Washington County Court Clerk

About the Washington County Court Clerk's Office

Jean Davis serves as the elected Washington County Court Clerk, the officer in charge of the records of the District Court. The Court Clerk records, files, and maintains as permanent records the proceedings of the court. Almost every civil suit, criminal charge, divorce, probate case, and small claims matter in the county passes through this office at some stage. The seat is an elected county post, so county voters choose who holds it rather than a judge or a board.

The office is more than a filing counter. It issues marriage licenses and private process server licenses, and it handles court-fund money that later goes to county and state government units. The Court Clerk follows forms and procedures set by the Administrative Office of the Courts, the Oklahoma Supreme Court, and the State Auditor and Inspector. District Court proceedings are public information under the Oklahoma Open Records Act, with the exception of juvenile, guardianship, adoption, and mental health cases.

What the Washington County Court Clerk Does

Day to day, the Court Clerk keeps each case file moving from the first filing to the final order. Staff date-stamp new pleadings, assign case numbers, collect fees, and post entries to the docket so the public record stays current. The same office takes in money tied to a case, whether it is a filing fee, a fine, or a bond, and tracks where each dollar goes.

• Open and number new civil, criminal, family, probate, and small claims cases
• Maintain the permanent docket and case files for the District Court
• Issue marriage licenses and private process server licenses
• Collect filing fees, fines, and court costs and post them to the court fund
• Accept and record jail bond money during business hours
• Sign in summoned jurors and issue juror parking permits

How to Request a Certified Copy

A certified copy is a court document stamped and signed by the Court Clerk to prove it is a true copy of the original on file. Courts, banks, title companies, and government agencies usually require a certified copy rather than a plain printout from an online docket. Common examples include divorce decrees, judgments, and letters testamentary from a probate case.

1. Identify the case. Find the case number through OSCN or ODCR, or call the office at 918-337-2870 if you only have a name.
2. Tell the clerk which document you need, such as a decree, a judgment, or letters of administration, and how many certified copies.
3. Submit the request at the counter at 420 S. Johnstone Ave., or ask the office about sending a written request by mail.
4. Pay the per-page copy charge plus the certification fee. Filings and payments stop at 4:45 p.m.
5. Pick up the certified copy at the counter, or arrange to have it mailed back to you.

Washington County Court Clerk Request Form Fields

A records request, whether made in person or in writing, needs enough detail for staff to locate the exact file. The fields below are the information the office relies on to pull a document and certify it. The more of these a requester can supply, the faster the search.

Court Clerk Terms to Know

A few terms come up often at the Court Clerk counter. Knowing them makes a request or a filing go faster, and it helps a reader make sense of a docket entry.

Certified Copy

A document carrying the Court Clerk's seal that certifies it matches the original on file.

Filer

A party or attorney who submits documents into a court case.

Civil Preservation Fee

A $10 charge added to new civil filings statewide to fund record preservation.

Court Fund

The account where the clerk holds fees and costs before sending them to county and state units.

Process Server License

A license the Court Clerk issues to let a private server deliver court papers.

Washington County Court Clerk Fees

Most Court Clerk charges are set by state law, mainly 28 O.S. § 152 and § 152.1, with a few local rules on top. A $10 civil preservation fee has applied to new civil filings across Oklahoma since November 1, 2019 under House Bill 1091. The figures below are base amounts, and a real case total can include statutory add-ons. The full fee schedule lives in Title 28 of the Oklahoma Statutes.

Note: Fee totals can change, so confirm the current amount with the Court Clerk at 918-337-2870 before you mail a check or arrive at the counter.

Searching District Court Records Through the Court Clerk

Records held by the Washington County Court Clerk can be searched online before anyone visits the counter. The office links two free statewide systems from its own page. The Oklahoma State Courts Network, known as OSCN, carries District Court dockets and daily docket reports. On Demand Court Records, or ODCR, offers a name-friendly search across participating Oklahoma courts.

Choose Washington County District Court in the court list, then search by full case number on OSCN or by party name on ODCR. Case numbers follow a prefix, year, and number pattern, such as CF-2024-210 for a felony or an FD prefix for a family case. A web docket is a convenience copy, not a certified record, so the office still handles official copies, sealed or restricted files, and older documents that never reached the internet. For a full view of every search channel, the Washington County court records page gathers the portals in one place.

Marriage Licenses at the Washington County Court Clerk

Unlike land deeds, marriage licenses in Washington County come from the Court Clerk, not the County Clerk. Both people must appear together at the office, Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Each applicant brings proof of age and identity, such as a current driver's license, a raised-seal birth certificate, or a passport.

The license fee is $50 in cash. It drops to $5 with a certificate showing at least four hours of premarital counseling from a qualified health professional or religious official. Oklahoma sets no residency rule, but the marriage must be performed in the state. Applicants under 18 face a 72-hour waiting period unless a judge waives it, and those who are 16 or 17 need consent from a parent or guardian.

Note: A person divorced in Oklahoma may not marry anyone other than the former spouse within the state for six months after the decree of dissolution.

Jury Duty and Bond Posting at the Court Clerk

The Court Clerk's office is also where jury service and bond posting begin. Summoned jurors sign in at the office, and the clerk issues free permits for two-hour street parking spaces on any street except Johnstone Avenue. Jurors are paid $50 for each day of service. Questions about a summons go to 918-337-2870, and the steps appear on the official Court Clerk FAQ.

Jail bonds can be posted at the Court Clerk's office between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. on weekdays. After hours, bonds are posted at the Washington County Correctional Facility instead. Because the posting window closes before the building does, anyone arriving late in the day should call first to confirm staff can still process a bond.

Court Clerk and County Clerk in Washington County

Washington County splits clerk duties between two separate offices, and people often confuse them. The Court Clerk handles District Court case files and marriage licenses. The County Clerk, Annette Smith, is the register of deeds and keeps land records, county board minutes, and county financial records. Sending a deed request to the Court Clerk, or a court file request to the County Clerk, only delays the answer.

Property and deed searches run through the County Clerk's office, while every District Court case stays with the Court Clerk.

Mail, Online Filing, and Payments

Attorneys and registered filers submit documents electronically through the Oklahoma Unified Case Management System, the state e-filing platform. The login and public-access terms sit at the e-filing portal. Filers must follow Rule 31 and the Court Clerk's guidelines for filers, which call for care with Social Security numbers and other personal identifiers.

Court costs and many fines can be paid online without a trip downtown. The OSCN e-payments system takes payment by case, citation, or payment-plan number, and the ODCR payment search covers disposed cases and eligible traffic pleas. Civil cases, pending matters, and very old files generally cannot be paid online, so those still route through the counter or the mail. The office stops taking filings and payments at 4:45 p.m. each day to secure the building and close its books.