Registration is now open for the 2025 cycle of the SoonerSafe - Safe Room Rebate Program, offering eligible Oklahoma homeowners a financial boost toward installing life-saving storm shelters.
Registration is now open for the 2025 cycle of the SoonerSafe - Safe Room Rebate Program, offering eligible Oklahoma homeowners a financial boost toward installing life-saving storm shelters.
The Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security (ODEMHS) announced that residents in 26 Oklahoma counties - those most impacted by federally declared disasters in 2024 - will receive priority consideration for this year’s rebates. These counties include: Blaine, Caddo, Carter, Craig, Custer, Delaware, Hughes, Jackson, Johnston, Kay, Lincoln, Love, Mayes, Mc-Clain, Murray, Muskogee, Nowata, Okfuskee, Okmulgee, Osage, Ottawa, Pontotoc, Pottawatomie, Rogers, Washington and Washita.
If funding remains after serving those priority counties, applicants from other areas of the state will be entered into a random selection drawing.
The SoonerSafe program provides rebates of up to $3,000 - or 75 percent of the total cost, whichever is less - for the installation of safe rooms that meet FEMA and ICC 500 safety standards. Only new safe rooms are eligible, and they must be installed on property owned by the applicant and serve as the homeowner’s primary residence.
--- Why Safe Rooms Matter
Tornadoes are an all-too-frequent threat in Oklahoma. With an annual national average of 800 tornadoes resulting in over 80 deaths and 1,500 injuries, the SoonerSafe program highlights the vital role safe rooms play in protecting lives.
“Safe rooms save lives,” the program literature emphasizes. “They provide a shield of protection for you and your family.”
--- How to Register
Homeowners may register online at www.soonersafe.ok.gov. Registration does not guarantee selection, but ensures applicants are entered for consideration during the 2025 cycle.
Each selected applicant must confirm their participation within 30 days of notification and then follow three steps: 1. Install a compliant safe room, 2. Submit required documentation, including a paid invoice, cleared payment and installation certificate signed by the contractor, 3. Await rebate processing, which may take up to 12 weeks from documentation approval.
--- Program Details & Eligibility • Only single-family homeowners are eligible.
• Applicants must own both the home and the land if living in a mobile home.
• Retrofitting existing shelters is not allowed; only newly installed safe rooms qualify.
• One rebate per household is allowed.
• The rebate does not impact eligibility for local rebate programs, but a homeowner may only receive one rebate.
• Rebates are considered non-taxable and may even qualify for property tax exemptions under Oklahoma law.
If selected, rebates are provided only after installation is complete and full documentation is submitted. Homeowners who confirm participation and fail to follow through may be disqualified from future rebate opportunities.
The deadline to register has not been finalized, but interested homeowners are encouraged to register early.
For full program guidelines, visit www.soonersafe.ok.gov.
For questions or support, contact the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security at SoonerSafe c/o Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management P.O. Box 53365 Oklahoma City, OK 73152 -Don’t wait until storm season is in full swing - register now to give your family the peace of mind and protection a safe room can provide.
