Chapter 36: Small Claims Procedure Act · Not amended since adoption on record · Last verified August 3, 2026
In one sentenceLets a court refer an expedited actions case to one round of alternative dispute resolution -- capped at a half-day, twice the filing fee in cost, and finished 60 days before trial -- unless the parties have already opted out.
A.Unless the parties have agreed not to engage in alternative dispute resolution, the court may refer the case to an alternative dispute resolution procedure once. Such procedure shall:
1.Not exceed a half-day in duration, excluding scheduling time;
2.Not exceed a total cost of twice the amount of applicable civil filing fees; and
3.Be completed no later than sixty (60) days before the initial trial setting.
B.The court shall consider objections to referral to alternative dispute resolution unless prohibited by statute.
C.The parties may agree to engage in alternative dispute resolution other than that provided for in subsection A of this section.
Amendment History
Added by Laws 2025, c. 311,s. 7, eff. 9/1/2025.
Plain-English Summary
Section 1781 builds a single round of alternative dispute resolution into the expedited actions process. Unless the parties have already agreed not to use ADR, the court may refer the case to an ADR procedure once, and that procedure can't run longer than a half-day (not counting scheduling time), can't cost more than twice the applicable civil filing fees, and has to wrap up at least 60 days before the initial trial date.
The court has to consider any objection to the referral, unless a statute bars that. And nothing stops the parties from agreeing to a different kind of ADR than the one this section describes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is ADR mandatory in an Oklahoma expedited actions case?
The court may refer the case to ADR once, but not if the parties have already agreed not to engage in it.
How much can the ADR session cost?
No more than twice the applicable civil filing fees.
How long can the ADR session last?
No more than a half-day, excluding time spent scheduling it, and it must be completed at least 60 days before the initial trial setting.
Can I object to being referred to ADR?
Yes -- the court has to consider objections to the referral, unless a statute prohibits that.
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:mediation expedited actions act oklahomaADR cost limit oklahoma civil caseopt out of mediation expedited actions12 O.S. § 1781