A. Service and return of process of court documents may be by an authorized licensed private process server. The presiding judge of the judicial administrative district in which the county is located, or an associate district judge or district judge of the county as may be designated by the presiding judge, shall be authorized to issue a license to make service of process of court documents to persons deemed qualified to do so.
§ 158.1.Private Process Servers - Licensing - Qualifications - Fees - Hearing - Notice - Protests - Proof of Service - Revocation of License - List of Licensees - Statewide Registry
Chapter 6: Commencement of Actions · Last amended November 1, 2023 · Last verified August 3, 2026
In one sentenceSection 158.1 establishes Oklahoma's licensing system for private process servers, setting the qualifications, application, fees, notice and protest procedure, and revocation rules a person must satisfy before a judge may authorize them to serve court process statewide.
Full Text of § 158.1
B. Any person who is:
1. Eighteen (18) years of age or older;
2. Of good moral character;
3. Found ethically and mentally fit;
4. A resident of the State of Oklahoma for a period of not less than six (6) months; and
5. A resident of the county or judicial administrative district in which the application is submitted for a period of not less than thirty (30) days, may obtain a license by filing an application with the court clerk on a verified form to be prescribed by the Administrative Office of the Courts. The form shall require the applicant to identify whether the applicant has had a process server license issued by the State of Oklahoma, any other state, or any county in Oklahoma at any time prior to the current application.
Any person who has been convicted of a violent crime, as defined in Section 571 of Title 57 of the Oklahoma Statutes, or a crime that requires the person to register pursuant to the Sex Offenders Registration Act in this state or another state shall be prohibited from applying for or obtaining a license to serve process in this state. If a person is currently licensed to serve process in this state and the person has a previous felony conviction for a crime enumerated in Section 571 of Title 57 of the Oklahoma Statutes or a crime that requires the person to register pursuant to the Sex Offenders Registration Act, the person shall be prohibited from applying for renewal of the license as provided for in subsection C of this section.
C. The applicant filing for a license to serve process anywhere in this state shall pay a license fee of One Hundred Fifty Dollars ($150.00), and the regular docketing, posting, mailing, and filing fees prescribed by law. The license shall contain the full legal name, address, county in which the license was issued, a brief description of the licensee and a recent photograph of the licensee. The license shall state that the licensee is an officer of the court only for the purpose of service of process. The authority of the licensee shall be statewide. The license shall be carried by the licensee while on duty as a private process server. At the end of one (1) calendar year from the date of issuance of the initial license, the license shall be renewed for a period of three (3) years. The license shall be renewed each succeeding three (3) years. A fee of Fifteen Dollars ($15.00) per renewal shall be charged for each statewide license renewal. A license issued pursuant to this subsection entitles the holder of the license to serve process in any county in this state.
All fees collected pursuant to this section shall be deposited in the court fund.
D. Upon the filing of an application for a license, the court clerk shall give thirty (30) days of notice of hearing by causing the notice to be continually posted for thirty (30) days on the website of the county, or be posted in the courthouse. The applicant shall cause notice of the hearing to be made no less than twenty (20) days prior to the hearing one time by publication in a legal newspaper of the county, as defined in Section 106 of Title 25 of the Oklahoma Statutes, in which the application is filed. The applicant shall be responsible for payment of the publication fee, and shall file in the case the proof of publication affidavit from the newspaper prior to the hearing. The court clerk shall deliver by electronic means or deliver a copy of the notice at least twenty (20) days prior to the hearing to the district attorney, the sheriff in the county in which the application was filed, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation and the Administrative Office of the Courts. The notice shall contain the name of the applicant and the time and place the presiding judge, the associate district judge, or district judge designated by the presiding judge, will act upon the application.
E. If, at the time of consideration of the application or renewal, there are no protests and the applicant appears qualified, the application for the license shall be granted by the presiding judge or such associate district judge or district judge as is designated by the presiding judge and, upon executing bond running to the State of Oklahoma in the amount of Five Thousand Dollars ($5,000.00) for faithful performance of his or her duties and filing the bond with the court clerk, the applicant shall be authorized and licensed to serve court documents in any county in this state. If, at the time of consideration of the application for the license, the presiding judge, associate district judge or district judge as is designated by the presiding judge determines that the applicant does not meet all of the qualifications necessary for a license, the applicant shall be prohibited from reapplying for a license to serve process for a period of not less than one (1) year from the date of denial.
F. If any citizen of this state files a written protest setting forth objections to the licensing of the applicant, the district court clerk shall so advise the presiding judge or such associate district judge or district judge as is designated by the presiding judge, who shall set a later date for hearing of application and protest. The hearing shall be held within sixty (60) days and after notice to all persons known to be interested.
G. Proof of service of process shall be shown by affidavit as provided for by subsection G of Section 2004 of this title.
