Oklahoma

Can my neighbor do that? What Oklahoma law allows if you have issues

Published

2 months ago

January 22, 2026

Can my neighbor do that? What Oklahoma law allows if you have issues

Wondering if you can park in front of someone else’s house, or fly a drone over your neighbor’s home? There’s a statute for that.

Oklahoma law can clarify if you can legally cut the overhanging limbs, drive in the left lane, be on your phone during a school zone and much more. Oftentimes, the common sense law may come into play, but that should not distract you from knowing the precise law before you decide to refurbish the shared fence.

If you’re looking for what to know about general neighborly deeds or casual traffic laws, here’s what to know according to state law, legal experts and city/state codes.

Is it illegal to park in front of a stranger’s house in Oklahoma?

According to Nolo, a publishing company for the legal industry, it’s not illegal for someone to park in front of a stranger’s house on a public street.

Generally speaking, you can park along any neighborhood street.

“An individual citizen does not ‘own’ or have any ongoing exclusive right to use a parking space on a public street,” attorney Brian Farkas wrote in a 2023 Nolo article. “These spaces are open to the public on a first-come, first-served basis.”

There are some glaring exceptions to the rule, however, like in front of any driveway, near safety zones and more.

More: Read where you can and can’t park your car in Oklahoma.

When can kids stay home alone in Oklahoma?

Oklahoma doesn’t have a law dictating the age, but the state’s Department of Humans Services does have some guidelines.

Generally speaking, children under the age of six should never be left unsupervised, while those six and seven may be left alone but only for less than an hour.

The ages continue to vary depending on the age of the child and what the parent assesses the child’s development and functioning patterns.

More: Can I leave my child home alone? See what ages DHS recommends in Oklahoma

Is it legal to trim a neighbor’s tree hanging over the fence?

Generally speaking, the law allows property owners to maintain their belongings as they see fit. That includes trimming branches that grow past the property line. Edmond, for example, has explicitly said landowners have the right to trim trees or bushes that encroach on the property.

If the tree trunk or bush straddles the property line, both property owners are responsible for caring for shared trees and other shrubbery.

Be careful, though. Oklahoma courts can order you to pay 10 times the cost of someone else’s tree if it’s wrongfully damaged.

More: Can I cut a tree limb from my neighbor’s tree? See how state boundaries work

Is it legal in Oklahoma to shoot a drone hovering over your property?

The simple answer is no, you cannot shoot down a drone that’s over your or anyone else’s property.

For over a decade, both Congress and the Federal Aviation Administration have classified drones as aircraft.

It means that when it comes to disrupting something that’s flying in the air, the United States treats drones the same way as any other aircraft that can actually carry people. It’s also terribly unsafe to fire a gun into the air, and you may be liable in civil court for disrupting a business’ legitimate operation.

More: Can I shoot down a drone hovering over my property? Here’s why state law says no.

Can I shoot a gun on my property in Oklahoma?

It depends on local ordinances, but state ordinance notes that every person who fires a pistol, rifle, shotgun, air gun or other weapon in any place where anyone can be harmed can receive a misdemeanor charge.

What Oklahomans may do, as stated by officials with the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, is that when firing guns, either privately practicing with targets or hunting, users need to ensure bullets do not leave the property and/or harm an individual.

More: How to make a proper backstop when shooting my gun? See what Oklahoma law says.

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Oklahoma

Christian Coleman ‘motored up’ as Oklahoma State basketball advances in Big 12 Tournament

Published

4 hours ago

March 11, 2026

Press Room

Christian Coleman ‘motored up’ as Oklahoma State basketball advances in Big 12 Tournament

KANSAS CITY, MO — Christian Coleman reached high but couldn’t grab the alley-oop pass from Jaylen Curry.

But it glanced off his fingertips, hit the backboard, then the rim and fell in the basket.

It wasn’t the prettiest clutch play by the Oklahoma State forward, but it was as important as any of them.

Coleman’s alley-oops layup with just over two minutes remaining helped the 14th-seeded Cowboys stretch their lead on the way to a 92-83 win over No. 11 Colorado in the first round of the Big 12 Tournament on Tuesday at T-Mobile Center.

