Where there is no execution outstanding, the clerk of the court in which the judgment was rendered may receive the amount of the judgment and costs, and receipt therefor, with the same effect as if the same had been paid to the sheriff on an execution; and the clerk shall be liable to be amerced in the same manner and amount as a sheriff for refusing to pay the same to the party entitled thereto, when requested, and shall also be liable on his official bond.
§ 27.Clerk May Collect Judgment and Costs
Chapter 2: General Provisions · Not amended since adoption on record · Last verified August 3, 2026
In one sentenceSection 27 lets a court clerk accept payment of a judgment and its costs directly, with the same legal effect as paying the sheriff under an execution, as long as no execution is outstanding, and holds the clerk to a sheriff's liability for refusing to pay it over.
Full Text of § 27
Amendment History
R.L. 1910, § 5327.
Plain-English Summary
Section 27 gives judgment creditors a shortcut for collecting: instead of going through the sheriff on an execution, they can pay the judgment amount and costs directly to the clerk of the court that rendered the judgment. That only works when no execution is currently outstanding, and the clerk’s receipt has the same legal effect as if the sheriff had collected it.
The clerk who takes the money is held to the same standard as a sheriff. If the clerk refuses to hand the collected funds over to the party entitled to them on request, the clerk can be amerced — fined a penalty — the same way a sheriff would be, and remains liable on the clerk’s official bond.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a court clerk in Oklahoma accept payment of a judgment directly?
Yes, when there's no execution outstanding. Section 27 lets the clerk of the court that rendered the judgment receive payment of the judgment and costs, with the same effect as payment to the sheriff on an execution.
What happens if the clerk won't turn over judgment money collected?
Section 27 makes the clerk liable to be amerced in the same manner and amount as a sheriff for refusing to pay the money to the party entitled to it, and the clerk also remains liable on the official bond.
Does Section 27 apply if an execution is already outstanding?
No. Section 27 only lets the clerk collect the judgment and costs where there is no execution outstanding.
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
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