H. The district attorney of the county wherein a license authorized under this act has been issued or the Attorney General may file a petition in the district court to revoke the license issued to any licensee, as authorized pursuant to the provisions of this section, alleging the violation by the licensee of any of the provisions of the law. After at least thirty (30) days of notice by certified mail to the licensee, the chief or presiding judge, sitting without jury, shall hear the petition and enter an order thereon. If the license is revoked, the licensee shall not be permitted to reapply for a license for a period of five (5) years from the date of revocation. Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, any licensee whose license has been revoked one time shall pay the sum of One Thousand Dollars ($1,000.00) as a renewal fee. If a second revocation occurs, the chief or presiding judge shall not allow an applicant to renew the license.
I. Any person who knowingly and willfully serves process in Oklahoma without a process server license issued by the State of Oklahoma or who holds himself or herself out to be a process server licensed by the State of Oklahoma when the person is not licensed as such shall, upon conviction, be guilty of a misdemeanor. The provisions of this subsection shall not apply to a process server licensed in another state who is serving court documents issued by a court in another state to a person in Oklahoma.
J. The court clerk shall make available at all times in the office of the court clerk the list of licensed private process servers. Any person in need of the services of a process server may designate one from the names on the list, before presenting summons to the court clerk for issuance, without necessity for individual judicial appointment.
K. No later than January 1, 2013, the Administrative Office of the Courts shall establish and maintain a statewide registry which shall contain a list of licensed private process servers. The Administrative Office of the Courts shall promulgate rules for the creation and maintenance of the statewide registry. Rules for the statewide registry for private process servers must have approval of the Supreme Court.
Amendment History
Amended by Laws 2023, c. 20, s. 1, eff. 11/1/2023. Amended by Laws 2021, c. 373, s. 1, eff. 11/1/2021. Amended by Laws 2013, c. 76, s. 1, eff. 4/22/2013. Laws 1984, HB 1833, c. 157, § 1, eff. 11/1/1984; Amended by Laws 1985, HB 1408, c. 277, § 1, eff. 11/1/1985; Amended by Laws 1987, HB 1180, c. 83, §1, eff. 11/1/1987; Amended by Laws 1998, SB 816, c. 310, §2, eff. 11/1/1998; Amended by Laws 2003, SB 81, c. 440, §1, emerg. eff. 7/1/2003; Amended by Laws 2010, SB 2039, c. 50, §1, eff. 11/1/2010; Amended by Laws 2012, HB 2289, c. 101, §1, eff. 1/1/2013.
Plain-English Summary
Section 158.1 lets private individuals serve court papers instead of leaving service entirely to sheriffs and constables, but only after a judge licenses them. To qualify, an applicant must be at least 18, of good moral character, ethically and mentally fit, an Oklahoma resident for at least six months, and a resident of the county or judicial administrative district for at least 30 days. Anyone convicted of a violent crime listed in Section 571 of Title 57, or required to register under the Sex Offenders Registration Act, cannot apply — and a current licensee with such a conviction cannot renew.
Getting licensed takes more than filling out a form. The applicant pays a $150 fee, and the court clerk must post 30 days of notice and require 20 days of published notice in a legal newspaper before a hearing, with copies going to the district attorney, sheriff, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, and the Administrative Office of the Courts. If no one protests and the judge finds the applicant qualified, the license issues once the applicant posts a $5,000 bond; a citizen protest instead triggers a hearing within 60 days. The license lasts one year initially, then renews every three years for a $15 fee, and lets the holder serve process anywhere in the state. Proof of service works the same way it does under subsection G of Section 2004.
A district attorney or the Attorney General can petition to revoke a license after 30 days of notice by certified mail; a first revocation bars reapplication for five years and adds a $1,000 renewal fee if the person is later relicensed, while a second revocation ends eligibility entirely. Serving process without a license, or falsely claiming to hold one, is a misdemeanor, with an exception for servers licensed in other states delivering that state's process. Courts keep a public list of licensed servers, and since 2013 the Administrative Office of the Courts has maintained a statewide registry of them.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who can become a licensed private process server in Oklahoma?
An applicant must be at least 18, of good moral character, ethically and mentally fit, an Oklahoma resident for six months, and a resident of the county or judicial administrative district for 30 days — and must not have a disqualifying conviction for a violent crime or a sex-offender registration requirement.
How much does an Oklahoma process server license cost?
The initial license fee is $150, plus the regular docketing and filing fees; after the first one-year term, renewal costs $15 every three years.
Can someone object to an applicant getting a process server license?
Yes. Any citizen may file a written protest, which sends the application to a later hearing that must be held within 60 days, with notice to interested persons.
What happens if a process server's license is revoked?
A district attorney or the Attorney General can petition to revoke it after 30 days of notice by certified mail; a first revocation bars reapplication for five years and requires a $1,000 renewal fee if the person is relicensed, and a second revocation bars renewal altogether.
Is it illegal to serve process in Oklahoma without this license?
Yes — knowingly and willfully doing so, or falsely claiming to hold a license, is a misdemeanor, though the law exempts an out-of-state licensed server delivering that other state's court documents.
Source & verification. Section text is reproduced verbatim from
Title 12 of the Oklahoma Statutes, enacted by the Oklahoma Legislature.
Last verified August 3, 2026.
· Official source
Also known as: oklahoma process server license requirementshow to become a licensed process server oklahomaprivate process server bond and feestatewide process server registry oklahoma