An estate suburb planned around trees and curving lanes
Developer Gilbert A. Nichols planned Nichols Hills in 1928 on land north of NW 63rd Street, with an emphasis on large homes on substantial lots. According to the Oklahoma Historical Society, he skipped the usual street grid in favor of wide lanes that followed the low hills, and he planted thousands of trees and shrubs to give the prairie an English countryside feel. Two Norman-style towers marked the grand entrance at NW 63rd and Western. By late 1931 there were 35 occupied homes and a country club, and the population grew from 942 in 1940 to 4,897 in 1960.
Today the city covers about 2.4 square miles, bounded roughly by Westminster Place, Western Avenue, NW 63rd Street and Country Club Drive, with Oklahoma City on three sides and The Village to the north. The house at 7316 Nichols Road is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The American Community Survey's 2020 to 2024 estimates show 1,728 housing units with a median build year of 1961. About 309 of those homes predate 1950 and 530 date from the 1950s. At the same time, roughly one in five units has been built since 2000, which fits the Historical Society's account of residents pushing to replace smaller houses with larger new ones. Owners live in about 91 percent of occupied homes.
That mix means very different plumbing jobs on the same block. An older estate may still carry galvanized supply pipe, cast-iron drains and a sewer lateral running under decades of tree growth. A new build next door may have PEX, a tankless heater and a recirculation loop that need different care.
Nichols Hills water comes from its own wells
Unlike most of its neighbors, Nichols Hills runs its own water supply. The city's Public Works Department says it owns and operates 23 wells drawing from the Garber-Wellington Aquifer, backed by three ground reservoirs and two water towers that hold 8,750,000 gallons for daily use and fire protection. Sewage leaves through the city's sanitary sewer system and is treated by Oklahoma City at its North Canadian treatment plant. The city bills water and sewer based on metered use.
The city offers advice worth following: if you have a leak, call the city before you call a contractor. Public Works will check whether the problem is on the city side of the meter, which could save you a bill. If the leak is on your side, that is where we come in.
Nichols Hills is also building a lead service line inventory. Residents are asked to complete a short service line material survey, because much of each service line sits on private property, and the city publishes an interactive map of what it has found so far.
Roots, clay and the sewer lines under old lawns
The trees Nichols planted are now close to a century old, and roots follow moisture. A small crack or an open joint in an older clay or cast-iron lateral gives them a way in, and once inside they grow into a mat that catches everything flushed downstream. Oklahoma Geological Survey geologist Kenneth Luza lists lawn watering and sewer leakage among the sources of water that can swell clay soils beneath foundations and utility lines. A leaking lateral under a well-watered lawn can do both kinds of damage at once, which is why sewer root removal works best paired with a look at the pipe itself.
Permits, inspections and the Building Commission
Any work involving plumbing, water, gas, heat and air, or sewer requires a city permit, and the plumber must be licensed with the City of Nichols Hills. Even French drains have a rule: they must penetrate the curb or end at least 12 feet from the back of the curb or street edge. Inspections are scheduled directly with the city's inspectors through Public Works on NW 75th Street.
Bigger projects also go through the Building Commission, which issues Certificates of Approval for demolition, new houses, many additions and certain facade changes. If a remodel or teardown involves moving a water heater, rerouting gas or replacing a sewer line, the plumbing permit is one piece of a larger approval.
Oklahoma City hit minus 14°F on February 16, 2021, its second-lowest reading on record per the Oklahoma Climatological Survey. Big houses with long runs to distant wings, outdoor kitchens and pool equipment have more places for water to freeze, so winterizing matters here.
