A. An arbitrator shall make a record of an award. The award may, or may not, contain the evidence and conclusion upon which the award was based unless the agreement of the parties specifies the type of award to be issued. The record shall be signed or otherwise authenticated by any arbitrator who concurs with the award. The arbitrator or the arbitration organization shall give notice of the award, including a copy of the award, to each party to the arbitration proceeding.
§ 1870.Record of Award
Chapter 38B: Uniform Arbitration Act · Last amended November 1, 2009 · Last verified August 3, 2026
In one sentenceRequires the arbitrator to make a signed record of the award and give every party notice of it, sets the award's deadline by the parties' agreement or the court's order, and treats an untimeliness objection as waived unless raised before the award arrives.
Full Text of § 1870
B. An award shall be made within the time specified by the agreement to arbitrate or, if not specified therein, within the time ordered by the court. The court may extend or the parties to the arbitration proceeding may agree in a record to extend the time. The court or the parties may do so within or after the time specified or ordered. A party waives any objection that an award was not timely made unless the party gives notice of the objection to the arbitrator before receiving notice of the award.
Amendment History
Added by Laws 2005, SB 873, c. 364, §20, eff. 1/1/2006; Amended by Laws 2009, HB 1035, c. 295, §1, eff. 11/1/2009.
Plain-English Summary
Section 1870 sets the basic mechanics of issuing an award. The arbitrator must make a record of it, and unless the parties' agreement specifies what type of award to issue, that record may or may not include the evidence and reasoning behind it. Any arbitrator who concurs with the award signs or otherwise authenticates the record, and the arbitrator or the arbitration organization gives every party notice of the award, including a copy.
The award has to be made within the time the arbitration agreement specifies or, if the agreement is silent, within the time the court orders. The court may extend that deadline, or the parties may agree in a record to extend it, either before or after the original deadline passes. A party who wants to object that the award wasn't timely has to notify the arbitrator of the objection before receiving notice of the award -- otherwise the objection is waived.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does an arbitrator have to explain the reasoning behind an award?
Not necessarily. Section 1870(A) says the award may or may not contain the evidence and conclusions it's based on, unless the parties' agreement specifies the type of award to be issued.
How long does an arbitrator have to issue an award in Oklahoma?
Whatever time the arbitration agreement specifies, or, if it doesn't say, whatever time the court orders -- and that deadline can be extended by the court or by the parties' agreement in a record.
What if I think the arbitrator missed the deadline for issuing the award?
You have to notify the arbitrator of that objection before you receive notice of the award; otherwise you waive the objection.
Does every arbitrator on a panel have to sign the award?
Only those who concur with it -- the record is signed or otherwise authenticated by any arbitrator who agrees with the award.
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: arbitration award deadline oklahoma12 O.S. § 1870how long does an arbitrator have to issue an awardarbitration award must be signed oklahoma