{"data":{"id":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-19-19-298","jurisdiction":"us-ok","citation":"Okla. Stat. tit. 19, § 19-298","heading":"Recordable instruments - Filing","body":"A. Every county clerk in this state shall require that the\n\nmandates of the Legislature be complied with, as expressed in\n\nSections 287 and 291 of this title, and for that purpose, every\n\ninstrument offered which may be accepted by the county clerk for\n\nrecording, affecting specific real property whether of conveyance,\n\nencumbrance, assignment, or release of encumbrance, lease,\n\nassignment of lease or release of lease, shall be an original or\n\ncertified copy of an original instrument and clearly legible in\n\naccordance with the provisions of subsection B of this section, and\n\nshall by its own terms describe the property by its specific legal\n\ndescription, and provide such information as is necessary for\n\nindexing as required in Sections 287 and 291 of this title, and on\n\neach such instrument shall be listed the mailing address of the\n\ngrantee, mortgagee, assignee or other designated party to which the\n\ninstrument is to be delivered after recording. If an instrument\n\noffered to a county clerk for recording contains more than twenty-\n\nfive legal descriptions requiring separate entries in the indexes\n\nrequired by Sections 287 and 291 of this title, the descriptions\n\nshall be sorted by addition, block, and lot if platted property, or\n\nby township, range, and section if described by governmental survey\n\ndescription. Any instrument offered to a county clerk for recording\n\ncontaining more than twenty-five legal descriptions per page,\n\ncounted as each description which could require a separate line\n\nentry in the numerical index, shall be accompanied by an additional\n\nfiling fee of One Dollar ($1.00) per legal description in excess of\n\ntwenty-five legal descriptions per page to be paid to the county\n\nclerk. Unless the person offering a nonconforming instrument for\n\nfiling is willing to reform the instrument to conform to statutory\n\nrequirements, for which purpose it may be withdrawn and refiled\n\nduring the same business day, the county clerk may refuse to record\n\nthe same in the records of deeds, leases or mortgages or to index\n\nthe same upon the index records referred to in Section 287 or 291 of\n\nthis title, or to file or record the same in the office of the\n\ncounty clerk.\n\nB. All documents filed of record in the office of the county\n\nclerk pursuant to subsection A of this section or pursuant to any\n\nother law shall be an original or a certified copy of an original\n\ndocument. Such documents shall be clearly legible, in the English\n\nlanguage, using xerographically reproducible dark ink, on paper of a\n\ncolor that is xerographically reproducible by the copying equipment\n\nin use by the county clerk. Unless otherwise provided by law, such\n\ndocuments shall measure no larger than eight and one-half (8 1/2)\n\ninches by fourteen (14) inches. All documents shall provide an area\n\nfree of printed information sufficient in size to accommodate\n\naffixation of the documentary stamps required by Section 3201 of\n\nTitle 68 of the Oklahoma Statutes, any certification of the payment\n\nof mortgage taxes required by Section 1901 et seq. of Title 68 of\n\nthe Oklahoma Statutes, and the recording information affixed by the\n\ncounty clerk upon acceptance of a document for recordation. Any\n\npart of a signature or any stray markings within the margin shall\n\nnot void the requirements for accepting and filing any document by\n\nany county within the state, provided there remains sufficient space\n\nfor the affixation of stamps and recording information without\n\ncovering language contained in the instrument. If an instrument\n\nsubmitted to the county clerk for recording does not contain\n\nsufficient space for the affixation of such stamps and recording\n\ninformation without covering language contained in the instrument,\n\nthe county clerk shall attach an additional page to the document to\n\nprovide for the affixation of such stamps and recording information.\ncovering language contained in the instrument. If an instrument\n\nsubmitted to the county clerk for recording does not contain\n\nsufficient space for the affixation of such stamps and recording\n\ninformation without covering language contained in the instrument,\n\nthe county clerk shall attach an additional page to the document to\n\nprovide for the affixation of such stamps and recording information.\n\nA county clerk shall not charge any additional fee or fine for stray\n\nmarkings within the margin of a document. The top margin of all\n\ndocuments shall be at least two (2) inches and all other margins\n\nshall be at least one (1) inch.\n\nC. Despite any provision in this section to the contrary, the\n\ncounty clerk shall accept for filing any document that fails to meet\n\nthe requirements of subsection B of this section if:\n\n1. The document is an original or a certified copy of an\n\noriginal;\n\n2. The document is legible without the aid of magnification or\n\nother enhancement of the text;\n\n3. The document is xerographically reproducible by the copying\n\nequipment in use by the county clerk;\n\n4. The document meets all other statutory requirements for\n\nrecordation; and\n\n5. The person offering the instrument for recording pays the\n\nadditional fee provided in Section 32 of Title 28 of the Oklahoma\n\nStatutes for nonconforming documents.\n\nD. Despite any provision in this section to the contrary, a\n\ndigitized image or electronic copy of an original or certified copy\n\nof an original instrument or document shall satisfy the requirement\n\nthat the document be an original or certified copy of an original\n\ninstrument or document, provided that the digitized image or\n\nelectronic copy is submitted for recording electronically pursuant\n\nto the Uniform Real Property Electronic Recording Act in Title 16 of\n\nthe Oklahoma Statutes and all other rules promulgated pursuant to\n\nthat act.\n\nE. This section shall not apply to plats, filings under the\n\nUniform Commercial Code, or any other instruments that may be filed\n\npursuant to any other law.\n\nF. All documents accepted for filing, including all documents\n\nfiled before February 18, 1997, shall be deemed to comply with the\n\nrequirements of this section and, except as otherwise provided by\n\nlaw, impart constructive notice of the contents of such document to\n\nthird parties unless a person claiming adversely to any such\n\ndocument files an affidavit setting forth the basis of such claim in\n\nthe office of the county clerk of the county where the property is\n\nlocated within six (6) months from February 18, 1997.","path":["OK Code","Title 19"],"source_url":"https://www.oklegislature.gov/OK_Statutes/CompleteTitles/os19.pdf","current_through":"2026-08-14","vintage":"open-us-law v2026.08, retrieved 2026-09-14","retrieved_at":"2026-09-14T18:32:36Z","sha256":"1fd7cb4ba0e90bfa9c314a89760ba1924868d17444372a8ed5d48146c26fc2ba","source_id":"us-ok","stale":false,"prev":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-19-19-297","next":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-19-19-298.1"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}