Why update the code?
Clearer standards, reduced confusion, and more predictable development outcomes.
City of Stillwater, Oklahoma
Stillwater Land Development Code Update
Modernizing development standards for a smarter, simpler Stillwater.
Find out moreWhat will this rewrite do?
Modernize zoning, improve usability, streamline review procedures, and fix long-standing pain points.
How can you participate?
Draft sections are posted here as they are completed, and comments are welcome on any of them at any point before adoption. Two committee meetings and a Planning Commission workshop are scheduled between now and the end of the year, with dates posted here as they are set. If you own property, build in Stillwater, or simply want to know what can go up next door, the zoning districts and use tables in Section 4 are the place to start.
Current phase
Zoning districts and use tables — Section 4 complete
Project progress 40%
Four of the ten sections are now in draft. The 25% package was delivered in February; Section 4 was completed in August.
Section 4 is the part of the code most people actually run into. It sets the zoning districts, decides what can be built where, and fixes the basic dimensions — how tall, how close to the property line, how much of a lot can be paved.
That draft is now finished and under review. It is a draft: nothing below is in effect until the City Council adopts the new code.
What the draft proposes
- A new neighborhood commercial district (CN) for small-scale, walkable businesses at the edge of residential areas — the corner store, the coffee shop, the neighborhood office — at a size and height that fits next to houses.
- Fewer, simpler residential districts. The RSL district is folded into RSS, and RMI is renamed RM. Same neighborhoods, less alphabet soup.
- One unified use table. Today you have to hunt through several lists to find out whether a use is allowed. The draft replaces them with a single table you read across.
- Clearer measurement rules for building height, front yards, and paved area, so two people reading the same standard get the same answer.
- An Infill Overlay (IO) for older parts of town, with standards written for lots platted long before current requirements existed. The final boundary has not been set and will come back for public review.
What happens next: Section 4 moves into the 50% draft package this fall, alongside the remaining sections. Everything stays open to comment until adoption.
The ten sections
How the new code is organized
The rewritten code is built as ten sections. Four are drafted; the rest follow this fall and winter.
| Section | Status |
|---|---|
| 1 General Provisions and Code Framework | Draft complete |
| 2 Definitions and Terminology | Draft complete |
| 3 Administration, Procedures, and Digital Permitting | Draft complete |
| 4 Zoning Districts and Use Tables | Draft complete |
| 5 Use-Specific Standards | In progress |
| 6 City-Wide Design Standards | In progress |
| 7 Subdivision and Block-Level Redevelopment | Upcoming |
| 8 Environmental and Natural Resource Standards | Upcoming |
| 9 Overlay and Special Districts, Including Planned Unit Developments | Upcoming |
| 10 Enforcement, Nonconformities, Annexation, and Transitional Provisions | Upcoming |
Sections 1, 2, and 3 were previously described as Articles I, II, and III. That earlier write-up is kept at first draft modules (archived).
Key project milestones
Project timeline
-
Phase 1 — November 2025 – January 2026
- Diagnostic review
- Staff interviews & issue gathering
-
Phase 2 — February – August 2026
- First draft modules (25%)
- Zoning districts and use tables
-
Phase 3 — September – December 2026 You are here
- Midpoint draft (50%) — remaining sections and graphics
- Builder Relations and Citizen Advisory meetings
- 75% draft package
-
Phase 4 — January – March 2027
- City staff review
- Planning Commission workshop
- Consolidated full draft
-
Phase 5 — April – May 2027
- Legal review
- Planning Commission workshop
- City Council adoption hearings
A note on the schedule
This timeline runs later than the one previously posted. Section 4 — the zoning districts and use tables — drew substantial review comment, and working through it properly took longer than planned. That was the right trade: it is the section residents and builders will use most, and it sets the framework the remaining sections are written against.
Adoption hearings are now expected in mid-2027. The public meetings ahead have not been reduced — the review windows have been lengthened.
Have questions about the code update?
Reach out to the project team to learn more, ask a question, or find out how to get involved.
Contact the project team