Oklahoma Court Records

The personal information related to the residents of any particular state of the U.S. (also known as the ‘vital records’) is deemed to be highly important. In the State of Oklahoma, these records can be requested at any point in time. Thus, the courts of this state have taken up the duty of acquiring, conserving, and when required, supplying the public records of the people.

Storage of Oklahoma Court Records

The legal system in the State of Oklahoma stands out on at least one count. While the court authorities of most other American states ensure easy access of the records to the general public, Oklahoma allows its residents to view public records over the Web.

The public can also access whatever public record they wish to see completely free of charge through the Oklahoma courts. The entire cost of maintaining and forwarding this valuable information is absorbed by the judicial wing of the state's government.

Categories of Oklahoma Court Records

The Oklahoma court records can be classified into several different categories. First, there are the birth records, which are comprehensive and include all the relevant necessary details. Along with the sex, height and weight of the newly born infant, the employment details of the parents are also recorded. The birth records are generally issued at the Office of Vital Records. The federal government does not have the provision of issuing these documents. These functions are handled at the state level, and are, mostly retained in handwritten format.

Next are the combination of cemetery records and obituary records (which together form the official death records). These documents, which are kept in the repositories of the courts of Oklahoma, are probably the most important type of personal vital records. As such, they are conserved with due care by the Oklahoma courts.

Reasons for Accessing Court Records

In Oklahoma, you might need to obtain a copy of any particular death record for a variety of purposes. For example, in case you are looking to claim death benefits from insurance policies, these documents are highly useful. The death records are also handy in the proper payoff of liabilities and the correct execution of the clauses of the dead person’s will.

The courts of Oklahoma might wish to look into the backgrounds of the residents of the state when they are being considered for public positions. Of course, you might request background reports on others for separate purposes. Thanks to the databases of the Oklahoma courts, you can find out whether any person has ever been convicted in a criminal case in the past.

The marriage records (inclusive of marital licenses as well as the legal certificates) that can be gathered from the courthouses in Oklahoma are considered to be useful in tracing any person’s family lineages. The authorized body that publishes these documents is either the local government or the church of the concerned county.

In addition to the location of the weddings, the marriage records that the Oklahoma courts maintain provide other information. This includes the ages of the husband and the wife at the time of marriage, the date of marriage and other related details, which might prove to be necessary for future reference.

In the context of the divorce records present in the databases of the courts of Oklahoma, there is a slight contention regarding their public viewing. In case it is determined that certain information related to the divorce lawsuit is not suited for public access (e.g., data on the assets of the divorcing couple), such records are never made viewable for the general public.

Accessibility of Court Records

While the general rule of easy public accessibility holds true for most court records in the State of Oklahoma too, there are certain notable exceptions. Any judge can prohibit the publication of certain court proceedings, or the state's regulations may deem them inaccessible.

There exists a legal right which empowers you, as a common resident of Oklahoma, to request any type of public records (such as reports on the proceedings in public courts of the state). Depending on the nature of the requested data, the authorities decide whether or not to grant your request.