Requirements/Fees

Requirements
 
§19-298.  Recordable interests.
 
A.    Every county clerk in this state shall require that the mandates of the Legislature be complied with, as expressed in Sections 287 and 291 of this title, and for that purpose, every instrument offered which may be accepted by the county clerk for recording, affecting specific real property whether of conveyance, encumbrance, assignment, or release of encumbrance, lease, assignment of lease or release of lease, shall be an original or certified copy of an original instrument and clearly legible in accordance with the provisions of subsection B of this section, and shall by its own terms describe the property by its specific legal description, and provide such information as is necessary for indexing as required in Sections 287 and 291 of this title, and on each such instrument shall be listed the mailing address of the grantee, mortgagee, assignee or other designated party to which the instrument is to be delivered after recording.  If an instrument offered to a county clerk for recording contains more than twenty-five legal descriptions requiring separate entries in the indexes required by Sections 287 and 291 of this title, the descriptions shall be sorted by addition, block, and lot if platted property, or by township, range, and section if described by governmental survey description.  Any instrument offered to a county clerk for recording containing more than twenty-five legal descriptions per page, counted as each description which could require a separate line entry in the numerical index, shall be accompanied by an additional filing fee of One Dollar ($1.00) per legal description in excess of twenty-five legal descriptions per page to be paid to the county clerk.  Unless the person offering a nonconforming instrument for filing is willing to reform the instrument to conform to statutory requirements, for which purpose it may be withdrawn and refiled during the same business day, the county clerk may refuse to record the same in the records of deeds, leases or mortgages or to index the same upon the index records referred to in Sections 287 or 291 of this title, or to file or record the same in the office of the county clerk.
 
B.    All documents filed of record in the office of the county clerk pursuant to subsection A of this section or pursuant to any other law shall be an original or a certified copy of an original document.  Such documents shall be clearly legible, in the English language, using xerographically reproducible dark ink, on paper of a color that is xerographically reproducible by the copying equipment in use by the county clerk.  Unless otherwise provided by law, such documents shall measure no larger than eight and one-half (8 1/2) inches by fourteen (14) inches.  All documents shall provide an area free of printed information sufficient in size to accommodate affixation of the documentary stamps required by Section 3201 of Title 68 of the Oklahoma Statutes, any certification of the payment of mortgage taxes required by Section 1901 et seq. of Title 68 of the Oklahoma Statutes, and the recording information affixed by the county clerk upon acceptance of a document for recordation.  If an instrument submitted to the county clerk for recording does not contain sufficient space for the affixation of such stamps and recording information without covering language contained in the instrument, the county clerk shall attach an additional page to the document to provide for the affixation of such stamps and recording information.  The top margin of all documents shall be at least one (1) inch and all other margins shall be at least one-half (1/2) inch.
 
C.    Despite any provision in this section to the contrary, the county clerk shall accept for filing any document that fails to meet the requirements of subsection B of this section if:
 
    1.  The document is an original or a certified copy of an original;
 
    2.  The document is legible without the aid of magnification or other enhancement of         the text;
 
    3.  The document is xerographically reproducible by the copying equipment in use by         the county clerk;
 
    4.  The document meets all other statutory requirements for recordation; and
 
    5.  The person offering the instrument for recording pays the additional fee provided in       Section 32 of Title 28 of the Oklahoma Statutes for nonconforming documents.
 
    D.  This section shall not apply to plats, filings under the Uniform Commercial Code, or         any other instruments that may be filed pursuant to any other law.
 
E.  All documents accepted for filing, including all documents filed before the effective date of this act, shall be deemed to comply with the requirements of this section and, except as otherwise provided by law, impart constructive notice of the contents of such document to third parties unless a person claiming adversely to any such document files an affidavit setting forth the basis of such claim in the office of the county clerk of the county where the property is located within six (6) months from the effective date of this act.
 
Fee Schedule
 
§ 28-32. County clerk - Fees.
 
A. Notwithstanding any other provision of law county clerks shall charge and collect the following flat fees to be uniform throughout the state regardless of the recording method used, and the county clerks shall not be required to itemize or charge these fees pursuant to any other schedule, except as specifically provided by law:
*See Section C for an additional Preservation fee of $10.00 
*Certified mail fee on mechanic liens are subject to change. Check USPS website for correct fees
CountyClerkFees
B. The fees prescribed in paragraph 4 of subsection A of this section shall be deposited into the County Clerk's Lien Fee Account, created pursuant to Section 265 of Title 19 of the Oklahoma Statutes.
 
C. For the purpose of preserving, maintaining, and archiving recorded instruments including, but not limited to, records management, records preservation, automation, modernization, and related lawful expenditures, in addition to all other fees required by law, the county clerk shall collect Ten Dollars ($10.00) for each instrument recorded with the Registrar of Deeds.
 
D. There is hereby created a fund to be known as the "County Clerk's Records Management and Preservation Fund".  The fund shall be a continuing fund, not subject to fiscal year limitations, and shall consist of the fees and monies accruing to the fund, as prescribed in subsection C of this section with all monies accruing to the fund to be expended by the clerk and not transferred to any other fund.  The intent of this section is to increase the net funding level available to the county clerk to maintain and preserve public records.
 
E.  The fees and costs prescribed in this section shall not apply to child support enforcement offices operated by or on behalf of the Department of Human Services Child Support Enforcement Division.  County clerks shall not charge any fees or costs to such offices, the Division, or the Department.