{"data":{"id":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-20-20-123","jurisdiction":"us-ok","citation":"Okla. Stat. tit. 20, § 20-123","heading":"Jurisdiction of special judges","body":"A. Special judges may hear and decide the following:\n\n1. Actions for the recovery of money where the amount claimed\n\ndoes not exceed Ten Thousand Dollars ($10,000.00) and counterclaim\n\nor setoff does not exceed Ten Thousand Dollars ($10,000.00);\n\n2. All uncontested matters, whether by default, agreement or\n\notherwise, except that a nonlawyer special judge may not hear any\n\nuncontested matters, whether by default, agreement or otherwise, in\n\nactions for the recovery of money where judgment is sought for a\n\ngreater sum than One Thousand Dollars ($1,000.00);\n\n3. Actions for forcible entry and detainer except a nonlawyer\n\nspecial judge may not hear such actions if title to land or a\n\nboundary dispute is involved;\n\n4. Actions for replevin where the amount in controversy does\n\nnot exceed Ten Thousand Dollars ($10,000.00), except that nonlawyer\n\nspecial judges may not hear such actions where the amount in\n\ncontroversy exceeds One Thousand Dollars ($1,000.00);\n\n5. Misdemeanors, except that special judges who are not lawyers\n\nmay not hear criminal actions where the punishment prescribed by law\n\nexceeds a fine of Two Hundred Dollars ($200.00), or imprisonment in\n\na county jail for thirty (30) days, or both such fine and\n\nimprisonment except by written consent of all parties;\n\n6. Felonies involving a second and subsequent offense of\n\ndriving, operating, or being in actual physical control of a motor\n\nvehicle while under the influence of alcohol or any other\n\nintoxicating substance, including any controlled dangerous substance\n\nas defined in the Uniform Controlled Dangerous Substances Act, to a\n\ndegree that renders the defendant incapable of safely driving or\n\noperating a motor vehicle, except that nonlawyer special judges may\n\nnot hear such matters;\n\n7. When there is no district or associate district judge\n\npresent in the county or when they are disqualified, the issuance of\n\na temporary injunction or restraining order, but this paragraph\n\nshall not embrace nonlawyer special judges;\n\n8. Issuance of writs of habeas corpus, but this paragraph shall\n\nnot embrace nonlawyer special judges;\n\n9. Any matter, regardless of value, at any stage, whether\n\nintermediate or final, and whether or not title to property, real,\n\npersonal, tangible, intangible, or any combination thereof, is to be\n\ndetermined, in a probate, divorce, domestic relations, custody,\n\nsupport, guardianship, conservatorship, mental health, juvenile,\n\nadoption, or determination of death proceeding, except that\n\nnonlawyer special judges may not hear such matters;\n\n10. An appeal from an order of the Department of Public Safety\n\nrevoking a person's license to drive, except that nonlawyer special\n\njudges may not hear such matters;\n\n11. Other actions and proceedings, regardless of court rules,\n\nwhere the parties agree in writing, at any time before trial, to the\n\naction being heard by a special judge;\n\n12. Any postjudgment collection matter regardless of the amount\n\nof the judgment; and\n\n13. Youthful offender cases pursuant to the Youthful Offender\n\nAct.\n\nB. Special judges shall be authorized to serve as referee in\n\nany matter before the district court.\n\nC. A special judge may perform the duties of a magistrate in\n\ncriminal cases.","path":["OK Code","Title 20"],"source_url":"https://www.oklegislature.gov/OK_Statutes/CompleteTitles/os20.pdf","current_through":"2026-08-14","vintage":"open-us-law v2026.08, retrieved 2026-09-14","retrieved_at":"2026-09-14T18:32:36Z","sha256":"4c06bbc25c98b7dec48ebc6d216fbe1ced9ba856fe8bc154adde335f71c0efa9","source_id":"us-ok","stale":false,"prev":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-20-20-1227","next":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-20-20-124"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}