TULSA, Okla. — A vacant lot at the corner of W. 40th Avenue and W. 55th Place in west Tulsa has been cleared after 2 News Oklahoma’s reports about neighbors’ complaints about tall grass and weeds on the lot made it dangerous for drivers to see oncoming traffic when turning the corner.
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Lisa Burt said she called 2 News when her complaints about the lot to Tulsa’s 311 complaint center failed to get action from the city.
“For about 3 years now, I’ve been complaining every year about it,” Burt said.
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When her first complaint this year was filed in April, code enforcement classified it as a priority-3 case — its lowest priority level — which can take up to 90 days for an officer to investigate. By mid-summer, the backlog of such cases is typically a couple thousand priority-3 cases mostly involving trashy or overgrown lots.
For 3 years, 2 News has reported on the frustration the backlog of Priority 3 cases causes neighbors of blighted properties because it takes so long for code enforcement to check on their complaints.
“Which I don’t think it should be that long,” Burt said.
After our first story about the issue at W 40th Avenue and W 55th Place aired in early July — the grass was taller than both Burt and reporter Cathy Tatom — code enforcement reclassified the case as priority-1 because of the danger to drivers and sent out an investigator.
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The investigator posted a notice giving the property’s listed owner, a church trust in Oklahoma City, until July 27 to clean up the lot. Attempts to contact the property owner by 2 News were unsuccessful because its voicemail box was full and not accepting any additional messages.
When code enforcement re-inspected the property July 28 and found it had not been cleaned up, the city sent an abatement crew out July 31 to mow down the weeds. The bill for the job will be sent to the property owner. If it is not paid quickly, a lien will be placed on the property, preventing it from being sold until the lien is satisfied.
Burt said the results were worth it.
“It looks great. He did a really great job of getting it cleaned up,” Burt said.
But she said the property owner should have handled it without city intervention.
“I think all owners should be responsible enough to keep their property looking great,” Burt said.
To reduce the time it takes to investigate priority-3 nuisance complaints about trashy or overgrown properties, in July 2 News reported the city is hiring 3 more code enforcement officers. They are expected to be in place by next spring.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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