Had Coleman gotten his hands on the ball, it would have been a massive exclamation-point jam, yet as he rose for it, he could tell it was out of his reach.

“But God had his hands around it and it kinda fell in for me,” Coleman said with a laugh. “So we count it.”

Coleman finished with 17 points and a season-high 14 rebounds, backing guard Anthony Roy, who had 17 of his game-high 24 points in the second half. Curry added 15 points, five rebounds and four assists.

Late in the game, the lanky 6-foot-8 Coleman moved to center as coach Steve Lutz was forced to put a small lineup on the floor.

The Cowboys were without their two most-used bigs, Parsa Fallah and Andrija Vukovic, because of injuries. Their freshman replacements, Benjamin Ahmed and Mekhi Ragland, found themselves in foul trouble.

“He’s versatile,” said OSU point guard Kanye Clary, who had seven points, six assists and five rebounds. “He can guard the 1-5. He switches and plays hard.

“When he’s motored up, I don’t really think there’s nobody who can stop him. He’s the only person who can stop himself. And tonight, he went out there and showed how impactful he is.”

The Cowboys (19-13) will take on sixth-seeded TCU at 8:30 p.m. Wednesday as they try to once again keep their NCAA Tournament hopes alive.

“Our mentality has been the same every game in the Big 12, because the league is so darn hard,” Lutz said. “If you look forward, you have no chance.

“I’m proud of the guys for sticking together and banding together, because we’ve had some key people, teammates, go down and we had to piece it together. I’m just happy for them and excited to face TCU tomorrow night.”

Here are three takeaways from the OSU victory:

Anthony Roy settles in for big game

In an odd twist, Colorado was hit with a technical foul for not submitting its lineup in time prior to the game, and that put Roy on the free throw line before the tipoff.

He missed the attempt, but it was the only one he’d miss all night, hitting the next 10.

Roy hit some rough patches throughout the first half, at one point getting quickly subbed out after missing an awkward 3-pointer from the corner.

But in the second half, he found his rhythm, going 5 of 6 from the floor with a pair of 3-pointers and a couple tough drives for layups.

“He got to the free-throw line and made 10 of 11,” Lutz said. “I thought he did a good job with that. And we tease him a bunch about his defense, but I thought at the end of the game when it mattered, he played good defense. And he rebounded the basketball.”

Freshmen Benjamin Ahmed, Mekhi Ragland play key minutes

With the Cowboys thin in the frontcourt, Ahmed made his third straight start, and Ragland was the first center off the bench.

Ahmed went to the bench after getting his fourth foul with 7:20 to play and didn’t return, but still played his second-most minutes in a game this season at 21. He finished with seven points, six rebounds and a blocked shot.

“Parsa going down, he spoke to me about it that I have a big role to fill,” Ahmed said. “It’s a learning process for me. I’m just excited to see what the future holds for me.”

Ragland had four points, a rebound and an assist in eight minutes — his most against a Big 12 opponent.

“It felt good being able to step up,” Ragland said. “I’ve wanted to show myself and show what I can do all year.

“The first couple up-and-downs, you’re a little nervous, but that goes away fast. It’s just basketball at the end of the day, so I was ready for the moment.”

OSU by the numbers

∎ The Cowboys are now 29-1 under Steve Lutz when scoring at least 81 points. The only loss came to TCU earlier this year, 95-92 in overtime at Gallagher-Iba Arena.

∎ The 92 points scored Tuesday are the most by OSU in the Big 12 Tournament. The previous high was 87, scored against Colorado in 2005.

∎ Coleman’s 14 rebounds were his season high and tied his career high.

∎ Adding a new combination Tuesday, OSU has used 19 different starting lineups this season.

∎ Clary led the team in plus-minus at 17, followed by Vyctorius Miller at 14.

Scott Wright covers Oklahoma State athletics for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Scott? He can be reached at swright@oklahoman.com or on X at @ScottWrightOK. Sign up for the Oklahoma State Cowboys newsletter to access more OSU coverage. Support Scott’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com or by using the link at the top of this page.

