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Engineering

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1. What are the permit, bonding, and insurance requirements to work in rights of way in Ponca City?

If you intend to perform construction that is within public rights of way including sidewalks, streets, curbs, and gutters, or make connections to city-owned utilities, a permit must be obtained from the City Engineering Department by a bonded and insured contractor performing the work. Questions about this permit can be addressed to the Ponca City Engineering Department at (580) 767-0326. The insurance and bond requirements are found in Title 9, Chapter 2, Section 5 of the municipal code as shown below.

No person shall construct, reconstruct, repair, or remove any pavement, walk, drive, curb, or gutter within any public way or make any excavation therein without having first complied with the following requirements:

• Insurance: It is required to have filed with the City Clerk a certificate of insurance issued by an insurance company licensed to do business in the State of Oklahoma, in the following minimum amounts: comprehensive liability, each individual, $50,000; property damage, per accident, $25,000; aggregate amount, each occurrence, $100,000. All liability insurance policies shall name the City of Ponca City as an additional insured and shall otherwise identify the City as exempt from any claim arising out of any act, omission, or negligence on the part of a person insured.


• Bond: It is required to have deposited with the City an approved performance bond in the amount of $10,000 under the condition that the contractor and/or his surety will remove any work not executed in accordance with the specifications hereinafter set forth, and replace the same to the satisfaction of the City. This is provided that this provision shall not apply to a public utility concern having a franchise for the use of the public ways (1980 Code § 30-40; and. 2003 Code).

2. What other regulations or permits are required for construction in Ponca City?

Floodplain Development Permits
Any development within the Special Flood Hazard Area identified in the Flood Insurance Rate Map or in the Ponca City Stormwater Master Plan will require a Floodplain Development Permit from the City of Ponca City. Development is defined as any manmade changes to any improved or unimproved real estate, including, but not limited to, changes to buildings or other structures such as mining, dredging, filling, grading, paving, excavation, or drilling operations. Your actions should not result in raising flood waters and causing other damage. If you see construction or filling dirt within a floodplain, but no Floodplain Development Permit is posted on the site, call the City. For more information about Floodplain Development Permit or to report unpermitted activity within the floodplain, contact the Ponca City Development Services Department at (580) 767-0383 or Ponca City Engineering Department at (580) 767-0326.

Building Permits
If an owner or contractor intends to construct, enlarge, alter, repair, move, demolish, or change the occupancy of a building or structure, or to erect, enlarge, alter, repair, remove, convert, or replace any electrical, mechanical, or plumbing system, then a building permit is required. For more information about building permits contact the Ponca City Development Services Department at (580) 767-0383. Ponca City has adopted the international codes for building, residential, mechanical, and Plumbing and the National Electrical Code.

Stormwater Detention Requirements
The City of Ponca City prohibits an increase in stormwater runoff by development of all new commercial / industrial development projects and residential development above a certain size or in a critical area. This requirement is met by storing stormwater on site and releasing it at a controlled rate. Questions about these requirements can be addressed to the Ponca City Engineering Department at (580) 767-0326.

Stormwater Discharge Permits
If you are planning construction activities that will disturb more than one acre you must have a Stormwater Discharge Permit from the Oklahoma State Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). Certain industrial activities also require DEQ permits to discharge uncontaminated stormwater runoff. More information on DEQ stormwater permitting can be found on their website. Additional stormwater pollution prevention information can also be found on the City website on the Stormwater Information page or by calling (580) 767-0453.