Sapulpa orders Regency Inn families to evacuate over safety violations

Elora McLain and other families in Sapulpa must leave the Regency Inn following a city inspection. Officials cited serious life-safety violations on the second floor of the motel complex. The first-floor spaces were not part of the evacuation mandate.

McLain said the sudden departure is difficult with children and few available options. She described her personal struggle over explaining the situation to them.

Another resident said she had only 16 hours to plan her relocation. She reported that operators provided no moving assistance or rent refunds.

“They haven’t [told] not one of us ‘oh hey, we can at least offer you guys this truck to help you with your stuff’ or ‘oh hey, we can give you all your rent money from the 24th and on,'” the mother shared.

Residents expressed frustration over poor communication from motel staff. McLain said management locked the office doors after notices went up.

A letter posted at the site stated the inspection occurred Sept. 23. Property owner Jay Patel said he notified tenants on Sept. 29.

Patel stated he received the official city notice on that date. He said residents may request refunds directly from him.

Sapulpa Building Official Mark Stevens disputed the timeline presented by ownership. He said operators received the vacancy notice on Sept. 24.

“They were told on the 24th that the second floor had to be vacated,” Stevens stated. “They had asked on the 25th for the extension of 30 days and they were told no. On Monday, we went to look. Everyone was supposed to be out of the second floor. They were not out of the second floor. We gave them another 48 hours and on Tuesday, when we met with the owner because the owner was out of the country, we discovered that they haven’t notified anyone on the second floor.”

City staff went door to door to post notices on Tuesday. Inspectors found no working smoke detectors across the entire motel.

Officials also discovered broken windows, nonworking electrical outlets and gas leaks in three separate places. The city stated it issued warnings about these violations for two years.

The property has 60 days to repair the fire suppression systems. Displaced residents remain focused on finding shelter.

The city said rent refunds remain the legal responsibility of the owner. Sapulpa is connecting displaced residents with local housing resources.

Municipal code enforcement departments enforce structural safety standards to protect occupants. Properties with critical violations face mandatory vacancy orders during necessary repairs.

Officials stated Buildings One, Two and Three could reopen after repairs. Building Four is expected to be abated and removed.