A. In lieu of mailing a copy of process or other papers by certified mail, return receipt requested and delivery restricted to the addressee as required or allowed by this title, a party or attorney may send the same by commercial courier service, overnight delivery service, or other reliable personal delivery service to the party addressed, in each instance evidenced by a written or electronic receipt signed by the addressee showing to whom delivered, date of delivery, address where delivered, and person or entity effecting delivery. Acceptance of service by a person who is fifteen (15) years of age or older who resides at the defendant's dwelling house or usual place of abode shall constitute acceptance by the party addressed. A return receipt signed at a dwelling house or usual place of abode shall be presumed to have been signed by a person who is fifteen (15) years of age or older who resides at that dwelling house or abode.
§ 2004.3.Alternate Delivery Methods For Copy of Process, Papers - Deadlines - Not Applicable to Documents Filed With Clerk
Chapter 39: Oklahoma Pleading Code · Last amended November 1, 2012 · Last verified August 3, 2026
In one sentenceSection 2004.3 lets parties use a commercial courier or overnight delivery service, evidenced by a signed receipt, instead of certified mail to serve process or other papers, with deadlines calculated the same way they would be for mail.
Full Text of § 2004.3
B. In lieu of mailing a copy of papers by ordinary mail as required or allowed by this title, a party or attorney may send same by commercial courier service, overnight delivery service, or other reliable personal delivery service to the party addressed.
C. When one of the methods described in this section is utilized, all deadlines based upon service shall be calculated in the same manner as if the service had been by mail.
D. This section shall not apply to the filing of any document with a court clerk. The filing of documents with a court clerk remains governed by the Oklahoma Statutes and court rules.
E. In case of an entity described in division (3) of subparagraph c of paragraph 1 of subsection C of Section 2004 of this title, acceptance by any officer or by any employee of the registered office or principal place of business who is authorized to or who regularly receives certified mail shall constitute acceptance by the party addressed. A return receipt signed at such registered office or principal place of business shall be presumed to have been signed by an employee authorized to receive certified mail.
Amendment History
Added by Laws 2007, SB 634, c. 12, §6, eff. 11/1/2007; Amended by Laws 2012, SB 1313, c. 243, §1, eff. 11/1/2012.
Plain-English Summary
This section is a modern convenience amendment: wherever the Pleading Code requires certified mail, whether return-receipt mail for process under Section 2004 or ordinary mail for other papers, a party may substitute a commercial courier, overnight delivery service, or other reliable personal delivery service instead, as long as delivery is documented by a written or electronic receipt showing who received it, when, where, and who delivered it.
The section preserves the acceptance presumptions from Section 2004: someone fifteen or older at the addressee's home is presumed authorized to accept, and an authorized employee at a corporation's registered office is presumed authorized to sign for it. Deadlines that run from service are calculated the same way whether the copy went by mail or by one of these alternate methods. The section carves out one hard limit: it has nothing to do with filing documents with the court clerk, which stays governed by the ordinary statutes and court rules on filing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a party use a courier service instead of certified mail to serve papers?
Yes -- subsection A allows commercial courier, overnight delivery, or other reliable personal delivery service as an alternative to certified mail, as long as delivery is documented by a signed written or electronic receipt.
Do deadlines change if papers are sent by courier instead of mail?
No -- subsection C says all deadlines based on service are calculated the same way they would be if the papers had been sent by mail.
Does this section let you file documents with the court by courier instead of through the clerk's normal process?
No -- subsection D specifically excludes filing documents with the court clerk, which remains governed by the Oklahoma Statutes and court rules.
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 alternate service delivery12 O.S. § 2004.3courier service process oklahomaovernight delivery service of process