Is it Legal to Warm Your Car Up in Your Driveway in Oklahoma?

Now that we're to the normal chilly mornings these days, we all know the drill. Wake up, get ready, and warm up the vehicle so it's not cold when you head into work... but is that legal to do in Oklahoma?

Even though the state's biggest moneymaker is oil and gas, which every O&G worker would agree is a good thing for the bottom line, letting your vehicle warm up is shockingly - and technically - illegal in Oklahoma.

Unlike other states that have banned this ordinary and universal practice based on emissions and ecological assumptions, Oklahoma's law specifies that it is illegal to leave your running vehicle unattended.

This Really Depends On The Officer

It is illegal due to the state statute (47 OK State § 47–11–1101), which makes leaving a vehicle running unattended a misdemeanor punishable by a fine. It's also not something written in stone. Like a lot of laws in the Oklahoma books, it's really up to the responding officer to make the decision to cite you or not.

After a short Q&A on the topic with a few local boys in blue, they overwhelmingly said this is something that isn't normally addressed during periods of cold weather. They get it. They also choose to let their cruisers warm up before starting their shift when it's freezing out.

It Really, Really Depends On The Officer

All the same, they couldn't help that while few would bother writing such an understandingly frivolous ticket, there are some that get a little happy with their ticket book.

It all comes down to how often a badged individual watches Road House... at least that's the punchline they all laughed about. The simple answer is, while most law enforcement members are earning a living and hate being the bad guy, there are some officers that look forward to ruining your day on a technicality... their words, not mine.

All in all, if you spend your warm-up time scraping windows or setting out the garbage, you have nothing to worry about since your vehicle won't be unattended.