{"data":{"id":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-1-1-36","jurisdiction":"us-ok","citation":"Okla. Stat. tit. 1, § 1-36","heading":"Rights and responsibilities of abstractors","body":"A. Any person, firm, corporation, or other entity holding a\n\nvalid abstract license or permit, or any abstract licensee\n\naffiliated with such person, firm, corporation, or other entity,\n\nshall:\n\n1. Have free access to the instruments of record affecting real\n\nproperty filed in any city, county, or state office;\n\n2. Be permitted to make such memoranda, notations, or copies of\n\nsuch instruments of record;\n\n3. Occupy reasonable space with equipment for that purpose\n\nduring the business hours of such office;\n\n4. Make and prepare abstracts; and\n\n5. Compile, post, copy, and maintain his or her books, records,\n\nand indexes.\n\nB. The records in any city, county, or state office shall not\n\nbe taken from the office to which they belong, for any reason,\n\nexcept that records may be taken from the office of the district\n\ncourt clerk by an abstractor who is doing business within that\n\ncounty and has an approved bond on file with the county clerk for a\n\nperiod of time not to exceed twenty-four (24) hours after first\n\ngiving proper receipt to the appropriate clerk or deputy.\n\nC. An abstractor shall have the right of access to any\n\ninstrument filed of record in a county office, not later than the\n\nclose of business of the first business day following the day of\n\nfiling. There shall be no fee charged for providing access to the\n\ninstrument.\n\nD. For purposes of this section, “access” means possession of\n\nsaid instrument to mechanically or electronically reproduce it,\n\neither in the office or out of the office of filing, at the\n\ndiscretion of the county officer having custody of the instrument,\n\nwhich reproduction shall be completed not later than the close of\n\nbusiness of the first business day following the day of receipt of\n\nthe document. Provided if the abstractor fails to return the files\n\nwithin the twenty-four-hour period, the county officer in his or her\n\ndiscretion may refuse to allow the abstractor to remove said files\n\nat a later date. Any county officer making such refusal shall send\n\nwritten notice of such action to the Oklahoma Abstractors Board.\n\nE. Access to instruments of record shall be for immediate and\n\nlawful abstracting purposes only. The sale of the instruments of\n\nrecord for profit to the public either on the Internet or any other\n\nsuch forum by any company holding a permit to build an abstract\n\nplant is prohibited, and a violation of this subsection shall be\n\nconsidered a violation of the Oklahoma Abstractors Law.\n\nF. All certificates of authority or permit holders and abstract\n\nlicensees shall be subject to the same obligation to protect and\n\npreserve the public records to which they have access as do the\n\npublic officers who have legal custody of such records. Holders of\n\ncertificates of authority or permits and abstract licensees shall be\n\nsubject to the same penalties for a violation of such duty as said\n\nofficers.\n\nG. Reliance solely on the county indexes in the preparation of\n\nan abstract of title shall be prohibited and subject to the\n\npenalties established in subsection B of Section 35 of this title\n\nand shall not be a defense of liability for an error or omission in\n\nan abstract of title.","path":["OK Code","Title 1"],"source_url":"https://www.oklegislature.gov/OK_Statutes/CompleteTitles/os1.pdf","current_through":"2026-08-14","vintage":"open-us-law v2026.08, retrieved 2026-09-14","retrieved_at":"2026-09-14T18:32:36Z","sha256":"3dbd3a0509c7690de3d6ff0c71d2853ff2635b0388ae3423678a448354c3492b","source_id":"us-ok","stale":false,"prev":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-1-1-35","next":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-1-1-37"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}