A. Any county, municipality, accredited law school or agency of this state is hereby authorized to establish programs for the purpose of providing mediation services pursuant to the provisions of the Dispute Resolution Act, to be administered and supervised under the direction of the Administrative Director of the Courts. The Administrative Director shall promulgate rules and regulations, subject to the approval of the Supreme Court of the State of Oklahoma, to effectuate the purposes of the Dispute Resolution Act.
§ 1803.Programs For Mediation Services - Rules and Regulations
Chapter 37: Dispute Resolution Act · Last amended June 10, 1986 · Last verified August 3, 2026
In one sentenceAuthorizes counties, municipalities, accredited law schools, and state agencies to establish mediation-service programs under the Administrative Director of the Courts' supervision, and requires rules covering mediator certification, eligible disputes, standard procedures, and continuances conditioned on mediation.
Full Text of § 1803
B. Mediation pursuant to the provisions of the Dispute Resolution Act shall be available to any party eligible according to the jurisdictional guidelines established by the Administrative Director. The company or governmental agency shall be represented in mediation by a person authorized in writing to act in behalf of such entity to the extent necessary to arrive at a resolution pursuant to the provisions of the Dispute Resolution Act.
C. Mediators participating in a program sponsored by a state agency are deemed an employee of that agency solely for the limited purpose of Section 20f of Title 74 of the Oklahoma Statutes.
D. Such rules and regulations shall include:
1. Qualifications to certify mediators to assure their competence and impartiality; and
2. Jurisdictional guidelines including types of disputes which may be subject to the Dispute Resolution Act; and
3. Standard procedures for mediation which shall be complied with in all mediation proceedings; and
4. A method by which a court may grant a continuance in contemplation of dismissal on the condition that the defendant in a criminal action or the plaintiff and defendant in a civil action participate in mediation and a resolution is reached by the parties; and
5. A form for a written agreement for participation in mediation; and
6. A form for a written record of the termination of mediation.
Amendment History
Added by Laws 1983, HB 1136, c. 78, §3, emerg. eff. 7/1/1983; Amended by Laws 1985, HB 1552, c. 260, §1, eff. 11/1/1985; Amended by Laws 1986, SB 582, c. 231, §3, emerg. eff. 6/10/1986.
Plain-English Summary
Section 1803 lets counties, municipalities, accredited law schools, and state agencies set up programs offering mediation services under the Dispute Resolution Act, administered and supervised by the Administrative Director of the Courts. The Director writes the rules and regulations that carry out the act's purposes, subject to the Oklahoma Supreme Court's approval, and any eligible party can use mediation according to the Director's jurisdictional guidelines. A company or government agency takes part through someone it's authorized in writing to represent it.
Those rules have to cover several things: qualifications for certifying mediators so they're competent and impartial, jurisdictional guidelines for which disputes qualify, standard mediation procedures, a way for a court to grant a continuance in contemplation of dismissal on the condition that the parties mediate and reach a resolution, a form for the written agreement to participate, and a form recording when mediation terminates. Mediators in a state-agency-sponsored program count as employees of that agency, but only for the limited purpose of Section 20f of Title 74.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who can set up a mediation program under Oklahoma's Dispute Resolution Act?
Any county, municipality, accredited law school, or agency of the state, supervised by the Administrative Director of the Courts.
Can a criminal case be sent to mediation under this act?
The Director's rules must include a way for a court to grant a continuance in contemplation of dismissal, conditioned on the defendant in a criminal case (or both parties in a civil case) participating in mediation and reaching a resolution.
Does a company have to send an owner or executive to mediation personally?
No -- a company or governmental agency can be represented by anyone it authorizes in writing to act on its behalf.
Who sets the standards for certifying mediators?
The Administrative Director of the Courts, through rules and regulations that require Oklahoma Supreme Court approval.
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: who can run a mediation program oklahomadispute resolution act rules and regulationscontinuance in contemplation of dismissal mediation oklahoma12 O.S. § 1803