Oklahoma State vs. TCU

TIPOFF: 8:30 p.m. Wednesday at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Mo. (ESPNU)

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Oklahoma

Severe weather threat increasing for Oklahoma tonight

Published

17 hours ago

March 10, 2026

Press Room

Severe weather threat increasing for Oklahoma tonight

OKLAHOMA CITY (KOKH) — Severe weather is still expected tonight across much of our area. In fact, the threats have increased since this morning due to more clearing skies in western Oklahoma. More sunshine means more instability to work with.

SPC Severe Weather Outlook. (KOKH)

Due to this, the Storm Prediction Center has increased all hazards for our part of Oklahoma. The strongest storms could produce winds up to 80 mph, baseball size hail, and a few tornadoes. This would be from essentially now until early Wednesday morning.

SPC Tornado Outlook. (KOKH)

The tornadic potential has increased across much of the area generally along and east of I-44/I-35.

The general thinking is that discrete supercells will form in western North Texas in the 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM window and begin to make their way towards southwest Oklahoma. These storms will then quickly go from being individual cells to more clusters of storms. This would increase the wind potential and make it possible for brief spinup tornadoes to form. These QLCS (quasi-linear convective systems) tornadoes can form and develop quickly.

Once the storms are generally east of I-35, there won’t be any more cells anymore and we’d be looking at a larger squall line. Check out the below model images for a look at the evolution of the storms tonight:

There is also the potential for very heavy rain with these storms too.

A cold front will sweep the storms away to the east tonight. After the front, strong northerly winds are possible. Due to this, there is a Wind Advisory Wednesday for parts of our area.

Wednesday Wind Gusts. (KOKH)

These strong winds will increase the fire danger Wednesday afternoon.

To stay up to date with the latest forecast, be sure to download the Fox 25 Weather App.

Download the Fox 25 First Warning Weather App. (KOKH)

Stay with Fox 25, we’ve got your back.

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Oklahoma

‘I cannot stay silent’ Oklahoma City moves to dismiss former attorneys claims seized cash

Published

1 day ago

March 10, 2026

Press Room

‘I cannot stay silent’ Oklahoma City moves to dismiss former attorneys claims seized cash

A legal fight is escalating between former Oklahoma City municipal attorney Orval Jones and the city over how the Oklahoma City Police Department handled cash seized during arrests.

The city has filed a motion asking a judge to strike Jones’ claims, arguing he has no legal standing and calling the criminal-case process a “restitution scheme.”

Jones says he spent eight years “cleaning up” the OKCPD property return process from 2017 to March 2025 until he resigned “due to duress” in September.

He filed an affidavit claiming OKCPD seized more than $400,000 in cash from arrests and deposited it into the city’s bank account.

In his audit, Jones made lists of seized cash amounts, including amounts under $250, from $250 up to $500, and more than $500.

In its motion, the city argues Jones is no longer an attorney for the city or the district attorney’s office, is not an owner of any of the property “properly disposed of,” and has not suffered an injury.

The city also alleges Jones filed his motion with “half-truths” and without support or proof.

Jones responded in a rebuttal affidavit that the issue involves injury to the state, the county, other counties, crime victims, and property owners who received no notice. Jones said, “I had a professional duty to tell the court that these filings were legally defective and potentially fraudulent. I cannot stay silent.”

In an email in April 2025, OKCPD Chief Ron Bacy said the department had 288,000 overdue property and currency claims needing a disposition update, and that many investigators assigned to those cases are no longer employed with the department. Bacy said the department developed programs to assist the Property Management Unit.

Court documents show more than 350,000 pieces of property held in the Property Management Unit, more than $2.5 million in the unit’s bank account, and that 80% of the property and money are due for disposition.

If a judge agrees with Jones, the funds may be returned to the owners.

If the judge agrees with the city, the case will be dropped.

The city and OKCPD had not responded to open records requests submitted Feb. 10.

When asked whether the city conducted or requested an internal review into the allegations, the city said it does not comment on pending litigation.

A hearing has been set later this month.

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