To prove the content of a record, recording or photograph, the original record, recording or photograph is required except as otherwise provided in this Code or by other statutes.
§ 3002.Requirement of Original
Chapter 40: Oklahoma Evidence Code · Last amended November 1, 2002 · Last verified August 3, 2026
In one sentenceStates the core best-evidence rule -- that proving the content of a record, recording, or photograph requires the original -- except where this Code or another statute provides otherwise.
Full Text of § 3002
Amendment History
Laws 1978, SB 276, c. 285, § 1002, eff. 10/1/1978; Amended by Laws 2002, HB 1939, c. 468, §66, eff. 11/1/2002.
Plain-English Summary
Section 3002 is the best-evidence rule in one sentence: to prove what a record, recording, or photograph says, you need the original. That requirement isn't absolute -- it yields whenever this Code or another statute says otherwise, which the surrounding sections do repeatedly, admitting duplicates and other evidence of contents under specific conditions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you always need the original document to prove what it says?
As a general rule yes, unless this Code or another statute provides an exception -- which Sections 3003 and 3004 do.
Does this rule apply to photographs and recordings, or just written documents?
All three -- records, recordings, and photographs are each covered.
What happens if a statute elsewhere allows proof without the original?
That statute controls, since this section's requirement applies "except as otherwise provided in this Code or by other statutes."
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: best evidence rule oklahoma12 O.S. § 3002FRE 1002 oklahoma equivalentdo you need the original document oklahoma court