has more than 700 multifamily dwellings, including apartments, condos, and duplexes.
Multiple unresolved code violations ultimately led to the Vista Shadow Mountain Apartments being condemned by the Fire Marshal.
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That move meant all remaining tenants had to move out.
“We can’t allow people to be in situations that are immediately dangerous to their life,” said Tulsa Fire Spokesperson Andy Little.
To avoid similar situations in the future, Tulsa created the Multifamily Code Enforcement Task Force in July 2023.
As it marks its first anniversary, its six members from Tulsa’s Fire Marshal’s Office and Code Enforcement Office face a big challenge.
“It’s a big challenge to inspect over 700 properties,” said Kevin Cox with Code Enforcement. “97% of what we have inspected have some type of code violation.”
So, in its first year, the task force only inspected about 20% of the properties on their list.