Tulsa city councilors have approved an ordinance allowing the Tulsa Fire Department to bill insurance companies for responding to car crashes. The department says the change will not raise insurance premiums, but Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner Glen Mulready disagrees.
โHow can you add a million dollars plus in claims to insurance and it not have an incremental negative impact on insurance premiums?โ Mulready said.
The ordinance is meant to recover costs for personnel, equipment, and cleanup โ especially from nonresidents or at-fault drivers โ to ease the burden on taxpayers. The city expects to generate about $1.2 million a year, based on estimates from Fire Recovery USA, the third-party vendor that will handle billing.
The ordinance includes four billing levels: $710 for a basic response, $785 for hazmat cleanup, $865 for car fires, and $1,865 for vehicle extrication. Only at-fault driversโ insurance can be billed, and uninsured drivers will not receive a bill.
Mulready criticized that framework, saying, โThe thought that theyโre charging those that have insurance and those that donโt is just, I think itโs really bad public policy. Youโre literally encouraging not just bad behavior โ youโre encouraging folks to break the law, or youโre rewarding them for breaking the law.โ
Fault will be determined by insurance providers, not the city. Disputes can be appealed to the fire chief and then to the city council.
The ordinance passed unanimously, with no opposition voiced during the meeting. The fire department still must finalize a contract with the billing vendor, and the program is expected to take effect Jan. 1, 2026.
