5 published records
Business licenses and permits in Comanche County, Oklahoma
Comanche County, Oklahoma, seat Lawton; population 121,396 (U.S. Census Bureau 2024 estimate). The county's Zoning & Permitting Information page states: "No. Comanche County does not have county zoning. The County also does not issue or administer: Building permits; Fire safety permits; Health ordinances/permits; Certificates of Occupancy." The same page states: "Alcohol licenses and permits are handled through the Oklahoma ABLE Commission. Health Code licenses and permits are handled through the Oklahoma State Department of Health." The county-issued record here is the floodplain process run by the Comanche County Office of Floodplain Management at 315 SW 5th Street, Suite 107, Lawton: the county page states that "All construction projects must complete a Floodplain Discovery before construction", and a Floodplain Development Permit is required in a FEMA Special Flood Hazard Area. Food establishment licenses are issued by the Oklahoma State Department of Health at state-set fees, with plan review, the classification number and the license application handled through the Comanche County Health Department in Lawton. Under 37A O.S. § 2-142(B)(2)-(3), an applicant for an original ABLE alcohol license whose premises lie outside the incorporated limits of a municipality obtains the zoning and code-compliance certificates from the county. The county's Municipalities page lists Cache, Chattanooga, Elgin, Fletcher, Geronimo, Indiahoma, Lawton, Medicine Park and Meers, along with Fort Sill, the U.S. Army post. A business inside a city or town also follows that municipality's own license and permit requirements, which stack on these records; the City of Lawton's business license page states: "Our City business license or permit does not take the place of any State or County required license or permit."
What are you opening in Comanche County?
- RestaurantsFull-service restaurants carry the densest permit load of any small business: food, fire, occupancy, waste, and usually alcohol.See the full permit list
- Coffee shopsCafés are permitted as food service establishments even where no cooking happens, and the plan review step catches most operators by surprise.See the full permit list
- Retail storesRetail is the lightest common permit load, but the sales tax permit and the certificate of occupancy are non-negotiable in every jurisdiction.See the full permit list
- Salons and barbersPersonal care is licensed at state board level as well as locally, so the shop license and the practitioner licenses are separate obligations.See the full permit list
- Food trucksMobile food is the one category with no certificate of occupancy — but it gains a commissary agreement, and the unit itself is inspected rather than the premises.See the full permit list
- Fitness studiosPrepaid memberships trigger state registration and often a surety bond, which catches operators who budgeted only for the fit-out.See the full permit list
- Childcare centresThe heaviest permit load of any small business: state agency licensing, per-person background checks, and a stricter fire standard than ordinary commercial use.See the full permit list
- Contractors and tradesLicensed at state board level rather than locally, and the only common category with no premises permits at all — the bond is usually the long pole.See the full permit list
- Auto repair shopsOrdinary commercial permitting plus an environmental layer: waste oil, solvents and stormwater are each registered separately.See the full permit list
- Veterinary clinicsA state facility permit, controlled substances registration at both state and federal level, and a medical waste manifest — none of which a general business license covers.See the full permit list
Permits that apply to every type of business in Comanche County
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Floodplain Discovery, Floodplain Development Permit and Certificate of Compliance (unincorporated Comanche County)only if it applies to you | Comanche County Office of Floodplain Management / Floodplain Authority | No fee is published on the county's Zoning & Permitting page, Floodplain Management page or Floodplain Development Permit application; contact the Comanche County Office of Floodplain Management at (580) 355-0535 for any current charge. | per project; the permit expires if no work is commenced within 1 year of the date of issuance | 2026-10-10 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
What do these permits involve in Comanche County?
Floodplain Discovery, Floodplain Development Permit and Certificate of Compliance (unincorporated Comanche County)
The county's Zoning & Permitting Information page states that "All construction projects must complete a Floodplain Discovery before construction" and that, if the property is located within a Special Flood Hazard Area, "a Floodplain Development Permit is required before construction can begin." The page applies Floodplain Discovery to new construction, utility construction, additions to existing structures, room additions, garages, outbuildings, barn-type structures, other standalone structures, driveway installations and tinhorn installations, so a business of any of the ten industry types building in unincorporated Comanche County starts with the Floodplain Administrator. The county's permit application states that no work of any kind may begin in a floodplain area until a permit is issued, that the development may not be used or occupied until a Certificate of Compliance is issued, that the permit expires if no work is commenced within 1 year of the date of issuance, and that it is not issued until other necessary local, state or federal permits are obtained. Applications go before the Comanche County Floodplain Board and are tested against the "Comanche County Floodplain Regulations effective July 20, 2009". The form lists an Elevation Certificate as "required for all structures", and may also require a floodproofing certificate, a No-Rise certificate or an elevation study for developments exceeding 50 lots or 5 acres in Zone A. The county's compliance form states that the Elevation Certificate must be submitted to verify compliance before slab pour and before occupancy. No fee is published on the county's floodplain page or forms. Office of Floodplain Management, 315 SW 5th Street, Suite 107, Lawton, (580) 355-0535.
Sources
Every figure in the table above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.
- Floodplain Development Permit Application (Comanche County Floodplain Regulations effective July 20, 2009)Comanche County Floodplain Authority, Oklahoma · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-10
- Zoning & Permitting Information pageComanche County, Oklahoma · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-10
- Floodplain Management pageComanche County, Oklahoma · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-10
- Floodplain Certificate of Compliance formComanche County Floodplain Authority, Oklahoma · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-10
Who issues business permits in Comanche County?
Permitting in Comanche County is split across 3 agencies we hold records for, with tax registration handled at state level. No single office issues everything, which is why an opening usually means filing in several places rather than one.
Comanche County issuing agencies
- Comanche County Health Department (Oklahoma State Department of Health)Local office for state food establishment licensing: plan review and plan review fee, classification number, license application and pre-licensure inspection · Temporary food establishment license applications through the county health department, as OSDH's food licensure page directs3 permits
- Comanche County Board of County CommissionersCounty certificates of zoning and of fire, safety or health code compliance for original ABLE license applications at premises outside municipal limits, under 37A O.S. § 2-142(B)(2)-(3) and (C)1 permit
- Comanche County Office of Floodplain Management / Floodplain AuthorityFloodplain Discovery for construction projects in unincorporated Comanche County · Floodplain Development Permits for development in FEMA Special Flood Hazard Areas, reviewed by the Comanche County Floodplain Board · Certificates of Compliance before a permitted development is used or occupied1 permit
Other Oklahoma jurisdictions we cover
Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.